Student Accommodation

Terms and Conditions

    • In accordance with the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, letting agents are obliged to sanctions check all applicants and guarantors against the UK’s official sanctions list. If a match is found, or even suspected, agents are legally required to report it to OFSI. We will conduct Sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons and other checks on all applicants, tenants, authorised residents, and guarantors, and making an application, moving into a property, or submitting information to support another person’s application as a guarantor confirms acceptance and grants permission to conduct these searches.
    • Deposits vary by property and your deposit is placed into a deposit protection scheme, where it is held safely throughout the academic year and will be returned to you at the end of your contract subject to the contract terms. For the deposit amount, please see the room page contracts section, under the tenancy price.

      The deposit you pay when making the application cannot be used towards a rent instalment as this is secured with a deposit protection scheme for the duration of your tenancy.

      Your deposit will be returned to you after your tenancy agreement has ended and your room has been inspected. The amount returned to you will depend on any outstanding charges and any damage found in your room or the communal areas of your apartment. Please see your tenancy agreement for more information. The deposit can take up to 28 working days to be credited at the end of your tenancy period.

      All deposits are secured with a deposit protection scheme, such as the Tenancy Deposit Scheme or Safe Deposits Scotland. You will be contacted by the deposit protection scheme and asked to authorise the refund and submit your bank details to them. For this you will require your deposit repayment ID, which will have been sent to you via email at the time of registering your deposit.

      Please be aware, the deposit refund process is managed by the deposit protection scheme and is not able to be influenced by Essential Student Living. Should you have any queries regarding your deposit repayment ID, you should contact the deposit protection scheme directly: Tenancy Deposit Scheme or Safe Deposits Scotland.

      Please note if you ask for your deposit to be repaid to a non-UK bank account, bank charges will apply. All refunds will be processed in GBP (Great British Pounds), and the designated bank account must be able to accept payments in GBP. This policy also applies to any other refunds, such as rental refunds. Please see deposit protection scheme FAQs:
    • Essential Student Living do not charge a booking fee. When you accept your room offer, you’ll be asked to pay a deposit to secure your room which is secured with a deposit protection service and refunded at the end of your tenancy.

    • PURPOSE OF OUR PRIVACY STATEMENT


      Under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation, we are required to explain to you why we are asking for this information about you, how we intend to use the information you provide and whether we will share this with anyone else.

      WHO ARE WE?


      We are Homes for Students, one of the UK’s leading providers of student accommodation. Homes for Students is part of the ANUK national code, which demonstrates our commitment to providing good quality housing for students. Homes for Students is a registered business ‘Company Registration Number 9840367’ and its Head Office address is The Innovation Centre, Hornbeam Park, Hookstone Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8QT. Prestige Student Living, Brunswick House, NOW and Urba Life are brands of Homes for Students.

      DATA PROTECTION OFFICER


      Our Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing what we do with your information and monitoring our compliance in line with the data protection regulations.

      If you have any concerns or questions about our use of your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer in writing: The Data Protection Officer, Homes for Students, The Clock Tower Building, Clock Tower Park, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L10 1LD or by emailing [email protected].

      WHY ARE WE COLLECTING YOUR INFORMATION?


      The information that you provide to us during routine enquiry channels such as via our website, during a telephone call, during the registration or application process or in person is required by Homes for Students in order for us to provide you with the requested service and an offer of accommodation.

      This information is specifically about you and without this information, we will not be able to provide you with a service or enter into a contract with you.

      WHAT INFORMATION ARE WE COLLECTING?


      The only information which we are collecting is the information which you provide to us via our website, booking platform, on forms, in person or during any enquiry.

      The information we collect may include, for example:



        • Name, Address, email address and further contact details







        • Date of Birth, Gender, Year of Study, University/College course details







        • Nationality, Next of Kin details, Guarantor details (if applicable)







        • Accommodation preferences (for example. preferred room type or sharing preferences)







        • Employer details (if applicable)




      Some of the information which we collect will be special categories of personal data (also called sensitive personal data), which includes information about your health, ethnicity and sexuality. This information may be captured and used for statistical analysis for equal opportunities monitoring purposes.

      WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO WITH YOUR INFORMATION


      The information you provide to us will be used for the following purposes:



        • It will be stored and used by us in accordance with this privacy statement and also in accordance with your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation;







        • It will be collected and used by us fairly and openly for the purpose of providing our services to you and tailoring such services to your needs;







        • It will be used to improve the services you receive from us;







        • The information you have provided about yourself will enable us to ensure that we can provide you with the service requested and meet the terms of any future contract you may enter with us;







        • It will allow us to make contact with you in the most appropriate way as indicated by yourself;







        • If you have given explicit consent during your enquiry, registration or application process and have chosen to be included in communication regarding any future accommodation provision, we will use the data provided for this purpose.




      Some of the information which we collect will be special categories of personal data (also called sensitive personal data), such as any disability you may have. You need to be aware that we will use this information in order to determine if we have suitable accommodation, and enable us to allocate the most appropriate accommodation depending on your specific needs.

      By providing us with this information, you consent to our use of it for this purpose. Please note that not providing this information may result in unsuitable accommodation being allocated.

      WHAT IS THE LEGAL BASIS FOR USING YOUR INFORMATION?


      In accordance with the data protection law and regulation, we need a “legal basis” for collecting and using information about you. There are a variety of different legal basis for processing personal data which are set out in the data protection laws.

      The lawful basis on which we rely on in order to use the information which we collect about you, for the purposes set out in this notice will be:



        • Using your information in this way is necessary for us to provide you with information, ensure we can process your enquiry and application at your request and subsequently to enter into and perform a binding contract.







        • If you have given permission during the enquiry, registration or application process and have chosen to be included in communication regarding any future accommodation provision, we will use the data provided and we will do this under the legal basis of consent.







        • Using your information is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.




      The lawful basis on which we rely in order to use your special categories of personal data which we collect about you, will be that you have provided your explicit consent to our use of the information – see section above.

      SHARING YOUR INFORMATION


      OTHER HOMES FOR STUDENTS BRANDS


      Homes for Students Ltd is made up of a number of related student accommodation brands. We will share your information within Homes for Students Ltd in order to best provide the services to you in accordance with your enquiry and any future contract between us.

      Your information will only be accessed internally within Homes for Students Ltd where it is necessary to do so in order to provide services to you in accordance with your enquiry and any future contract. The obligations which are set out in this notice shall apply to all brands that make up Homes for Students Ltd to the same extent.

      CONTRACTORS AND SUB-CONTRACTORS


      It may be necessary to share information about you with our contractors and sub-contractors in order to provide you with the services in accordance with your enquiry and any future contract between us.

      We will only share information about you with the contractors and sub-contractors which is relevant and necessary to address your individual needs. The contractors and sub-contractors shall be contractually required to ensure that they adhere to the security requirements imposed by the Data Protection Act 1998 and / or the General Data Protection Regulation (as applicable).

      Our contractors and sub-contractors will not share your information with any other parties and will only be able to use the information when completing work on our behalf.

      REGULATORS AND OTHER LEGAL OBLIGATIONS


      We may also be required to share your information with our regulators who are permitted access to this information by law and with other organisations where we have a legal obligation to share the information with them.

      OTHER ORGANISATIONS


      We may from time to time share your information with other organisations, such as:



        • Partner organisations whom we have data sharing agreements with, for example, institutions of Study, Universities or Agencies acting on our behalf.







        • Our clients for statistical analysis, audit or debt collection purposes.







        • Utility companies so they can provide services to you and contact you in respect of utility charges (only if applicable).







        • The police for the purpose of detection and prevention of crime;







        • To assist the management of our future contracts we may utilise debt recovery/deposit protection and credit reference agencies where applicable.




      TRANSFERRING YOUR INFORMATION ABROAD


      We will not transfer the information you provide to us outside of the European Economic Area.

      SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION


      The information that you provide will be stored securely on our systems and any paper records you have completed will be shredded. Homes for Students has in place robust security measures and procedures which reflects the seriousness of how we approach the security of your information and the value we attached to this.

      Only those members of staff who are deemed as relevant to requiring access to your information will have sight of the information you provide to us.

      CAN WE USE YOUR INFORMATION FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE?


      Only in limited circumstances may we use your information for a purpose other than those set out in this document. However, if we intend to do so, we will provide you with information relating to that purpose before going ahead and doing so.

      STORING AND DELETING YOUR INFORMATION


      We will store the personal data which you provide to us for as long as you remain a service user.

      Once you are no longer a service user, we will review the information we hold concerning you and determine whether there are any reasons why we need to continue holding that information.

      If a student is in arrears when they leave the property, it may be necessary to retain information about them in order to recover those arrears and the debt. There also may be regulatory and/or business best practice requirements which dictate the length of time the data is held. Once the identified purpose comes to an end, unless there is another identifiable purpose for which it is necessary to hold your information, this shall be deleted.

      YOUR RIGHTS


      In relation to the information which we hold about you, you are entitled to:



        • Ask us for access to the information;







        • Ask us to rectify the information where it is inaccurate or is incomplete;







        • Ask us to erase the information and take steps to ask others who we have shared your information with to also erase it;







        • Ask us to limit what we do with your information;







        • Object to our use of your information and ask us to stop that use;







        • Instruct us to provide you with the information we hold about you in a structured and commonly used format or transmit that information directly to another organisation (for example, if you want the information to be sent to another housing provider).




      Our obligations to comply with the above rights are subject to certain exemptions.

      Where we are using your information because you have provided your consent to that use, you are entitled to withdraw your consent at any time. The lawfulness of our use of your information before consent is withdrawn will not be affected.

      To exercise any of the rights referred to above, you should contact our Data Protection Officer by writing to The Data Protection Officer, Homes for Students, The Clock Tower Building, Clock Tower Park, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L10 1LD or at [email protected].

      For more information about updating your application, please contact [email protected]


      You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (the “ICO”) if you are not satisfied with the way we use your information. You can contact the ICO by writing to Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

    • Howden for Students, the new name for My Endsleigh.


      Your contents. Covered.

      By partnering with Howden, the No.1 student insurance provider, we’ve arranged contents insurance for all our students staying with us in our residence at no cost to you. Don’t forget to register with Howden for Students to access your cover.

      It is important all students confirm their cover to ensure you understand what is and isn’t covered.

      You can do this by downloading the Howden for Students app and registering. Once you do this you will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 a week for a WHOLE YEAR!*

      Visit Howden for Students to:

      • View what is and what is not covered

      • Get claims support

      • Personalise cover

      • Access rewards

      • Access wellbeing support


      Endsleigh QR code

      Want to know what the app does? Take a look…


      Available at the below properties only:


      *Terms and conditions apply. To see if a property offers contents insurance with Howden for Students, please visit its property page's More Info section. To access the property page, search the property by name here and click it's name once found.
    • Students who rebook their room are able to have their deposits transferred from one year to the next within the Deposit Protection Service. For more information please contact the Sales Team on +44 (0) 330 057 4431.

      * Brayford Quay do not transfer deposits from year to year. Rebookers will be required to provide a deposit at the start of each year, which will be refunded 28 days after the end of the previous tenancy.

    • Rent is due 14 days before the contract start date if paying in instalments or on 1st August before the contract start date if paying in full in a single instalment, and rent must be paid before a student can move in to the property. It is very important that students communicate any difficulties meeting this obligation to the Property Manager as early as possible to prevent any issues.

      If agreed by the Property Manager*, and providing the correct supporting evidence is supplied, students may be allowed to defer the first payment of rent to fit in with student loan schedules, for example.

      If agreed, a minimum of 2 weeks’ rent* must be paid before the student moves in and any deferment of rent is subject to an admin fee of £50 to set up the deferred payment schedule which will also need to be paid before the student moves in.

      * To defer payment for Brayford Quay in Lincoln, a minimum of 4 weeks rent is required. This is payable before the student moves in.

    • INTERNATIONAL VISA APPLICANTS ONLY

      Before your tenancy period has commenced:

      Should you fail to be granted your Visa before the tenancy agreement has commenced, you must:

      • send an email from the email account you booked with to: [email protected] or to your property email address if already in residence confirming that you have failed to obtain the required Visa and that you wish to cancel the tenancy agreement, stating your full name, details of the property booked; and
      • send the official notification of Visa failure that you have received from UK Visas & Immigration.

      These document(s) must be received by us within 3 calendar days from the date you receive this notification, and MUST be received before 20th September for academic year bookings.

      If this confirmation is not received by this date and your tenancy period has started, you will be liable for the rent from the start of the tenancy until another tenant that is acceptable to the landlord is found and the room is able to be re-let.

      Providing we receive the correct documentation in the stated time period, you will be released from the tenancy agreement and your deposit will be refunded.

      After your tenancy period has commenced:

      If your tenancy period has already commenced, and you have NOT collected your keys you will be held rent liable until a suitable replacement tenant is found.

      If your Visa is revoked after collecting the keys you must notify the property team immediately (within 48 hours of receiving official notification) by emailing [email protected] or your property email address if in residence.

      You will be required to provide written or email confirmation that the Visa has been revoked by providing official documentation from UK Visas & Immigration, and a letter from the University confirming your release.

      You will be unable to remain at the property however will be held rent liable until a suitable replacement tenant is found, or until the end of any applicable legal notice period that applies under current legislation.
    • If you’re still waiting for your exam results and you’re not sure whether your place at university is confirmed, don’t worry, you can still apply.

      If you are a prospective first year Undergraduate or Postgraduate student and your offer of a place at your preferred University or Higher Education Institution is withdrawn by the University or Higher Education Institution because you do not achieve the required entry grades, you will be eligible to be released from this agreement.

      You must provide written evidence from the University that you do not have a place within 3 calendar days of your results being published (and no later than 28th August, whichever date is sooner). We will release you from the contract without penalty and refund the deposit paid.

      You may also be eligible to be released from this agreement if you are a prospective first year Undergraduate student and you choose to go to a different university because you have exceeded your expected grades.

      To apply to be released from this agreement in the circumstances referred to above, you must:

      • send an email from the email account you booked with to: [email protected] or to your property email address if already in residence confirming that you wish to cancel your booking, stating your full name, details of the property booked;

      • send the written rejection letter from your chosen university/college or UCAS, a screen shot of your UCAS status which confirms that the required results were not achieved, or a copy of the proof of acceptance of your new university by UCAS adjustment.


      These document(s) must be received by us within 3 calendar days (and no later than 28th August, whichever date is sooner) from the date your results are published.

      On receipt of the required documentation, it will be verified and, provided we are satisfied, we will cancel your agreement and process the refund of your deposit in full within 30 days.

      If you fail to provide the information within 3 days, you will be required to provide 4 weeks’ notice and will remain liable for any rent due during this notice period.
    • Eligibility:

      • UK Residents Only: Prizes are exclusively available to students residing within the United Kingdom.

      • All Homes for Students Brands: This competition encompasses all brands under the Homes for Students umbrella, including Prestige Student Living, EVO Student, Essential Student Living, Universal Student Living, and Urban Student Life, as well as any other trading name or brand of HFS. These brands shall hereby be collectively referred to as 'HFS'.


      Communication:

      • Winner Notifications: Winners will be contacted exclusively through one of the main HFS brand pages: Homes for Students, Prestige Student Living, EVO Student, Essential Student Living, Universal Student Living, or Urban Student Life.

      • No Residency Requirement: Students do not need to be currently living in a HFS property to be eligible for a prize.


      Prize Restrictions:

      • Non-Transferable: Prizes are not transferable to other individuals.

      • No Cash Equivalent: Goods and vouchers issued by HFS have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for cash or other items.

      • No Combination of Offers: Promotions, offers, or incentives cannot be combined with other similar offers.

      • HFS Reserves the Right: HFS reserves the right to modify the terms, parameters, or availability of promotions, offers, or incentives at any time without prior notice.


      1. The tenant must have a valid tenancy agreement of thirty (30) weeks or more (unless stated otherwise) and have paid the rent due under the tenancy agreement, without any outstanding rent or other sums due to us or the landlord to be eligible to receive any incentive or promotion. If there remains rent or other sums owing for the duration of the Promotion Payment Period, rendering the incentive or promotion unable to be paid during this Period, the incentive or promotion will lapse and it will not be paid.

      2. Withdrawal from the tenancy agreement at any point invalidates all promotions and/or offers and any promotional credit paid, or value of goods given, may be recovered either through cash repayment or from the tenant’s deposit.

      3. For a promotion, offer or other incentive to be valid, the tenant must have complied with all obligations set out in the tenancy agreement or otherwise.

      4. In order for a promotion, offer or other incentive to be claimed, the relevant, valid, and correct promotional code must be entered by the tenant at the time of booking by either entering the code online or submitting the code to an authorised Homes for Students (“HFS”), Prestige Student Living (“PSL”), EVO Student (“EVO”), Essential Student Living (“ESL”), Urban Student Life (“USL”) and/or UKStudenthouses.com (“UKSH”) employee, who is taking the booking. HFS, PSL, EVO, ESL, USL and UKSH, as well as any other trading name or brand of HFS shall hereby be collectively referred to as HFS. A code submitted after the time of booking will not be valid. Incorrect codes submitted FOR ANY REASON will not be valid and will not be eligible for payment. HFS accepts no responsibility for codes not received by us or incorrectly input into the system by the tenant, HFS staff, agents, marketing channels or services, or by any other person or automated system. It is the responsibility of the tenant to ensure the code is correctly input.

      5. If a promotion, offer or other incentive has been claimed and includes the payment of cashback or some other form of financial payment, it is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure the correct payment information is provided to HFS in order for HFS to complete the promotion, offer or other incentive and HFS has no liability for non-payment or non-delivery of any incentive, promotion and/or offer due to incorrect details being provided by the tenant. Any such payments sent to the incorrect bank account will not be recoverable and/or will be subject to a recovery fee. Payments will be made to UK bank accounts only, and it is the responsibility of the tenant to ensure they will have a UK bank account to receive any promotional payment. If no UK bank account is made available for payment before the end of the Promotion Payment Period, the incentive or promotion will lapse and it will not be paid.

      6. HFS will use reasonable endeavours during the ‘Promotion Payment Period’ to reach the tenant to request information to allow it to make payment, fulfil the promotion or offer, or apply the discount, including UK bank account details if applicable. The Promotion Payment Period lasts 3 calendar months from the contract start date which created the eligibility for the promotion. If such information is not received before the end of the Promotion Payment Period following reasonable endeavours by HFS to obtain it, HFS reserves the right to issue an alternative, or withdraw the incentive, promotion and/or offer at its absolute discretion.

      7. Promotions, offers, or other incentives are non-transferable.

      8. Goods and vouchers issued by HFS have no value, are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or anything else.

      9. The time between correctly accepting any promotion, offer or other incentive and it being credited to your account and/or delivered may vary. HFS shall not be liable for any delays in this regard or for any consequences of any delays, which may occur.

      10. Promotions, offers and/or incentives cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, offer and/or other incentive. Attempting to use multiple promotions, offers and/or incentives may result in all promotions, offers and/or incentives being withdrawn.

      11. All promotions, offers and/or incentives are subject to availability and HFS retains total discretion as to whether to honour a promotion, offer and/or incentive or not.

      12. HFS reserves the right to amend the Terms, the parameters of any promotion, offer and/or incentive or to discontinue any and all promotions, offers and/or incentives at any time, without notice.

      13. Claiming any promotion, offer and/or incentive, and/or inputting a promotional code, and/or requesting a promotional code to be input by someone else implies acceptance of the Terms.

      14. Certain promotions, offers and/or incentives are unavailable at certain properties, in certain cities, or on certain room or contract types.

      15. HFS has sole discretion to withhold or cancel the payment and/or delivery of any promotion, offer and/or incentive if the Terms have not been complied with, or for any other reason.


      • Wired Base Speed – 1Gbps speed

      • A Wireless Base Service providing up to 250Mbps*

        • * Wireless speeds are an up to speed and not limited to following dependencies on the environment of the user’s room including the number of devices connected, capability and usage of devices and avoidance of interference from outside factors.



      • These speeds are valid only the following Homes for Students Ltd brands:

        • Beaverbank Place

        • Exeter One

        • Firhill Court

        • Gallery Apartments

        • Iron Bridge Studios

        • Rockingham House

        • Town Hall Camberwell



    • Essential Student Living do not accept responsibility for any errors or incorrect information shown on any website that is not owned and operated by Homes for Students Ltd and as such, are not bound to honour any rates or information displayed on a third party website or social media where it differs from that shown on our own websites.
    • The photography/images used to advertise a property on our website are typical of that property. Individual rooms may vary in layout and content may vary in layout and the contents within the rooms.

      For new properties that are under construction, computer-generated images (CGI) may be used to represent what the property will look like when it is completed.

      The furnishings shown in photography, images and videos may not always be representative of what is included in the rooms.

      If you require more information about a property, please contact us above.
    • A summer booking is defined as any booking starting and ending between the 1st June and 30th September (inclusive), outside of the normal academic year allocations and pricing structure operated by Essential Student Living.

      Anyone booking a short stay at an Essential Student Living property during the summer period can save up to 20% on our standard pricing.

      • 0-4 week stay - Standard Summer Pricing

      • 4-6 week stay - Save 10%

      • 6 weeks+ - Save 20%


      Current students (extending their stay at a Essential Student Living property) can save up to 33% (based on our standard pricing) when booking 6 weeks inclusively at their property. Ask a member of the team for more information.

      0-6 weeks extension - Save 10% 6+ weeks extension - Save 33%

      These summer prices do not include any other incentives or promotions which may or may not be offered separately, and availability can be confirmed by the property teams on enquiry.





    • Our full termination policy is detailed for you within the booking section of our website. You can also read it on the Documents page.

      Please read it carefully and ensure that you fully understand it.

      You can cancel your booking up to 7 days after you accept your offer or pay your deposit (the Initial Cancellation Period), providing you have not already moved in to the property and we will refund your security deposit in full. Deposits will normally be refunded within 28 working days of cancellation, however our legal obligation as a landlord is to secure all deposits with a third party protection scheme. In the event that your deposit has already been sent to the protection scheme by the time you cancel your booking, your refund could take up to 60 days to be refunded due to the protection scheme’s processing period and your deposit refund will come directly from them – you will need your repayment ID which will be sent to you directly by the protection scheme. If the deposit has already been sent to the deposit protection scheme, unfortunately, we are unable to influence their processing time.

      If you cancel your booking after the 7 day Initial Cancellation Period, you will remain liable for the weekly rent (for each and every week or part week) until we are able to re-let the room. If we are able to re-let the room we will release you from the agreement upon payment of a £50 variation of contract fee which we will recover by retaining part or all of your deposit. If you have paid a lower deposit amount, that’s the amount that will be retained.