Renting a flat as a student in London

[Reli]

Does anyone have advice on how to rent a flat as a student?

Dd and her boyfriend are postgrad students. They have scholarships between them worth about £35,000 (tax free). Their courses run for 9 months and then they will work the other 3 months/holiday.

We can be guarantors for them. Usually people say spend 1/3 of your money on rent, but London seems to often be closer to 1/2. Even half of their money on rent would be £1450 which won’t get anything near uni. They don’t want to be miles out either.

They’ve tried to get viewings for flats but some say no students, others say that because the rental housing market is so competitive in London at the minute, they’d rather go for people with jobs.

They can probably afford to put 6 months down upfront. Is it better to offer that straight away? Or keep it as a reserve tactic

Does their uni have accommodation. Which uni are they going to..

Perhaps they could look at flats in private halls? They are geared up for student renters.

Look for Facebook groups for any areas they want to live in. People are always asking for and offering flats on my local one. Not Borough wide but specific to a block of flats/estate.
Lots of landlords who deal direct are on them.

Look at the Chapter Living.com post grad accommodation site. It lists uni accommodation for all of London. Cheaper as it includes utility bills. Sorry but cannot link. They have studios and flats.

Also try GradPad site especially for post grad students. The uni might also have a list of flats and flatshares.

Most London students live far from central because that’s what’s affordable. But there’s loads of private halls which might be the best bet especially as it looks like they don’t need a full 12 months. Also house share sites like Spare Room. I rent to mature students (not London) and always ask for rent up front so if this is a possibility I’d advise to let agents know they can do this, it might make them more attractive to landlords.

You might want to post on the Higher Education board for more knowledgable answers. If you give the university name, people will be able to offer better advice from experience.

They shouldn't have any issues renting a place if they have guarantors and can pay 6 months rent up front. Mine have never had any problems being accepted and you often see adverts on Right Move stating "ideal for students from X university". They may find it hard to find a landlord who will agree to a break clause or anything less than 12 months if they plan to leave after the course finishes in 9 months though.

They will probably need to up their budget for rent unless they are willing to live a long way out or in a shared house. I always post this budget from Imperial as a guide:

www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding/managing-your-money/living-costs/

The average weekly rent in a shared house paid by students at Imperial is £201, £10.5k a year. So about 80% of the student maintenance loan or 60% of Imperial's suggested budget of £18k per year. If they want their own flat and don't want to share, it will be more expensive. TBF, Imperial students tend to live around Hammersmith/Kensington so it is not the cheapest area but it gives you a ballpark budget.

I second looking at post grad halls like GradPad that have couples accommodation. Some universities have private accommodation adverts on their accommodation site from landlords who specifically want students. I would also try to find out if there is a specific area where students from their university tend to live as there will be more properties that accept students bought by landlords specifically for that market. It will also be where the social scene is based.