We understand that finding your next student home is a big decision. Once you’ve found the perfect place, we want the process of securing that property to be as easy and stress-free as possible.
That’s why we try to make the process as clear and simple as possible. That means no jargon, no fuss, no pressure! Here’s our guide to securing your new home.
Reserve your property
For most of our properties we'll ask you to pay a Holding Deposit of one week's rent per person. You'll need to pay this fee via bank transfer.
The Holding Deposit will be used towards your rent if your application is successful. This Holding Deposit is refundable, but please note that it will not be returned to you if:
- You fail a right to rent check
- You provide false information in your application
- You back out of the tenancy agreement
- You do not respond to reasonable requests for information
You can see our full fees and charges here.
Some of our landlords prefer you to sign a contract and pay the retainer before taking the property off the market. If you call us, we can let you know what you'll need to do to secure your particular property.
We’ll also let you know time-frames for completing each action. But it's important that you complete all of the steps, otherwise the property may be put back on the market. The average time to complete the paperwork is five working days.
If, when you pop in to the branch or call to reserve your property, not all of the group are present, it's important that you let us know the full name, email address and mobile number for each tenant, as quickly as possible.
Please make sure that we get these details within 24 hours of you making the reservation. We will need each person's name, as it appears on their ID. This will help cut down the time that it takes to get the contract out to the whole group. There's a reservation form, where you can add this information, too!
You can see the full terms and conditions for reserving a property on our reservations page.
We’ll send you a confirmation
Shortly after you've agreed to reserve a property, we’ll send you an email confirming the details of the reservation, plus the EPC and instructions on what to do next.
You'll also receive a copy of the Government's How to Rent Guide.
Complete your tenancy application
For most tenants this will be done through a website called StuRents.
You'll receive an email from StuRents asking you to sign the contract. Simply follow the link in the email. Here you can create an account and upload all of the documents that you need to provide as part of your tenancy.
Please make sure to use the most up to date version of Chrome or Firefox when logging into StuRents as Internet Explorer does not support StuRents.
You will need to upload the following information:
- Photos of your ID (you'll need your Passport and Driving Licence. Not got these? Here's information on alternative forms of ID that we can accept)
- Upload a photo of your Student ID card
- Your contact details (including your University details, home address etc)
- Guarantor contact information (name, mobile number, email address)
- Debit Card details, you'll need to pay a your retainer (which becomes your deposit when your tenancy starts).
Guarantor to complete application
Once you've entered your guarantor’s contact information, StuRents will email them asking them to sign the Guarantor Agreement.
Please make sure to use the latest version of Chrome or Firefox when logging into StuRents as Internet Explorer does not support StuRents.
They will also need to upload:
- Their ID (Driving Licence or Passport, plus, proof of address)
- Contact details (including 3 years of address history, date of birth etc)
- Debit Card details
Guarantor credit check
Once you and your guarantor have uploaded your information, we will complete a credit check on your guarantor.
Occasionally a guarantor might fail a credit check. If this happens, don’t worry. We will contact you to discuss your options. This may include agreeing to pay all your rent up front, or paying a company called HousingHand a fee to act as your guarantor.
There's more information about options if you are not able to supply a UK-based guarantor on our FAQ page.
Pay your retainer
You will be asked to pay your retainer when you are signing your contract. Your retainer will become your deposit, once the tenancy starts.
The property’s yours
Once all of that is complete then the property is yours! High fives all round!
We'll contact you later on to help you set up your rent payments. In the meantime, relax and start planning where you’ll be hanging your posters!
Important:
A tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract that you are obliged to honour. Do not commit to a tenancy unless you are certain you can meet your obligations.