Accommodation

Hi everyone! I was wondering when is the right time to start looking for accommodations. I am planning to move to the UK at the beginning of Sep for my fall 2021 master's programme.
Location is Guildford, Surrey. Please do share your thoughts!

Reply 1

Scienceisgood

Landlords start doing accommodation on their websites around November and that’s when all the best stuff goes QUICKLY. You’ll learn this in your second year so when you make some mates, start looking to get a house rent going soon as sometimes the best deals are renting the house out as a whole.

University of Surrey

Guildford

Reply 2

Scienceisgood

So, start looking now is all I can say but be prepared if you don’t get the course, you STILL have to pay rent and if you want to lose your accommodation, you have to shift it yourself as the landlord has given that responsibility to you.

Reply 3

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Push_Vani

Hi there!

I am a second year Psychology student here at Surrey, I can help you out when it comes to accommodation here.

When searching for accommodation for second year I saw renting from rental places was quite expensive, especially when it comes to deposit and security hold etc. Me and my friends decided to apply for USL (university-owned properties) in February last year. We was able to secure a 4 bedroom house through USL that is £590 a month with bills and only £250 deposit. When we moved in the house was as it should be, we had to contact USL for a few things such as missing bins and within 20 minutes they came and delivered a new one so they have been very helpful! We all have double bedrooms which is nice too. I would definitely recommend applying for USL, there's no harm if you don't get a room. Please see here for more infomation: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/lettings/usl-managed-properties

As for accommodation on campus, I believe priority obviously goes to first years however I know a lot of people who have secured accommodation on campus in their second and third year and masters so it is definitely a possibility like USL. If you are applying for university accommodation then it may be best to start to contact the university soon to see where you can apply etc. Here is a link to see accommodation at Surrey in more detail: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation

As for advice, there is no harm applying for USL or campus accommodation, if you don't get it then you had nothing to lose... there will be plenty of options for you to live. I would also advise if your looking at renting from a private landlord through a estate agency to first read the contract thoroughly, even get USL to read it for you and also a parent. At this time, there is no real suggestion of when to start looking, however if you do want a USL owned property or campus accommodation then it would be best to try and contact the university sooner rather than later :smile:

I hope this helps and if you have any questions please let me know.

Becca

Reply 4

Push_Vani

Original post by University of Surrey Student Rep

I hope this helps and if you have any questions please let me know.

Becca

Hey Becca. Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely look into USL. As for accommodation on campus, it's slightly more expensive than if I stay outside. Am I right to believe that?

Reply 5

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Push_Vani

Hey Becca. Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely look into USL. As for accommodation on campus, it's slightly more expensive than if I stay outside. Am I right to believe that?

Hi there,

Thats ok :smile:

It depends what band you stay in. Bands run from A-F with A being the cheapest and F the most expensive with a studio room. Here is a rough guide of what the prices were this year for the bands each week! https://www.surrey.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-01/accommodation-price-list-2020-21.pdf. In first year I had a En-Suite room which is band D - this was around £154 a week. My current property outside the uni works out about £147 with bills included. If you did rent privately, is it most likely going to be more expensive due to bills on top which is why I decided to go through USL to find a house.

I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any other questions.
Becca

Reply 6

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Push_Vani

Hey Becca. Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely look into USL. As for accommodation on campus, it's slightly more expensive than if I stay outside. Am I right to believe that?

Hi Push_Vani,

To introduce myself – I’m Joao, an Economics student from the University of Surrey on placement at Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Regarding your question about the difference in prices, I think they are quite similar but it depends of the the band you decide to apply for. We have more than 6,000 rooms of various types to suit all budgets and requirements.

All our courts, as we call the halls of residence at Surrey, are self-catering with shared kitchen facilities, except for the studio flats (Band F) at Manor Park
All rooms have broadband service and personal belongings insurance included in the rent
All rooms are fully furnished with a bed, desk and chair, reading lamp, bookshelf and storage for clothes
Cleaning of communal areas, at least weekly
All kitchens are equipped with cooker, oven, fridge, freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster, iron and ironing board
Most flats are mixed gender but we do have single-sex flats in most courts
All communal areas and bedrooms are non-smoking

Our band C accommodation consists of standard single rooms in Battersea Court, Surrey Court, Cathedral Court, Stag Hill Court, Twyford Court and University Court on Stag Hill campus.

In your application you will be asked to rank all bands in order of preference but you won't be able to choose the court.

I believe you will find all the information you need here:

Student Accommodation Prices
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation

Joao
Economics