Information for international students

Some very useful information for international students can be found by following this link

Living in the Private sector

Living in the private sector
Living in the private sector can be a fun and rewarding experience. It offers students genuine independence, choice of location, type of accommodation and budget and you get to choose your flatmates.




Brighton
Students comprise about a tenth of the population in the city, living alongside working people as well as other students.

Brighton and Hove City Council operates an accreditation scheme to encourage owners and landlords to raise and maintain the quality of their flats or houses. The universities of Sussex and Brighton work together to ensure that rents remain within reasonable limits for their students.

Eastbourne
The university sites are close to the town centre and seafront, with transport links, shops and other amenities all within easy reach. A variety of accommodation options are available and many of our landlords have been housing our students for a number of years.

Hastings
The university site is close to the town centre and seafront, with transport links, shops and other amenities all within easy reach.

Find out more
Download the living here guide (1.3Mb pdf) for a flavour of the areas students may live in and advice on searching for accommodation.

Download the house hunting guide (1.2Mb pdf) for essential information on property searching and things to consider when moving in to a property – from inventory to tenant responsibilities, safety and security.




http://www.yourstudentpad.co.uk/ offers a database of private sector landlords that have been approved by Brighton and Sussex Universities, and will not charge the fees that you may find with letting agents.

How to househunt safely

A guide to being vigilant when looking for private sector housing:


• View properties in person. People willing
to rent a property without seeing it, or the
prospective tenant fi rst are unlikely to be
legitimate.
• For reasons of safety, always take
someone with you, or if you are inviting
someone into your home ask to see
personal ID.
• Try and make sure you can look round the
property before handing over any deposit
money or money in advance.
• Try visiting the property at different times
of day. People are around at different times
of the day, so the levels of noise will differ
throughout.
• Don’t be afraid to speak to neighbours and
people living in the surrounding area. They
will give you a good idea of what it’s like to
live there and usually they’re quite honest.
• Take a camera to properties and record any
damage you might see, it’s good to have
your own record to prove what condition
you received the property in.
• Never give any of your personal ID or bank
details out over the Internet. Only give
this information to a landlord or agency
once you’ve met them in person, viewed
the property and decided to proceed with
a rental arrangement. Requests for this
information from someone you haven’t
met should always be viewed with extreme
caution.
• Be aware of online scams such as the of
use money transfer services like Western
Union or Money gram. Money transfer
services are not meant for any kind of
transaction connected with someone you
don’t know.
• Use your common sense. If something
sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Always get a receipt when handing over
any money.
• Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions
when viewing a property, that’s what the
agent/landlord is there for.

Useful links

Here are a few useful links to help you get the most out of life here in Brighton:


http://www.brighton.ac.uk/- Of course the first port of call for any academic questions





https://studentcentral.brighton.ac.uk/



transport

http://www.southernrailway.com/- trains

http://www.buses.co.uk/- information on Brighton bus services

http://ow.ly/2hc9n- A map of Studentpad house locations

http://ow.ly/2hcbf - A map of University of Brighton sites and popular housing areas

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

http://www.thetrainline.com/buytickets/





Entertainment

http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/

http://www.visitbrighton.com/

Charges for international students

It can sometimes be difficult for overseas students to find private sector housing as agencies can ask for large fees and demand UK based guarantors. Below is a list of Brighton agencies and what they require from overseas students in order to rent a property.



The Property Shop • 1 month rent in advance and deposit.
• Need UK guarantor, if they don’t have they need 3-6 months’ rent in
advance.

Tingley's • 6 months rent in advance and standard admin fees.

Halls • 6 months rent in advance or UK guarantor.

YourMove • 6 months rent in advance or UK guarantor.

Choices • Need UK guarantor or be earning 2 and a half times their
share of the rent, or pay 6-12 months rent in advance.

Brices • 6 months rent in advance if no UK guarantor.

Parks • 9 months rent in advance (if 12 months tenancy) and 4
months deposit plus references or UK guarantor

Young Lee • £200 deposit, £ 40 admin fees and £117.50 agency fees

Hamptons • Need guarantor and 6 months’ rent in advance (if 12 months
tenancy), negotiable with the landlord

Homelets • UK guarantor or larger deposit.

Fox & Sons • UK guarantor or 6 months’ rent in advance.

Kendrick • £77.50 agency fees (half price at the moment will last
another 2 months)
• Need UK guarantor if not need 3 months deposit (same as UK).

Home Leasings • £130 plus VAT for references and contracts, if don’t have UK
guarantor will need 4 months' rent in advance plus £200
damage deposits

Lynda Paine • 6 months rent in advance or UK guarantor and references
(bank accounts etc)

Clifford Dann • 6 months rent in advance or guarantor. Landlord negotiable.

Carrington • Need entire tenancy and references if no UK guarantor.

Kings & Chasemore • Need UK guarantor or 6 months’ rent in advance.

Priors • Depends on individual landlord, usually 6 months’ rent
or UK guarantor

Callaway's • 6 months rent in advance or guarantor.

Charters • UK guarantor or EU guarantor or full tenancy for overseas.

Parson's • UK guarantor or 6 months in advance (landlord reference if
possible)

Bonett's • Need guarantor with a certain salary, must earn 30 times
the rent per year
• £125 agency fee per person plus VAT, 1 month rent in
advance and 6 weeks as deposit.

PJ Palmer • UK guarantor or 6 months’ rent in advance.

Jackson's • £94 per person plus VAT must have a UK guarantor.
• 1 month rent in advance and £60 credit and guarantor
checks.

Barrie Alderton • 6 months rent in advance, admin fees £150, £50 if guarantor rejected

David Webb • Need UK guarantor or has UK bank account or 6months rent
in advance.