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Finding private sector accommodation

Looking for private housing for your first, second, third year, or beyond? We’re here to guide you through every step - from exploring your options and finding housemates to understanding tenancy agreements and everything in between.

Contact us

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (excluding public holidays)

Student Hub

student-hub@york.ac.uk
+44 (0)1904 324140

Upcoming housing events

Take a look at our upcoming housing events and make a note of the dates in your diary.

Housing drop-in sessions

Purpose-built accommodation

Finding housemates

Contract checking

Student letting agents

Budgeting and bills

You'll need to consider

  • Who you want to live with
  • What type of property you want to live in
  • What your budget is
  • What facilities the property has - are bills included?
  • If you have or need a deposit
  • If you will need a guarantor

What are my options?

Purpose-built student accommodation

Private halls for students built by private developers. These tend to have the same kind of set up and feel as on-campus accommodation.

Letting agents

Going through letting agents means you might choose to live on your own, in a couple, or with a group of people in a shared student house (HMO).

Other alternatives

This might look like finding accommodation through websites like Homestay where you rent a room or space with a live-in landlord.

Explore purpose-built student accommodation

There are a large range of purpose-built student accommodation blocks in the city of York, all with a range of facilities to suit different budgets. This type of accommodation feels more like student accommodation that you would find on campus, but located within the city. This option can be good if you are looking for accommodation alone, in a couple, or in a small group.

Prices displayed are for the 2025/26 academic year and are subject to change; these may also change for your year of entry. 

Student Castle

Ensuite rooms from £223 p.w.
Studios from £263 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Couples
Accessible rooms

Student Roost

Ensuite rooms from £229 p.w.
Studios from £258 p.w.
Shared bathroom from £202 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Couples
44 week tenancies available
Semester tenancies available

Hello Student

Ensuite rooms from £229 p.w.
Studios from £265 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Couples
Accessible rooms

Abode

Ensuite rooms from £228 p.w.
Twin rooms from £180 pp p.w.
Studios from £280 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Accessible rooms

Vita

Ensuite rooms from £265 p.w.
Studios from £316 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Couples
Accessible rooms

The Brickworks

Studios from £301 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Couples
Accessible rooms

The Coal Yard

Studios from £249 p.w.
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Accessible rooms


All PBSA's mentioned above are not owned or managed by the University; ensure you are happy with their terms and conditions before signing a contract.

Student letting agents

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) presents a different option for private accommodation. They typically involve renting a private bedroom within a shared house. Privately owned and managed by landlords or student letting agents, HMOs accommodate multiple tenants, each having their own space and sharing communal areas like kitchens and bathrooms. This is a great option for students wanting to book as a group.

This list is not exhaustive. The University does not endorse any particular letting agent, and contracts are agreed and rented at the student's own risk. We recommend you also carry out your own research into Student Letting Agents.

Other alternatives

Spare rooms often become available when the current landlord wants to rent out a spareroom, or a student cancels their contract making a room within a shared house available. This can be a great option if you do not have a group to book with, and wish to seek more budget friendly options.

The websites provided above are examples only. We don’t recommend any particular company so make sure you do your own research before paying any money upfront for a room / property.

Budget - things to consider

Are bills included or not?

If bills are included in your rent, this means you have no surprise costs and you can budget for the same rent total each month. However if you don’t have bills included, this can be cheaper if you find good utility providers, but you will need to ensure you split this equally with everyone you share the house with. Examples of bills you would need to consider include utility bills such as electricity, gas, water, wifi and TV licences.

Frequency of rent payments

Make sure you know when your rent payments are due. Lots of student private accommodation providers will offer payment plans, and a range of rent options. Will it be three payments that fall in line with your student finance, monthly or weekly? You will need to understand what works best for you and your budget, especially if you are working part time to help cover your living costs.

Deposit or advanced payment?

Most providers will either ask you to pay a deposit or advance payment to secure your booking. A deposit will be kept until the end of your tenancy, and given back to you in full if there are no damage charges or debt at the end of your contract. While an advanced payment will secure your booking and will then be taken off your first rent instalment. Either option is widely used, but you will need to keep in mind that you will need some money to pay for the initial booking which can be in a range of £99 to £350.

First rent payments

Most private housing runs on 51 week contracts from summer to summer. Due to this you will need to remember that your first rent payment may be in summer at the start of your tenancy, followed by three more instalments that usually align with your student finance payments. Rent instalments vary, so always check your contract before signing and budget accordingly.

Housemates

Deciding whether you wish to live alone, in a small group or with a group of students off campus is one of the first things you will need to consider when living in the private housing market.

Things to consider living with a group

  • Do you have a similar budget to the people you are wanting to rent with?
  • Do you want to live with the people you currently live with, new friends through social groups, or maybe your course friends?
  • Are you and your housemates on the same course dates, so your private property matches all of your University timelines? This tends to be from summer to summer.

How to find housemates

We host many housing talks and housemate finder events through the Colleges and across campus during the academic year. There are also Facebook groups that match students either looking for a group to live with, or a group that has a spare room they wish to rent out to an individual student who is still looking for a room.

These Facebook groups are not University managed groups so when checking through adverts it is advisable to be vigilant before paying any money upfront for a room / property.

Viewing the property 

Make a checklist of what you need and would like to have in your house. Look out for the safety and condition of the property and ensure fixtures and fittings are in good repair and working. Some things to think about include:

  • Are there signs of damp and mould?
  • Is the flooring worn?
  • Will you have to look after a garden?
  • Is there enough storage room for everyone?
  • Can you reasonably share bathroom and kitchen spaces?
  • Are the windows and door frames in good condition?
  • Could you easily exit the property if there were a fire or emergency?
  • Are there enough electrical sockets throughout the property?

Signing a tenancy agreement

  • You should ensure that you always view your contract and carefully read over it before signing and transferring any money to the landlord or letting agent.
  • To help you read through your tenancy agreement and make sure it’s right for you, you can use our helpful Tenancy agreement checking guide (PDF , 341kb).
  • Remember, your contract is legally binding.
  • An individual tenancy agreement is between you and the property owner
  • A joint tenancy agreement is between you, your housemates and the property owner.
  • Once you have signed your contract, you cannot give up the tenancy without the landlord's permission. You should not take over the tenancy agreement of another student without written consent from the landlord.
  • Once you receive your tenancy agreement, they may also request housing references and information about your guarantor.
  • If you have been living off campus previously, or you are currently living on campus, you can ask for a landlord reference from either your landlord or the accommodation team on campus.

Success at York Toolkit

Are you looking for motivation? Feeling stressed? Dealing with a setback? Not sure how to think about your future? Use our Success at York Toolkit to develop skills and motivation to ensure you get the most out of your time at York.

Success at York Toolkit

Frequently asked questions

Have a browse through the following frequently asked questions and answers for further guidance.

Still have questions?

Contact our Support and Advice Team

A first point of contact for advice on issues including financial support and money management, housing advice, academic progress issues and support for under-represented student groups.

You can self-refer to our Support and Advice team by completing the
student self-referral form. A member of our team will contact you by email as soon as possible and if you are offered an appointment, this can be conducted by telephone, video call or in-person.

Complete a self-referral form

Contact us

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (excluding public holidays)

Student Hub

student-hub@york.ac.uk
+44 (0)1904 324140