As a student you will have the option of living on-campus or off-campus when coming to University for your 1st Year of study.
Most 1st Year student’s decide to live on-campus as it can be better socially for them and can sometimes be easier to arrange if you don’t know the Medway area.
However 1st Year students can decide to live off-campus if they prefer (most non-1st Year students will normally need to live off-campus as on-campus accommodation may not be available to them).
If you want more information about off-campus accommodation then your first port of call should be to speak to the Accommodation Office at your University and they will be able to guide you further:
Canterbury Christ Church University
However there is no need to rush!
Loads of students worry that they won’t be able to find somewhere to live because there are so many students in Medway. Don’t panic!
Although we wouldn’t advise you to leave your search for accommodation until the last minute, neither would we advise you to rush out and sign up for the first place you see. Take your time and make sure that you have found a place that is affordable, in good condition, in the right location, and is safe.
A big tip is to make sure that you feel confident that, come September, you will still be on speaking terms with the people you are planning to share with!
We would also recommend that before you sign any tenancy contract you get it checked by bringing it into the Advice Centre and letting an adviser check it over for you. This is really important and will make sure that you know exactly what you are signing up to. A signed tenancy agreement is a legal contract and can be very difficult to cancel if you have already signed it.
If a property is occupied entirely by full time students it is exempt from council tax. In order for the property to be exempt you must each get a certificate from your University and send it to the local council tax department. If you do not do this you will get a council tax bill:
If you signed a tenancy agreement for an assured shorthold tenancy and paid a deposit on or after 6 April 2007 your deposit will be covered by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme
You can read more about these schemes via Shelter
If your tenancy is covered by the scheme and the landlord has not complied with the rules, you can enforce your rights under the Housing Act 2004 by applying to the County Court. For more details on this you should download a Deposit Recovery Pack.
This is paid by local councils to help pay the rent. Most full time students are not entitled to Housing Benefit, but there are some exceptions that may be able to claim, these include:
students who are lone parents
students with disabilities
students who are taking time out from their studies due to illness
If you think you may be entitled to Housing Benefit please contact us for further advice.
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