I need help finding a house or housemates

We advise that you don’t rush when looking for a private property in the local area. You will want to get the best deal for you and your housemates so try to take some time to compare options. Some landlords will take the best opportunity to try and get their tenants to sign early, but that might not get you the best deal.

Don’t panic if you do not have a property sorted by Christmas, there will be plenty of opportunities to find a property between Freshers Week and the end of Semester 1.

You can view this helpful guide on How to Rent to reference or the University’s handy flowchart of what to expect but we have summarised some main points to check below:

Things to look out for:

  • Online ads are not properly regulated and can have fraudulent users and scams.
  • Avoid going to a viewing alone. If you don’t have a good feeling, don’t go and get advice instead.
  • When your group attends a viewing, let someone know where you’ll be.
  • Never pay for anything in cash or under pressure.

Don’t sign or pay anything before you have read through your contract properly. If you need any further advice then please contact us with the details.

Looking for a room

You might find that University accommodation services have spare rooms on campus or in Halls of Residence. You can email accommodation@surrey.ac.uk

If you don’t fancy living on campus, but you still need a room, then you can also look for available rooms on EasyRoommate or Spare Room.

Other advertised accommodation can be found on the USL Facebook group and Studentpad. These websites give you the ability to communicate with other students that may have a room available or you can post a message with your requirements so others can contact you.

You may also want to look at Private Halls such as Guilden Village – Future Generation

Looking for a house

If you already know who you are going to live with, then that is great, but we know it can be hard looking for a new place to live. Below is some guidance of where to start. Some landlords and estate agents will offer different types of tenancies (such as bills included, rent per room only or, rent for the whole house), so make sure you know what you are signing up for and make sure that you know what budget you can afford.

Renting privately should be legally binding with a contract, so make sure you can afford the house you want, and that all of your housemates are on the same page.

Landlords and letting agencies mainly advertise their housing on Rightmove, Zoopla, Studentpad and On The Market. Check out the information below for more specific guidance on Letting Agents.

Letting agents

With so many letting agencies to choose from, we encourage all students to ensure they have done sufficient research about what these agencies offer.

Agencies will charge a wide range of fees which varies from each agent and also have different requirements for you to pass their referencing process. Ensure you are clear about this before paying any monies or signing any application forms or tenancy agreements.

We advise students searching for accommodation to consider properties with these letting agents in the first instance:

Finding a housemate

Have a house but need another person? There are lots of ways to find additional people to live with including looking at EasyRoommate or Spare Room.

If you are already signed into a contract and need a replacement tenant:

Please start by checking your tenancy agreement (contract). Once you are happy with the terms of replacing your tenant you will need to email the landlord/tenant and explain that you are seeking to leave your tenancy and are aware that you will be required to find a suitable replacement tenant to take over your tenancy and associated financial obligations i.e. rent; utility costs etc. Your housemates will have to agree to accept any replacement tenant you may find, so make sure you discuss this with them before you look to advertise your room.

Below are some platforms you can advertise on but don’t advertise until you are happy with the terms of your contract! This will avoid any potential problems with your landlord and housemates.