Accommodation is the thing families worry about most and plan for last. It is also one of the few parts of the process with a hard deadline attached, because your visa file usually needs a confirmed address.
Halls or private housing
University halls are simpler for a first year abroad: no guarantor, bills included, contracts written for international students, and other new arrivals around you. They cost more and offer less space.
Private housing is usually cheaper and better if you want independence, but it needs a guarantor, a contract that deserves reading carefully, and separate arrangements for bills. Most of the problems students bring us come from private contracts signed in a hurry.
The guarantor problem
Many landlords require a guarantor resident in the country, which international students rarely have. This is solvable: some providers accept several months paid in advance, some universities operate their own guarantor scheme, and some accept an international guarantor service. It needs solving before you fly, not after you land.
What we check before you sign
Contract length against your course dates, what the deposit covers and how it is protected, what bills are included, the notice period, and whether the address will be accepted for your visa application. We have seen students sign twelve-month contracts for nine-month courses.
Budgeting honestly
Rent varies enormously by city, and the difference between London and a northern English city, or Sydney and a regional Australian campus, can be larger than the difference in tuition. We factor this in when we build the shortlist, not afterwards.
