Living off campus
Find out about living independently in the local area.
Make the right housing choice
There are many private accommodation options available:
- Renting a room in house or flat shares with other students
- Renting a property as a group (or family)
- Renting a studio and one-bedroom property on your own
- Renting a room with a resident owner, which involves sharing facilities with them as their lodger.
Read our advice about finding a property.
Advice for living off campus
Pay your deposit
Once you have found a property or room you are interested in, you will be asked to make a range of payments including a deposit, so it's important to be prepared.
As a tenant there are certain responsibilities which fall on you, much like there is with your landlord or letting agent. It's important to be aware of what's involved with:
Council tax
Council tax is applied to properties, not people. Find out if your student household needs to pay council tax and how to apply for exemption if not.
Your tenancy
As a tenant there are certain responsibilities which fall on you, much like there is with your landlord or letting agent. It's important to be aware of what's involved with:
Landlord or housing issues
Often landlord and housing issues can arise when living in privately rented accommodation, so make sure you seek help and advice when you need it.
The University of Surrey has now partnered with Housing Hand to help UK, EU and International students provide a qualifying UK guarantor when renting in the private sector.
University of Surrey guarantor service in association with Housing Hand.
If you require general housing advice, please speak with the Surrey Students’ Union Housing Advice Service.
Looking for help?
Living in private sector housing can give you different challenges compared to those living in halls of residence. Find out who to contact for support.
You can also download these helpful guides to living off campus: