Looking For Properties

The first decision you need to make before looking at houses is how many people are in your group. It is very important that everyone has confirmed they are happy with the group size, as you do not want to be left having to cover one persons rent if they decide not to go ahead when you have found your house. One of the main problems in shared houses is disagreements between housemates, so you need to be one hundred percent sure that you are all willing to live together, as you will be signing a legally binding contract.

You can take a look on our property list on the website, or you can come in to the office to talk to us. We can gather your main criteria and recommend houses for you to look at. We then book you an appointment to view the houses.

Decide carefully how much money you will have to spend on rent, along with other expenditure. Make sure everyone is agreement with your budget, as you do not want arguments when you start looking for houses. Some students might have their parents pay their rent, while others will be paying out of their maintenance loan. You will need to pay for utility bills and other items on top of the rent. Tenants are responsible for all utility bills, and any extra items needed in the house.

As part of the Students Union, Cardiff Student Letting do not charge agency fees to students. An agency fee is a payment made to the letting agency for finding you a property. These can vary between £90-150, but letting agencies should make it clear how much their fee is.

Usually, each person pays this fee, so taking a house with Cardiff Student Letting can save your group a lot of money which could then go towards your rent/utility bills.

To secure a house for your group, everyone needs to pay a deposit. This is usually one month’s rent plus £50. For non UK students, the deposit is two months’ rent plus £100. (Note that the rent amount will change for each house).

This deposit is held by one of the UK governments approved schemes, until the end of the tenancy. The extra £50/£100 is not a fee, it is part of the deposit.

You will need to work out how much money you can afford to pay. Remember, you will need to pay for additional stuff that you didn’t have to in halls. These things include utility bills (we would advise to budget around £40 a month), extra furniture for your room, television, TV license, internet connection.

By following this link [ UCAS Budget Calculator ] you will find a useful budget calculator.

Usually, each person pays this fee, so taking a house with Cardiff Student Letting can save your group a lot of money which could then go towards your rent/utility bills.

To secure a house for your group, everyone needs to pay a deposit. This is usually one month’s rent plus £50. For non UK students, the deposit is two months’ rent plus £100. (Note that the rent amount will change for each house).

This deposit is held by one of the UK governments approved schemes, until the end of the tenancy. The extra £50/£100 is not a fee, it is part of the deposit.

The majority of students will require a guarantor to cover their liability as they are unlikely to be able to prove an income. A guarantor is a person that will sign to say that they will cover any rent arrears or damages in excess of the bond held. This is someone who lives and works in the UK. They must be able to provide us with:

• Proof of Address (Bank Statement or Utility Bill)
• Proof of ID and signature (Copy of Passport or Driving license)