Finding quality student accommodation in a city with 16,000 students is never easy; but that shouldn’t mean you have to settle for a bad deal. With Lancaster Student Lettings, your rent is all-inclusive, which can make a big difference to your cashflow compared to having to pay regular bills for things like heating and hot water on top of your rent.
It is vital that you know what is and is not included in your rent payment, not only so you can compare like with like, but also so you can budget your money to last all term without the lights going off on you!
Bills Bills Bills
The biggest question you need to ask your student homes provider is which bills are included. At Lancaster Student Lettings, all our shared houses come with gas, electric and water bills included. If this is not the case, then you could be looking at your share of the energy price cap of £1277, plus your share of the water bill, which will make a serious dent in your fun money.
Shared houses where everyone is a student do not need to pay poll tax. If you do get a bill, you can apply for an exemption, but established student properties rarely get sent a poll tax demand. The remaining bills will be for phone/internet and for streaming services such as Netflix. Many of Lancaster Student Lettings properties include high speed broadband as part of the rent, making it even easier to budget without compromise.
Other Costs
Student homes do need a TV licence for the property, and it is a myth that your parent’s licence will cover you while you are away studying. You may even need one each, depending on your tenancy status. If you each have individual tenancies, then you each need a licence. If it is a joint tenancy between friends, then one licence will cover you all. A TV licence is required by law even if you don’t watch much TV, or only watch services such as Sky. It costs £41 per quarter or £13.25 per month, but you can get a refund if you are not there for whole months in the summer.
You will also need to consider contents insurance to cover your personal possessions, although in this case, your parents’ policy may cover your stuff at uni. To find out more about these, and other student expenses, check out the Lancaster University guide to living costs.
Repairs And Maintenance
The repair and maintenance of rented student homes is the responsibility of the landlord, but you should still beware of any added costs involved, such as call out charges. Check your tenancy agreement carefully so you know exactly what is covered, how long you may have to wait for repairs and what charges you may be expected to pay.
All Lancaster Student Lettings properties come with 24hour support, with our own maintenance team on hand to fix emergencies around the clock, seven days a week, and a prompt service for all other issues. This service is included in the rent and you will only have to pay if the damage or problem was directly your fault. Even then, by using our own team, we can keep these costs down to a minimum.
Taking the time to choose your university accommodation carefully, reading the small print in your tenancy agreement, can make a huge difference to your financial comfort during your studies. Be wary of top line rents that seem too good to be true, because usually they are. Once you factor in your bills and other costs, they are often not such good value after all. With an all-inclusive rent, such as Lancaster Student Lettings, you know exactly where you stand from the4 start and can budget better for the rest of the year.
