FAQs

What do I do next?
It is customary for most landlords to ask for an advance deposit from you, ranging anywhere from one month’s to six month’s rent. This is to make sure that you don’t damage the property during your stay or don’t break your contract. Once you’ve agreed to a length of stay, you can sign the contract with the landlord and make sure you have some witnesses as once you’ve signed the contract, you are legally bound to follow everything in it.

What to do if you're a new student & want to flat share
Don’t worry! We can arrange for you to share accommodation with other similar people who want to house/flat share. Just drop us an email at sulets@essex.ac.uk stating that you are looking to share a house with others along with a budget that you have in mind and we’ll get back to you!

What to look for in a good property
Ideally, the place you move into should be fully furnished, unless you plan on furnishing the place yourself. You need to make sure that both indoors and outdoors of the property place is clean and appears well maintained. Each bedroom should be equipped with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a storage cupboard as a minimum. The house itself should have a washing machine, fridge, freezer and hob sufficient for the number of people staying at the house. Additional items include sofas, iron and ironing board, vacuum cleaner, dining table and chairs.

How far should you be from campus
Depending on your course (Undergrad, Masters, PhD), you may have different preferences for distance. If you have regular lectures, you want to make sure that campus is walking distance from your property, or there is a bus stop in the near vicinity. Of course, if you own a car, then you can be more flexible with distance as you can drive from a little further away to.

How to pay the gas, electricity, water, internet bills for your property?
Before signing the contract, check with your landlord if you are bills are included in your rent. If they are, then you have nothing to worry about. If not, then confirm with your landlord who the gas, electricity and water suppliers are and ring the respective companies up one by one to set up a new account with them. As for internet, you can either start a new contract with a preferred company or continue an existing one.