Some of your options as you depart our Halls

The following is information from our University of London Housing Service which supports students looking for and living in private rented accommodation.

Looking for Private Accommodation?

Your best first step when considering private rented accommodation is to check out our Private Housing Guide. This is an up-to-date, comprehensive guide which will help you find accommodation that matches your needs. It’s full of practical advice and will help you to understand your rights at each stage of your renting journey. We also have a Contract Checking Guide for tips on what to look out for in your tenancy agreement before you sign it.

 We understand the London market is competitive, so we encourage students to look further afield to commutable distance from their campus, where possible.

Private Student Halls

 There are lots of private student residences in London. When considering these, we recommend that you go for one which is registered with the ANUK National Code, which tend to be better than some others on the market. You can find out more about what ANUK membership means, and find a list of ANUK-registered private halls at this link: https://www.nationalcode.org/the-benefits-for-students

We’d recommend researching areas that are well connected to your campus and then doing searches in each promising area for student accommodation, and cross-referencing them against this list of ANUK registered private halls: https://www.nationalcode.org/london

In London, house-hunting tends to happen a lot later in the year and in a more compressed period than in other university cities. In a typical year, the main house-hunting period runs from May to September/October.

We strongly recommend that students view properties in person before they consider signing any tenancy or licence agreements. These agreements are binding once you’ve signed them, so the more certain you can be that the accommodation is to your satisfaction, the better. If you have the option to stay in temporary accommodation while you look for something longer term, we’d recommend that you do.

Private rented sector (studios, flats, houses, homestays, Build-to-Rent)

We have a housing platform through which you can find and secure accommodation from reputable providers. If you have a university email (or upload a valid student ID / offer letter), you can sign up here: https://househunt.london.ac.uk/Students

Letting Agents that are registered with us include Bentley & Co, Chestertons, Hamptons, and Grange London to name a few. Please contact them directly on the platform to enquire for availability. Build-to-Rent (B2R) developments are purpose-built residential buildings designed for rental, offering modern accommodation, professional management, and amenities such as security and community living. Companies that are registered with us include ARK Co-Living, Enclave, Bread & Butter Collective, Alma Aldgate, and Una.

You can always come back to us to request a contract checking appointment with one of our housing advisors before signing any agreement/contract.

If you are asked to pay a security deposit and/or the first month’s rent, please make sure payment details match the landlord’s name or letting agent company only.

Other options

Many students also have success with sites like https://www.spareroom.co.uk/, https://www.openrent.co.uk/ and https://www.zoopla.co.uk/. We are not affiliated with any site, and therefore cannot endorse their services, but they are widely used.

Please also have a read of our advice when searching using websites or social media: https://housing.london.ac.uk/find-accommodation/other-private-accommodation-websites.

Our services - how can we help you?

ULHS deals with private rented accommodation and offers housing advice for problems that students of member colleges face as detailed here: https://housing.london.ac.uk/get-advice. As mentioned, we do not help place students in accommodation but provide resources to help you navigate your options.

We have a housing platform through which you can find and secure accommodation from reputable providers, you can sign up here: https://househunt.london.ac.uk/.

To register with us, these accommodation providers have had to sign up to our Code of Good Practice. Agents who register with us must be members of a client money protection scheme, property redress scheme and a professional body that we recognise as reputable, while private halls providers must be ANUK-registered. This means that they might be safer than some others on the market.

A great place to find flatmates is the University of London Flatmate Finder group on Facebook. Here, you can connect with other students, share knowledge and advertise or find rooms in shared houses.

For current or prospective students at one of our subscribing Colleges or Universities, ULHS can also offer a free contract checking and housing advice service. Please have a look at our Advice pages or get in touch with the ULHS to find out more.

We would strongly encourage you to make use of the resources on our website, which include our private housing guide and our contract checking guide. The Shelter website is another excellent repository of housing advice. If you are at all suspicious about any fees that are being charged, do refer to the government guidance on the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

This provides details on the energy performance of the property you are renting. Each property receives a rating between A-G. It’s against the law to rent a property that has a rating below E. Find out more about EPCs on their website.