Help! Accomodation deposit

[Doobydoo]

Hello.Very confused.Ds has put Nottingham down as firm choice.They have asked for £200 deposit for his allocated room on Sutton Bonnington campus.Is this usual when he hasn't even sat A levels yet so dosen't know if he will get in.No other uni has asked for deposit.Thank you.

[titchy]

Yep normal! He won't have applied for accommodation at any other uni - it's only your firm that you apply now for accommodation.

If he doesn't get the grades you'll get the deposit back and he'll be applying for new accommodation once he's got either his insurance or a place through clearing.

[Doobydoo]

Ah phew.Thank you very much.Seems silly but its abit of a feckin minefield.

[Doobydoo]

Although I don't understabd why they want a deposit.

[mumeeee]

They want a deposit so your DS's accommodation is garenteed and that people don't just say they want accommodation then decide to go elsewhere

[stonecircle]

But they can't apply for accommodation until they've firmed an offer can they? So how could they go elsewhere? Unless they don't make the grades and have to ...

[BackforGood]

What do they say about the situation if your dc doesnt get the results? Or possibly gets better than expected and applies somewhere else on results day?
My experience has only been that deposit is paid after results day.

[peukpokicuzo]

In popular university towns it is very usual for accommodation to be all sorted months before a levels.
The people whose job it is to sort accommodation for new first years have an insanely complex and difficult job. Flakiness and changing your mind about what you want makes it even worse. A deposit focuses the mind to make a choice and stick with it

I'm only surprised that the deposit amount is so low ad £200.

[stonecircle]

But when DS was considering Nottingham, I got the impression they didn't have the same pressures on accommodation as some universities. Certainly his brother is at a uni with more pressures and they only asked for a deposit once an accommodation offer had been made, post results day.

I wonder if it's because some universities offer accommodation places on a first come first served basis. I seem to remember Nottingham was one of these. Whereas places like Exeter and Southampton don't - you apply by say end of July so they don't have time to allocate rooms and ask for deposits before results day.

[Doobydoo]

His 2nd choice wants him to fill out accom forms but not asking for deposit. My nephew is at Newcastle and wasn't asked for deposit. I am still surprised by it to be honest. Still they will gain interest on it I suppose

[Doobydoo]

Exactly Stone.Notts is his firm....but have to wait re results! I was hoping he had unconditional offer and hadnt realised.

[Star21]

Thanks for the warning, my DS has just applied for accommodation at Nottingham, I wasn't expecting to have to pay a deposit until we had his results either.

[Doobydoo]

You are welcome! Ds has applied for accomodation on the sutton bonnington campus.I think we are bombarded with so much info but things like deposits must be buried somewhere.

[Doobydoo]

Soz re spelling loooooong day at work

[mumeeee]

When I said elsewhere. I meant that a student decides not use university accommodation after all and goes to private halls or decides to do a flat share.

[stonecircle]

I can't think many first years do that mummee?

[Gannet123]

Quite a lot of international students - those with a fair amount of money - go into private halls, so it might be there's an issue there with students 'keeping their options open' until the last minute.
Also, I think there can be an issue if students don't get their first choice accommodation - they won't take anything else and go into private halls instead if they have the money for it.

[mumeeee]

Stonecircle that actually has been known to happen in a few universities.
It has actually been put in the accommodation booklet at my daughters university that the student will lose their deposit if they decide they don't want university halls as they have decided to go for different accommodation in the town

[stonecircle]

How strange. It always seems to me that in many universities - the most sought after ones anyway - that there are more students wanting university accommodation than there is available.

[Gannet123]

Not really. The plan in most places is to be able to accommodate all first year ug (and quite often international students have guaranteed accommodation for all 3 years) and then have some left over for upper year students (although most of those will prefer to live in house shares). Problems arise when an institution recruits over plan without consulting with, or listening to, their accommodation office.

But it's often not about overall capacity, but rather individual halls - some are usually oversubscribed. For new first years, accommodation can be a very big deal and not getting the preferred hall can become a bit of a drama. Accommodation offices will want to accommodate as many people as possible in their first choice accommodation - hence stopping people from withdrawing at the last minute, once allocations have been made and people are moving in.

[Travelledtheworld]

Sutton Bennington is out of town isn't it, with a limited number of rooms on campus. Pay up or expect long daily bus journeys ?

[Doobydoo]

Will pay up! Just wondered if it was usual.