You knew it was coming, but it’s still a bit of a shock. Surely it was only a couple of years ago you were in the playground waving them off on their first day at school, and now your child is applying for university half-way across the country, and they’re wondering where they’re going to live.

There are so many choices your child makes when they head to university, and it can be a stressful and uncertain time for the whole family – especially after the last couple of years.

We are however a family run business who have been renting out shared student properties for nearly 20 years. We have no doubt as a parent you’ll be anxious to see where your child is choosing to live and making sure that it is safe and secure. We strive to take as much stress as possible out of the student lettings process for both parents and students by providing the best possible service and clear processes.

This will be your child’s home away from home; a place where they meet their first university friends, learn to do their own laundry, and experiment with cooking some of their own ‘signature’ dishes. Student accommodation should be a safe, welcoming community where students can grow and transition into adult life.

We offer clean modern, well-designed, well-located houses that are properly maintained and offer a safe and welcoming environment for full time students.

All of our properties are fully certified to comply with the necessary building and student housing regulations. We offer value for money through our all-inclusive pricing (which covers rent, all utility bills (including TV licence and WiFi) and communal cleaning (from Sept 2022).

Our Team

We manage the properties ourselves so you will get a personalised service from Matthew, Kathryn and Lynsey throughout your stay. Matthew and Kathryn have both been students so understand the process well. They have a vast amount of knowledge of the Preston and Nottingham area. Lynsey our Administrator is available to answer any questions or concerns you may have as well as advising prospective students on which accommodation may suit them best.

We pride ourselves not just on the high standard of accommodation we provide, but the level of service we offer.

We understand that moving away from home can be a strange, scary time for most, so we do all we can to ensure that our student tenants are looked after and feel secure in their new homes. Lynsey is available to contact during office hours and there is an out-of-ours mobile number for any emergencies. We provide a house information file for every property which details emergency cut off points, relevant emergency telephone numbers, equipment manuals etc. We also conduct a safety induction when the students first move in to the property. We conduct regular inspections to check maintenance, safety and security and the welfare of our student tenants.

The properties are fitted with mains wired smoke alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers and blankets and keyless exit doors. All bedrooms are fitted with a yale style lock for privacy and security. All appliances/electrical equipment that are provided are regularly PAT tested (we recommend students to get their own equipment checked regularly) and all furniture meets fire retardant standards.

If you have any questions regarding safety, please feel free to contact us.

We can provide individual or group assured shorthold tenancy agreements for our properties. The standard contract length is 48 weeks from 1st September. We can sometimes provide rooms over the summer period if your child wishes to stay on during July and August – please enquire early as places fill up quickly. A draft copy of the contract will be sent to your child for checking prior to the final version for signing so please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We use “Signable” for electronic contact signing so there’s no need to scan and post documents etc. and all parties receive final copies.

We usually recommend, if possible, students visit the house before signing the Tenancy Agreement (contract). As this isn’t always possible, we offer virtual viewings on all our properties with either ourselves or the existing tenants. If your child has any specific requirements for a house e.g. ground floor bedroom, same sex tenants, main bus route etc, please let us know.

We can also send videos/ pictures of the house and the bedrooms your child is interested in and set up a WhatsApp group with the students they would be sharing with so they can get to the know them before coming to Uni.

We will require a copy of your child’s valid passport and visa (if applicable) before they sign a Tenancy Agreement. They will also need to complete the “Right to Rent” checks which Lynsey will go through with them. For more information please click here

The standard contract is payable termly in advance. Usually payments are made at the beginning of September (to coincide with loan payment dates), January and March/April. If your child is unable to make payments termly, we may be able to create an alternative payment structure – please contact us to discuss.

Payments can be made online via bank transfer or in cash. Invoices are automatically generated by our accounts system and will appear in your child’s inbox roughly a week before the payment is due. We accept payments from international bank accounts and can provide our IBAN number for this purpose but please be aware of exchange rates and bank fees. We have used a couple of online transfer services which offer lower fees – please contact us for details if this is an option you would like to explore.

Our properties require a £150.00 which is secured by the Deposit Protection Service for the duration of the tenancy agreement. Please click here for further information.

We would recommend that you arrange as a minimum, basic insurance for personal property. Don’t forget to cover any bicycles that your child may be bringing to university.

In the event that something isn’t working correctly in any part of the property, the student needs to report the issue as soon as possible to the property WhatsApp group – Lynsey will deal with it accordingly. Outside of office hours, the emergency mobile number is at hand to take emergency calls related to maintenance issues. More often than not, the resolution can be found in the welcome pack issued on arrival.

Free on street parking is available outside of the properties but this is on a first come first served basis. Weekends and evenings are the busiest times for parking although you can usually park within a few meters of the property.

Your child will need to bring their own bedding and towels, we provide basic crockery, cutlery and utensils etc. We can organise bedding for international students for an additional charge. Our rooms are well equipped with double bed, wardrobe, desk, notice board, chest of drawers, chair and the larger rooms have a bedside table/drawers.