Live off campus at uni

There are plenty of shared student houses in Surrey to rent, whether via a letting agent or private landlord. The most popular areas for University of Surrey students include Bellfields, Burpham, Fairlands, Godalming, Guildford, Guildford Park, Onslow, Park Barn, Shalford, Stoughton, Westborough and Woking.

The University of Surrey also has a property managed scheme, to help students find affordable accommodation. The privately owned houses usually have 4 bedrooms, with some 3, 5 and 6 bed houses, and are managed by the University itself.

Weekly rent

In Surrey, and around Guildford, you will typically pay between £80 and £95 in weekly rent to live in a shared student house, excluding bills. It obviously depends on the size of the house, the quality of living accommodation, location and proximity to the University of Surrey or Guildford high street. Some of the nearby village locations may also cost more in weekly rent.

Some landlords and letting agents include bills within your rent, like water rates for example. You will need to check what your rent covers before you start budgeting to live off campus, particularly if you have a set amount of money to last you each month.

When to look

The majority of first year University of Surrey students find a group of friends and start looking for a shared house after the first term (beginning of January.) Others start searching even earlier. While there isn’t a huge shortage of student houses in Surrey, not all privately rented accommodation will be of the same standard – or within your budget. It’s easy to think you’ll miss out on the best ones if you don’t get in quick…

But that doesn’t mean you have to rush! The last thing you need in the first term at university is the stress of finding and securing your first ever rental property on top of making new friends and getting to grips with your degree course. Take your time, and don’t panic.

How to choose

The best and most important advice for students is not to sign a contract for the first property you find – or feel like you’ll miss out if you don’t start your search in November.
Get a group of friends together, decide which area you want to live in and then start looking for suitable houses. Location is really key: Do you want to be close to the campus, or closer to the town? Or don’t you mind, as long as the house is nice?

While it’s important to view a selection before you commit, don’t over-do it: Look at several, but not several dozen. Make sure you see at least a few to get a feel of what level of quality and value for money you should be expecting.

Paying a deposit

When you find a student house, typically you’ll need to club together and pay a deposit to secure the property straight away. In the real world, house deposits are usually a month and half’s rent up front. For student houses, you should expect to pay around half a month’s rent for your deposit.

Some landlords don’t charge a deposit fee, but at the end of your tenancy will rely on guarantors to pay for cleaning and to repair any damage. It depends what you prefer to do – no deposit might seem like a dream come true, but a lot of students like the idea of getting some cash back at the end of their tenancy.

Some letting agents also charge a finders fee, which isn’t always a necessary cost – especially if you’ve done most of the legwork yourself. Be aware of financial add-ons like this, and make sure you check up front the real costs involved.

Budgeting for bills

Household bills add to the cost of rent, and include standard utilities (gas, electric, water, sewerage, central heating) as well as extra essentials like broadband, phone line, TV licence, food and contents insurance.

Budgeting for the cost of living as a student is especially important if your student loan is all you have to work with. Typically, around £10 per week per person in your shared house should cover the running costs. But a lot depends on how you live! Having the heating on all day, or racking up hefty phone bills will obviously add more to your outgoings.

Where to look

Popular landlords and letting agents should help you find the right property for your needs and budget.  The best ones charge half a month’s deposit (and ensure it’s protected), plus a small admin fee that covers gardening and processing all the paperwork – with no unnecessary finders fees on top.

Surrey Student Housing is the University-accredited scheme, which sets the standards for local landlords to adhere to. Belonging to this scheme means a landlord’s property meets the criteria set jointly by the council and universities in the city. It ensures that students get a better standard of accommodation, with few major problems (and if any do crop up, they get fixed really quickly).

The University of Surrey accommodation office offers a regularly updated list of accredited off campus properties, and a web-based housing list too.

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