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Accommodation for students with children

Once your family has made the decision to move to York, whether this is from overseas or within the UK, one of the most important things to organise is accommodation.

You can either choose to apply for family accommodation on the University campus or to live in private rented family accommodation in York.

If you are coming from overseas we strongly advise you not to bring your family with you, or to make arrangements for them to travel, unless you have organised somewhere for you all to live. It is much better for them to join you at a later date.

The information on this page provides further details about the different accommodation options as well as other useful information. 

On campus family accommodation

If you wish to live in family accommodation on the University campus you should read the information for families provided on the University’s Families Accommodation webpage BEFORE you arrive in York.

There is very limited family accommodation available on campus and, in accordance with how the University allocates accommodation (as detailed on the Families Accommodation page), it is very rarely allocated to EU and UK students. It is therefore likely that if you are from the UK/EU you will need to find suitable private accommodation in York for your family. 

There is also no guarantee that international students who apply for family accommodation on campus will be successful. Therefore if you are an international student you are also encouraged to look at private accommodation options.

For those students whose application to live in family accommodation on campus is successful, you will not be able to move in to campus earlier than your contracted start date. You will also be unable to access alternative accommodation on campus at this time. If you need to arrive in York before the contracted start date of your accommodation, you should book a room(s) in a guest house or hotel prior to your arrival in York. You can book hotel or guest house accommodation through the Visit York website. 

Off campus family accommodation

You should be able to find suitable family accommodation in the private sector.

You may be asked to pay rent in advance (up to six months) if you cannot provide details of a UK financial guarantor.

To help students without a UK guarantor, the University has partnered with YourGuarantor who will act as a rent guarantor for students living in the private sector.

The area you choose to live in is very important. Some of the main things you should consider are:

  • how close to the University campus you wish to be
  • whether you wish to be in the catchment area for a certain school
  • how much rent you can afford.

You can ask current students about their experiences with certain landlords/ letting agents and the different areas of York by contacting the Family Network through their Family Network Facebook page or by emailing familynetwork@yorkgsa.org

If you live off campus it is likely you will need to pay for your heating, lighting, water, landline phone and internet usage. This is usually on top of the weekly rental amount agreed with your landlord/ letting agent.

It is important that you read your gas and electricity (and occasionally water) meters regularly to ensure utility companies bill you for the correct amount. You will also need to read the meters and report the readings to your energy company immediately after you move in and immediately before you move out. 

Even if you live off-campus you will still be a member of one of the nine colleges at the University and can access college facilities and get involved in college events. Find out more about our colleges.

Useful terms

Tenancy Deposit – this is a sum of money which you will be required to pay to your landlord/ letting agent to guarantee against any damage that might happen to the property while you are living in it. Usually the deposit is 1 or 2 months' rent and if there has been no damage to the property it should be returned when you move out.

Contract / Lease / Tenancy agreement – a contract between the tenant and landlord/ letting agent for the period you are renting the property is a legal agreement. Among other things the contract will state how the property should be paid for and how much notice tenants need to give if they wish to leave the property. These agreements are usually made for 6 or 12 month periods. Always check your contract carefully before you sign.

Inventory – this is a list of the items in the property that you are renting. You should request this list from your landlord/ letting agent before you arrive in York so you know exactly what there will be in the property.

Landlord – the person that owns the property you are renting.

Letting agent – the company that rents the property on behalf of the landlord.

Tenant – the person who is renting the property (you!).

Council Tax

Whether or not you are liable for council tax will depend on the type of course you are studying and who you are living with. It is important to find out about council tax and whether or not your family will need to budget for this before you start your course. 

Any questions?

If you have any questions relating to Accommodation, please contact Accommodation Services on +44 (0)1904 322165 or accommodation@york.ac.uk.

Any other questions can be directed to the University's dedicated contact for students with children, Nicola Browne, by emailing nicola.browne@york.ac.uk