NTU > Schools, Colleges and Community Outreach > Parents and carers > Accommodation

Schools, Colleges and Community Outreach House icon

Accommodation

There are plenty of options as to where your child can live and a parents’ experience can come in very handy when the choice is being made. Some students will choose to live in private rented accommodation. In this case parents should be aware of what is happening with contracts and ensure their son or daughter is fully aware of what they signing up to. Some private landlords may ask parents to act as guarantors.

How can you help with the accommodation process?

visit the accommodation services webpages of your chosen university (view NTU's here for an example)
make sure you look around as many halls as possible at your chosen university
stay aware of application deadlines
be aware of the length of the contract – some universities may ask students to vacate their rooms during the holidays
make sure your son or daughter applies for accommodation as early as possible to give them the best chance of securing their preferred choice
read through all contracts and be aware of clauses relating to retainers, deposits, inspections, pets and smoking.

Before they go away

Students will learn the basic skills of independent living quickly, but there are still things you can do to give them a head start:

make sure they know how to cook a few simple meals
show them how to use a washing machine
talk to them about budgeting
share your methods of keeping the household bills down
send them off with appropriate documentation (passport, NI number, TV licence, insurance documents, driver’s license, any information they have been sent from Student Finance England and a useful contacts list)
get them to open a student bank account.

It’s also a good idea to send them off with some useful items to help them settle in and get started. First check the inventory of the place they will be living and then supply them with any of these items that are missing: