Terms and Conditions

1.1 Booking Options
There are three options for booking accommodation with Urban Student Life (USL):

1.1.1 Web Direct
To make a booking online, you will need to select the property and room type you wish to book and follow the on-screen instructions to complete your booking. You will be completing an electronic Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement (AST), and during this process you will need to supply all relevant documentation. Your window of time when booking online will be limited to four (4) hours from the start of the booking process to complete the AST; this applies to you and your UK Guarantor (if applicable). If you do not complete the AST in this time, it will be deleted and you will need to restart the booking process.

1.1.2 Via Accommodation Team
To make a booking, you are required to select your room type via our accommodation page. Once we have received your enquiry, you will be invited to complete an electronic AST, which will be issued to the email address you have provided. You will be required to provide all the relevant information requested during your online tenancy application. You will have up to 7 calendar days, or 2 calendar days during peak times, to complete your AST (the expiry date will be shown on your application). If you or your UK Guarantor (if applicable) have not signed and provided the requested documents, your AST will be cancelled.

1.1.3 Third Party Agent
To make a booking via a third party agent, you will need to follow their booking process. When the third party agent has processed your booking, you and your UK Guarantor (if applicable) will be required to complete an AST, which will be issued to the email address provided during the agent booking process. You will be required to provide all the relevant information requested during your online tenancy application. You will have up to 7 calendar days to complete your AST (the expiry date will be shown on your application). If you or your UK Guarantor (if applicable) have not signed and provided the requested documents, your AST may be cancelled.

Please note that third party agents may require you to pay booking/application fees direct to them, as well as subscribe to their own terms and conditions and USL shall have no liability for refunds of application fees paid to third party agents. Check with the agent you are booking with for this information. USL shall have no liability for the conduct of any of the third party agents you have chosen to book through.

An AST is a legally binding document, and tenants and UK Guarantors (if applicable) should read this document carefully before agreeing to the terms of the agreement.

1.2 Acceptable documents during Tenancy Application:

Tenant

• Identification: passport, driving licence or photographic national identity card


• Student status: valid student identity card or offer/acceptance letter from university/college

UK Guarantor

• Identification: passport, driving licence or photographic national identity card


• Proof of income: pay slip or bank statement (showing incoming salary)


• Proof of address: mortgage statement or utility bill

All acceptable documents must be in English. USL reserves the right to reject any documentation that is not in English, or that is unclear.

All booking applications are subject to passing Right to Rent Checks. For more information, see www.gov.uk/landlord-immigration-check.

USL will review your signed AST and email you a countersigned AST confirming your booking. A member of the accommodation team will contact you if we are unable to countersign the AST, and they will inform you of the reason(s) why.

1.3 Booking Fee
To book a room, create an online account and select ‘book now’. You can choose the property, your room and the required tenancy length, then pay your deposit and accept the room offer within a few minutes.

If you have any special requests or requirements please use the 'create application' route instead.

You have two payment options:
1. Pay in full
2. Instalments

Direct Debit For all our properties, we request you set up a Direct Debit from a UK bank account. A Direct Debit mandate will be sent with your AST and rent payment schedule. There is no charge for this service.

Payments via Credit or Debit Card

It is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure funds are available to cover rental amount(s) in line with published payment terms (see 2.1 Instalment Schedules); we strongly recommend that you apply for Student Finance well in advance if you are relying on this to cover rental amount(s). Non-payment will be treated in line with the USL debt collection procedure (details of which are available on request).

2.1 Instalment Schedules

Payment in Full

This will be taken in August, or if booked in or after August, prior to the AST start date.

Payment in Instalments (requires a UK Guarantor)

If you have a valid UK Guarantor, you can choose to pay your rent in three instalments, which are due in September, January and April.
If you don’t have a valid UK Guarantor, you are required to pay the full rent in August, 1 month prior to your contract start date.
Please note you must have paid the rent due by the time you arrive to check in.

If you wish to secure your accommodation with us and you are planning to pay your rent in instalments, we ask that you provide a qualified UK Guarantor. A Guarantor is a responsible person who agrees to pay any outstanding rent and associated rent recovery costs for the tenant for whom they are acting as Guarantor, should the tenant fail to keep up with the rent payments for the accommodation. The agreement is a legally binding document and should not be signed lightly.

Providing a Guarantor is common practice in the UK and provides USL with the security and knowledge that the rent will be paid in full.

USL will carry out all necessary credit checks as prescribed by law and will reserve the right to reject nominated Guarantor applications if the requested information is not provided and the nominated Guarantor does not meet the minimum requirements. The minimum requirements for a Guarantor are:

• UK resident for a minimum period of 3 years with permanent address in the UK


• In full-time employment (earning a minimum of thirty [30] times the tenant’s monthly rent)

“Housing Hand” can act as your guarantor if you do not have a qualified UK Guarantor. The Housing Hand guarantor service can be selected during your tenancy application. For more information on Housing Hand, please visit www.housinghand.co.uk.  

4.1 Cancellation cooling off period(s)
If you choose to cancel your booking with USL, you will have 5 calendar days after signing your AST to do so.

If you made your booking fewer than 5 calendar days before your AST start date, you may cancel your booking until the earlier of (a) 5 calendar days after signing your AST, or (b) the date you actually check in.

You may request to cancel your booking by sending an email to salesenquiries@urbanstudentlife.com

USL will refund your deposit (less a £50.00 fee) within 14 calendar days of accepting your cancellation. International bank transfers can take longer to process funds and incur a transfer fee.

4.2 Cancellations after the cooling off period(s)
You will not be able to cancel your booking after your cooling off period has ended. You and your Guarantor (if applicable) will be required to meet the obligations set out within your AST.

4.3 Cancellations after you have moved into the accommodation
We hope you speak to our local property manager if you are thinking about leaving your accommodation. If you do decide to leave your accommodation during your contracted term, the landlord may agree to release you from your contract, providing the conditions set out below are met:
• You provide sufficient evidence to support your cancellation request.
• You make your cancelation request in writing.
• You find a suitable replacement (who must be enrolled as a full-time student at a local university or college) to take a new tenancy agreement for your room for the remaining period of your contract.
• The incoming tenant must enter into an AST with USL, providing the relevant requested documents, and where relevant also providing a suitable UK Guarantor.
• Refunds due will not be processed until the incoming tenant taking over the contract has signed the AST, paid and moved into the accommodation.
If you fail to find someone to take over your tenancy, you and your guarantor (if applicable) will be responsible for paying the full rent until the end of your contracted time at the accommodation. You will also remain liable for the rent payment until the new tenant’s AST starts.

4.4 Cancellations by USL or the Landlord
Our terms and conditions require you to sign your AST within the period specified on your electronic AST. If you and your Guarantor (if applicable) fail to sign your AST within this timescale, your AST will be automatically cancelled.

USL retains its right to cancel your AST and retain your deposit should you fail to provide a suitable guarantor for your tenancy on more than 2 occasions.
If for any reason USL is not able to offer you accommodation once your AST is fully signed, we will contact you as soon as possible detailing the reasons why, or offering an alternative solution on terms sufficiently similar than the ones already agreed upon. The accommodation will be in the same building, or if not possible, then a suitable alternative accommodation will be provided in an adjacent building or, in any event, in a building as close as possible to the original building. If we cannot offer a suitable alternative, we will refund all monies paid to USL. Should you unreasonably decline the alternative accommodation, you can find a suitable replacement tenant to take over your tenancy and you and your Guarantor (if applicable) will remain liable for the rent payment until such time.

4.5 First-year students who do not get a place at university: “No Place, No Stay”
This offer is applicable to undergraduate first-year students only.

If you are a prospective first-year undergraduate student, and your offer of a place at your preferred university/higher education institution is withdrawn, you may be eligible to receive a refund of your deposit minus a £50 fee.

You may also be eligible to cancel under “No Place, No Stay” if you choose to go to a different university in a city that does not have availability in a USL property. Where you have been accepted in university in a city where USL has availability in a property, your booking will be transferred to that property.

To cancel under “No Place, No Stay”, you must supply either (a) a copy of a written rejection letter from your chosen university/college; or (b) a copy of the acceptance letter from a new university. This must be received by USL (bookwithmwe@urbanstudentlife.com) within 5 calendar days of the date on which you have requested a cancellation. On receipt of the required documentation, provided it is satisfactory, the agreement will be cancelled with a refund of your deposit, minus a £50 fee.

4.6 Room Moves
We do not offer room moves once you have checked in. Nevertheless, in very limited circumstances and depending on availability, we may allow a room move. If you wish to change rooms, please contact the on-property team to discuss your requirements. If you are upgrading to a higher standard of room, you will have to agree to any uplift in rent. There is a £50 fee for changing rooms.

This website is owned by Homes For Students Ltd (“USL”), whose with registered number 9840367 and registered address at Homes for Students Ltd, The Innovation Centre, Hornbeam Park, Hookstone Road, Harrogate, HG2 8QT
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By accessing the USL webpages, you agree to the following terms. Please note that you must not access our pages if you do not agree to all the terms below in their entirety.
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