Frequently Asked Questions
What is the contract length?
We can guarantee access to the house for 48 weeks in the year.
This is split between into two sections: a 39 week tenancy which covers term time where most students will be present in Coventry, and an 9 week 'Licence to Occupy' which covers the summer months where students may or may not be present in Coventry full time. If you need longer please let us know and we will do all we can to accommodate this.
Please note in Leamington there is a 39 week tenancy followed by a 11 week licence for the summer months
What is the rent schedule?
For UK students with a guarantor rent is payable 3 times throughout the year in line with your student loans:
1st September - 1/3 of years rent
1st January - 1/3 of years rent
1st April - 1/3 of years rent
For the September/January/April payments in practice we will wait until student loans have been received before requesting payment, despite the contract stating a fixed date.
For international students rent schedules will differ but these will be discussed on a case by case basis.
How much is council tax?
Council Tax is free for students! You will need to provide the council with your proof of student status - we will help with this when you have moved in.
What bills are included in the rent?
Gas, Electric, Water, Internet.
We no longer provide a TV licence. This is technically only required if live TV or BBC iplayer is being viewed. We have found the majority of students only use streaming services so a TV licence is normally not necessary.
Internet speed will be a minimum of 100gb, although in many cases this can be increased for a small additional charge.
Please note in Leamington Spa we no longer include energy and water within the rent payment. Broadband however is still included.
Are parking permits included?
In Coventry the Council have decided to penalise students by refusing to grant them parking permits. This covers all parking permitted areas in Coventry, which is most of the City. We are hoping the council see sense on this matter and it is reversed however there is nothing we can do as landlords. We would encourage students to contact their SU or official university channels to lobby against this decision that is clearly discriminatory against the younger members of our society.
University car parks are available - the closest one located on Gulson Road, however this does come at an extra cost (please see link below):
https://www.coventry.ac.uk/life-on-campus/parking-coventry-university/student-parking/
We also have a few properties we have with on site parking which no not require a permit.
In Leamington each flat will have different parking provisions - we can explain these on a case by case basis.
What happens if we sign the contract and one of our group drops out?
In most cases we will require all tenants to sign the same contract. This is required to comply with our mortgage conditions.
Technically this type of contract means that tenants have a 'joint and several' liability for the rent payments.
In practice we have never asked a tenant to pay the rent of another tenant.
If a group member drops out the following actions will be taken:
1) The outgoing tenant will pay the equivalent of 2 months rent to be released from the contract.
2) We will then ask the current group to find a replacement
3) If the current group cannot find a suitable replacement within a week we shall advertise the room and find a replacement ourselves.