More often than not, we’ll arrange for you to view the accommodation unaccompanied, with the current tenants showing you around at your confirmed viewing time.

If however you’d prefer to view the house accompanied by the landlord, then this of course can be arranged and then you get to meet the actual landlord that will be looking after to you during your tenancy in Loughborough.

Once you’ve viewed the house, if you have any further questions then please contact us. If you’ve decided to let the house, we’ll then let you know the next steps.

FAQs

For any questions you might have, please see the below. If you require further clarification or your question is not covered here, then please feel free to contact us.

My group are unable to view the houses in person as we are International students currently overseas – can we still reserve it?

When do I have to choose a Loughborough house for the next academic year?

What is a security deposit?

Who holds my security deposit?

Will I get all my security deposit back?

What is the tenancy agreement?

What are my responsibilities?

What type of tenancy agreement/contract will we be signing?

Is the tenancy agreement individual or is it a joint tenancy to be signed by the whole house?

How long is the tenancy for?

Do you require a rent guarantor?

Is the rent payable weekly, monthly or quarterly?

Do you offer a discount for paying all the rent upfront?

How do I calculate the quarterly or monthly rent from the weekly rent figure advertised?

When do I have to pay the first rent instalment?

How do we pay subsequent rent instalments?

What bills do we have to pay?

How much are the bills be if they are not included in the rent?

Who pays for Internet, a TV package, telephone land line bills?

Do we need a TV license?

Will we have to pay council tax?

What about insurance?

Is the accommodation furnished?

What bedroom furniture is included?

What about house repairs?

When are the refuse and recycling collection days?

Can I move in on any day, or does it have to be at the beginning of the week or month?

What must we do at the end of the tenancy?

Will the house have to be cleaned by us at the end of the tenancy?

We’d like to stay in the same student house next year, how do we arrange that?

My group are unable to view the houses in person as we are International students currently overseas – can we still reserve it?

For overseas students unable to view student houses in Loughborough in person we endeavour to provide as much information as possible for each accommodation and can even put you in contact with current or past international students that have rented student houses in Loughborough from us. Many groups of international students have rented from us without even seeing the house and the whole rental process can be done over email without being in Loughborough.

When do I have to choose a property for the next academic year?

Most students start looking for next year's accommodation before the end of the year, usually from November. The sooner you start your Loughborough student accommodation search the better as you will have a wider choice of better accommodation. Students who leave it until the summer will be left with a reduced and poor selection of accommodation.

What is a security deposit?

Upon signing the tenancy agreement, we ask for a fully refundable security deposit off each tenant to cover the cost of any damage to the property or cleaning required at the end of the tenancy. Once everyone in your group has handed over the deposit, this along with the tenancy agreement reserves the Loughborough house for you.

Who holds my security deposit?

All private landlords and letting agents taking deposits for Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales are required to safeguard them in 1 of the 3 Government-authorised tenancy deposit protection schemes. The scheme we use is www.depositprotection.com. For more information please see: www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Privaterenting/Tenancies/DG_189120.

Will I get all my security deposit back?

As soon as you have all moved out or the tenancy has expired the house will be inspected. Subject to there being no damage or cleaning required, your protected security deposit will be returned directly from www.depositprotection.com within 28 days.

What is the tenancy agreement?

It is a legally binding document between your group and the landlord that states the amount of rent, length of tenancy, and your rights and responsibilities.

What are my responsibilities?

These are clearly set out in your tenancy agreement, which you should all read carefully before you sign. If you’ve any questions about the agreement, we will be happy to talk them through with you.

What type of tenancy agreement/contract will we be signing?

The tenancy agreement is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy as defined in Section 20 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Housing Act 1996.

Is the tenancy agreement individual or is it a joint tenancy to be signed by the whole house?

Other than for 1 bed apartments, we let student houses in Loughborough to groups of students who want to fill a whole house, therefore the tenancy agreements are drawn up for the whole house and each student signs a single tenancy agreement as joint tenants.

How long is the tenancy for?

All our Loughborough tenancies run for twelve calendar months, commencing usually on either 01 July or 01 September for 12 months. The tenancy commencement date will be stipulated on the property details page of this website.

Do you require a rent guarantor?

Yes, we require a parent/guardian to sign a guarantee agreement which guarantee’s your obligations in the tenancy agreement, i.e. should you fail to pay the rent, we will chase them for it. This is standard practice with student rental properties due to your employment status.

Is the rent payable weekly, monthly or quarterly?

Rent is advertised as a weekly figure but is to be paid monthly in advance or quarterly should you prefer. The payment amounts and frequencies will be detailed in the tenancy agreement.

Do you offer a discount for paying all the rent upfront?

Yes, in most cases we are happy to offer you a discount of between 2.5% - 5% for paying all the rent in advance for the full period. Please contact us about the specific house you’re interested to see what discount we can offer you. As well as the cost saving you make, you also have the peace of mind that all your rent (and bills if these are included in the rent) is taken care of for the next 12 months so that’s one less thing to worry about it.

How do I calculate the quarterly or monthly rent from the weekly rent figure advertised?

Contrary to common belief there are not exactly 4 weeks in every month! Therefore:
Quarterly rent = Weekly rent x 52 (weeks) / 4 (quarters)
Monthly rent = Weekly rent x 52 (weeks) / 12 (months)
Weekly rent = Monthly rent x 12 (months) / 52 (weeks)

When do I have to pay the first rent instalment?

The 1st rent instalment is due by the tenancy commencement date of either 1st July or 1st September and can be paid by cash, cheque or bank transfer.

How do we pay subsequent rent instalments?

Our bank account details will be stated in the tenancy agreement. If paying rent monthly or quarterly, we recommend all tenants to setup a standing order with your bank to automatically transfer your rental amount to our bank account on the dates agreed in your tenancy agreement.

If paying rent monthly, we recommend tenants to setup a standing order with your bank to automatically transfer your rental amount to the nominated lead tenant’s bank account 2 days before the dates agreed in your tenancy agreement. The nominated lead tenant then needs to setup a standing order to automatically transfer the total house rental amount to our bank account on the dates agreed in your tenancy agreement.

What bills do we have to pay?

If you choose ‘rent only’, you pay all the utilities (gas, electricity, water), TV license, Internet and any TV package (Virgin/Sky) or telephone bills. If you choose the ‘all-inclusive’ option, the utilities (gas, electricity, water) are included in the rent and paid by the landlord. For groups that choose the ‘all-inclusive’ option, an amount is allocated to cover the cost of all the utility bills (gas, electricity, water). If the total bills are lower than the amount charged, we will refund the difference at the end of the tenancy along with your deposits once we’ve received the final bills and calculated the amount we will equally return to each student. Groups whose total bills are over the specified amount will have to cover the difference, with this amount being deducted equally out of each student’s deposit. You're in full control of your gas, electricity and water usage, paying only for what you consume.

How much are the bills be if they are not included in the rent?

Gas, electricity, water, TV license, Internet and any TV package (Virgin Media/Sky) or telephone bills are not included, unless stated in the accommodation description. In general expect to pay an extra £8 - £10 per week, per person on top of the rent (excluding Internet, any TV media package (Virgin Media/Sky) or telephone bills). If bills are not included in the rent, each bill can be divided equally between the housemates to make paying bills much easier.

Who pays for Internet, a TV package, telephone land line bills?

As all tenants have different ideas as to what Internet service they require and whether or not they also want to add a TV package and/or telephone land line, please contact the service provider directly to open an account in one of your names. Virgin Media, is a cable service providing super-fast home broadband speeds for Loughborough students with the flexibility of adding a TV package and/or telephone should you decide.

Do we need a TV license?

Yes, you will need to arrange to pay this monthly or annually directly with the TV licensing.

Will we have to pay council tax?

Full time students living in halls of residence or in shared private rented accommodation solely occupied by students are exempt from paying council tax. Loughborough University provides to the local council (Charnwood Borough) a list of all eligible students at the University, so it is not normally necessary to provide to the council further evidence of your status. However, should you be missing off the list, you can provide the landlord with a certificate that confirms student status from the Loughborough University Student Enquiries counter: www.lboro.ac.uk/students/enquiries.

What about insurance?

Landlords insure the property and the contents they own. We advise all students to have their own insurance policy for their personal possessions, therefore please check whether your parents/guardians house contents insurance covers your possessions away from the family home. If not, we recommend you take out a policy with Endsleigh. Also, you will not be allowed locks or bolts on individual doors.

Is the accommodation furnished?

Yes, all Loughborough student accommodation is furnished including all kitchen white goods (fridge-freezer, washing machine/washer dryer and/or tumble dryer, microwave and dishwashers in some houses) and living room furniture including flat screen TVs in some houses. Cutlery, crockery and bedding are not provided.

What bedroom furniture is included?

All Loughborough student houses have double beds with premium quality mattresses, built-in or double wardrobes, chest of drawers, desk and chair, shelves, mirror and pin-board. You must supply your own bedding (duvet, pillow(s), duvet and pillow cases and mattress sheet).

What about house repairs?

We ensure all student Loughborough houses are kept in great condition and are responsible for internal and external repairs. Students only pay if the breakdown or repair is due to negligence or misuse and this can be taken out of your security deposit, should you wish. Please contact us straight away if there is something in need of repair or there is an emergency. All house maintenance issues are dealt with promptly and to your satisfaction.

When are the refuse and recycling collection days?

Please visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/recycling and enter your accommodation address to find out what dates the grey wheelie bins, recycling bags and plastic boxes are collected on in your area of Loughborough.

Can I move in on any day, or does it have to be at the beginning of the week or month?

You can move in on any day on or after the commencement of the tenancy agreement. You will however be expected to pay for the whole month regardless of the day you actually move in.

What must we do at the end of the tenancy?

On or prior to the end of the tenancy, you must ensure that you fulfill your obligations stated in the tenancy agreement, including the removal of all personal affects, ensuring the house is left in the same clean state it was given to you and returning all keys.

Will the house have to be cleaned by us at the end of the tenancy?

Yes, the house needs to be left in the same clean state that it was at the start of the tenancy. If you’d prefer to get a professional cleaning company in, then we can recommend a cheap cleaning firm for you to contact. Either way, the house will need to be cleaned and ready for the final inspection on or before the last day of the tenancy.

We’d like to stay in the same Loughborough student house next year, how do we arrange that?

This is no problem at all. Simply contact us and we will arrange it all for you. The sooner you inform us the better, so that we can ensure no other students reserve the house if you intend to stay there.