FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Booking
Q: How much is the booking fee / deposit and what happens to it?
A: We ask you to pay a booking fee to secure your room. When your tenancy commences, the booking fee will convert into a refundable deposit. All deposits are registered with DPS which is a government accredited Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme provider. See the DPS Custodian Terms and Conditions for details. At the end of your tenancy a final inspection of your room will be carried out prior to your move out, and if any deductions are required, they will be discussed with you at this point. Assuming the room and its belongings are in the same condition as when you moved in, and you have provided your bank details within the DPS website, you will get your deposit back within 10 working days after reaching agreement with us. If you cancel your room booking within 14 days of your booking then you will be entitled to a full refund. After 14 days, the booking fee is non-refundable.
Q: Is there an age limit for booking a room at York House?
A: We only accept bookings if you are over 18. This is due to the legally binding tenancy agreement that every tenant is required to sign when living at York House. We also can only accept people in full time education, or Council Tax would have to be paid by the tenant without Council Tax exemption.
Q: Do you provide female only accommodation?
A: We do provide female only flat at York House but it is not guaranteed that this will be possible. Please speak to the accommodation team to find out more information.
Q: Can I choose who I live with?
A: We are more than happy to accommodate groups as well as individuals. You are welcome to tell us if you have any preference in choosing flatmate. While we cannot guarantee all of your preferences could be met, we shall do our best to accommodate you.
Day-to-Day Living
Q: Can my friends come and visit me?
A: Yes. It is perfectly acceptable for your friends to visit you at York House. Please ensure that your guest is also a guest to the flat you live in and must be welcome as such. Therefore, please also ensure your visitor will not cause any disturbance to your flatmate or other tenants of York House. Having said that, you should not take in any visitor overnight or lodgers, or share occupation with anybody.
Q: Is there always a member of staff available?
A: Our standard office hours are between 9:00am – 5:00pm, Mondays to Fridays (except bank holidays). Out-of-office hours are also supported by emergency contacts.
Q: Can I bring my own electrical equipment for cooking, i.e. rice cooker?
A: No – we do not advise you to bring your own electrical cooking equipment for health and safety reasons.
Q: Who cleans the room and the communal area?
A: Tenants are responsible for cleaning their own bedrooms. The shared facilities and communal spaces are cleaned by the site cleaner bi-weekly.
Q: Can I smoke in the accommodation?
A: Smoking is strictly prohibited within the accommodation, and if found a penalty will apply.
Q: What happens if I don’t get on with my new flatmate? Can I swap room?
A: If you are having any issue please contact the accommodation team in the first instance, we will do all that can help. In exceptional circumstance it may be possible to move you; however, we would look to resolve any issue with you all.
Q: What if something in my flat breaks or isn’t working?
A: Drop us an email or pop into the front office to let us know, we will arrange maintenance to deal with most things as soon as practical.
Q: Can I have pet?
A: No pet is permitted under the term of the tenancy agreement.
Q: Can I have my groceries delivered to site?
A: Yes. Groceries (except wet products/ fresh products) can be delivered to the reception area, but you have to ensure that you are available to take receipt of the delivery in person. Delivery person will not be given access to your flat.
Q: Is contents insurance included?
A: We’ve arranged contents insurance with Endsleigh for all our students staying at York House at no cost to you. It is important to find out exactly what you are covered for, as you may find that the contents cover is not sufficient and you need to extend it to protect all of your possessions both inside and outside of your room. In any case, you may consider buying an insurance policy, if you want to bring along expensive/valuable personal items with you (though this is not recommended). Please contact our accommodation team for the Endsleigh contents insurance coverage for York House.
Q: Do I have wifi?
A: Yes, 200Mbps Hi-Speed wifi is included in your rent.
Guarantors
Q: Why do I need a Guarantor?
A: All tenants who wish to pay their rent by instalments are required to provide a qualified UK Guarantor. This provides us with the security and knowledge that the rent will be paid in full if you were to default on payment.
Q: What does being a Guarantor mean?
A: By agreeing to be a Guarantor you are signing a legal document stating that you agree to pay the rent and guarantee the behavior of the tenant if he/she defaults. Please do not sign this agreement if you do not wish to take on this responsibility.
Q: What if I am an international student and do not have a UK Guarantor?
A: You have to pay your rent in full upfront, or you could seek help from Housing Hand. Housing Hand specializes in working with international students and will be able to act as your UK Guarantor. Besides, we may consider overseas guarantor on a case-by-case basis, subject to proper document proofs. Please contact our accommodation team for details.
Q: What is Housing Hand?
A: Housing Hand is an independent third party to us. It provides guarantor service for both international and UK students who do not have a suitable or qualifying UK guarantor, at a fee. For any further queries, please contact Housing Hand directly.
International Students
Q: What are the payment options for international students?
A: Each tenant is required to provide a qualified UK guarantee if the rent is to be paid by instalments. Or, Housing Hand can provide a UK guarantor service subject to payment of a fee. In absence of a qualified UK guarantor, the tenant would have to pay full rent upfront. We may consider overseas guarantor on a case-by-case basis, subject to proper document proofs. Please contact our accommodation team for details.
Q: I have booked a room but failed to obtain a visa, can I cancel my booking?
A: Yes, you are entitled to cancel your booking but we will need you to provide proof for this. For details, please refer to our Cancellation Policy.
Q: What’s provided in the bedroom? Do I need to bring my own bedding?
A: In York House, you are provided with a double bed (135cm x 190cm) or a small double bed (120cm x 190cm), a study desk and a chair, bookshelves, wardrobe and plenty of storage space. Bedding and kitchenware are not provided as most of our tenants prefer to bring their own.
Q: Can you arrange an airport pick up service?
A: We can help to arrange an airport pick up service for you if a request is sent in advance. You just need to let us know your name, arrival date and time and your flight number, we’ll then arrange the transport for you. Please ensure you have enough UK Sterling to pay the taxi fare.
Q: Can I move in before my contract starts?
A: It depends on the occupation status of the room you booked. We are flexible to make this arrangement if the room has already vacant. You are better check with the accommodation team before you make any arrangement.
Q: Can I stay over the summer?
A: Yes, we offer summer stays. Please check with the accommodation team for further information.
Moving In & Out
Q: What documents do I need to check in?
A: You will need to bring your photo ID and a letter of confirmation from the University. If you cannot pick up your keys in person, please contact the accommodation team at least 3 working days in advance for alternative arrangement.
Q: What time can I arrive?
A: Our office opens 9:00am to 5:00pm, Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays and bank holidays). If you want to check in outside the above time, please contact the accommodation team at least 3 working days in advance, and charge may apply.
Q: I will be arriving out of hours on move in day, is that okay?
A: We understand that sometimes students will need to arrive outside of arrival hours. If so, please contact our accommodation team at the earliest possible time and in any case, no later than 3 working days in advance to ensure that one of our staff will be there to meet you, who can provide all the necessary information and ensure that we have got everything ready before your arrival. Charge may apply.
Q: Can I move out early?
A: Yes, but you will still have to pay rent over your full tenancy, even if you no longer live at your room. Please inform our accommodation team about your departure so that we shall arrange inventory check out in time and return deposit to you. If you did not inform us about your departure, you shall be liable to damages (if any) found in the communal areas of your flat and your bedroom even they may be made after your departure.
For Parents and Guarantors
Q: When something is broken or doesn’t work, how does my son/daughter report maintenance?
A: In the event that something is broken or doesn’t work in any part of the accommodation, the tenant needs to report the issues to the accommodation team who will handle it accordingly. Tenant can either send us an email, or pop in the front office on ground floor of the building during office hours. Tenant will always be given at least 24 hours’ notice if a maintenance operative or contractor needs to access his/her room. We always offer for the maintenance operative/contractor to be escorted for the jobs entirety if necessary.
Q: How to communicate with us?
A: We know it can sometimes be unsettling when your son/daughter leaves home for the first time, despite it being one of the proudest moments we understand it can be hard. As parents it’s natural to worry, we find a common one is our tenants not responding to phone calls or e-mails as quickly as he/she might have done at home. We always respect that all our tenants are responsible adults and are sensitive to respecting his/her privacy, however we appreciate that some situations can be distressing. We therefore always encourage all our parents to contact the accommodation team by phone or e-mail if you have any concerns regarding your son/daughter. A member of the accommodation team will pop over to his/her room to give a friendly knock on the door to check everything’s okay. If there’s any reason why we aren’t able to support your concern we will always try to direct you to the appropriate department at the University/College.
Q: Paying rent
A: When making a booking with York House, we ask our tenants to pay a booking fee. This is to secure the booking of their room. Once the tenancy commences, this booking fee becomes a deposit. It is held with the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), an independent deposit holder. The security deposit will be refunded to the tenants in full at the end of their tenancy if there are no outstanding arrears or damages to their room and/or communal areas.
Q: How do you allocate rooms?
A: We take booking preferences very seriously, and if the tenant has any preference, he/she can set that out in the booking form. We always do our best to accommodate these preferences, if for whatever reason we can’t fulfil them we will always try to achieve one or two and notify the tenant if they aren’t possible.
Payments and Rent
Q: Do I need to have a UK-based guarantor?
A: You only need to provide a UK-based guarantor if you wish to pay your rent in instalments. You do not need to provide a guarantor if you’re paying the full rent up front.
Q: What is a guarantor?
A: A guarantor is a person aged 18 or above who accepts joint financial responsibility for the tenancy, and is liable to pay the rent if for any reason the tenant is unable to maintain payment of the rents as they fall due.
The landlord has the right to pursue the guarantor for recovery of outstanding monies – therefore, it is important that any guarantor understands their obligations.
Q: How many instalments can rent be paid?
A: Rent can be paid in four instalments; typically, these are around the same time student loans are paid out. Monthly payment plan may be accepted with administration fees.
Q: How can I make a payment?
A: You can pay via bank transfer. And it is important for you to keep the bank transfer slip (or screenshot) to prove payment, or it may be difficult for us to trace and confirm receipt of your payment. Cash and Cheques are not be accepted and will be turned away if presented at site. Details of our bank account can be found in the booking form and the tenancy agreement.
Q: Are there any additional bills to pay?
A: There are no additional bills to pay. Our weekly rents include all costs – water, gas, electricity and Hi-Speed wifi.
Q: Do I have to pay council tax?
A: Students do not have to pay Council Tax, but the council must be informed that you are a student and apply for exemption as this does not automatically happen. It is the responsibility of every student to apply for exemption with his/her University/College.
Safety and Security
Q: How secure is the accommodation?
A: At York House, we want our tenants to feel safe and secure at all times. We understand how important safety and security is to tenants when it comes to choosing a place to live. That’s why we’ve taken every effort to ensure that we provide the best services so that our tenants can thoroughly enjoy living with us. We have 24 Hour CCTV cameras installed in York House. Secure key fob is required for entering our building, each block and each flat, and a separate key is required for the bedroom door.
Q: Fire Safety
A: York House has its fire safety systems in place, and we have external consultants, on a regular basis, to validate, and if necessary, update, our fire safety systems, policies and procedures. Regular fire drill will be held to ensure our tenants stay alert of fire outbreak.
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for?
Feel free to let us know. Click here Contact Us