This week we are helping you to avoid key charges and advising you on how to get the best out of your search for next year’s accommodation. 

Know where your keys are at all times
Do you know where your room key or fob is right now? If you found yourself thinking “erm…?” then read on! We hear from our Residences Teams that there has been an increase in the number of students reporting lost keys recently. Unlike being back at home where someone may have been able to reluctantly arrange a new key for you, here you will be charged for a replacement. This can be between £29.50 – £50.00 per key/fob! Our advice is to keep it with you at all times, and don’t give it to someone else to look after. It’s the best way to ensure your belongings stay safe.

Accommodation in the city for returning students
There are still plenty of properties/rooms available on Studentpad or within larger purpose-built accommodation in the city centre. At the time of writing there were over 75 adverts on Studentpad for September availability and landlords and letting agents are regularly adding properties to the site. So that you don’t miss out on these new listings, why not register for property alerts? This can be done by following 5 easy steps:

  1. Visit www.exeterstudentpad.co.uk
  2. Click on ‘My Studentpad‘ at the top of the page
  3. Login or register your details
  4. Click on the option marked ‘Property Alerts’.
  5. Click on ‘New Alerts’ in order to enter the number of bedrooms, areas and type of property that you are looking for. You can also choose how often you would like to be notified.

You will then receive an email advising you of any newly listed adverts which have been added to the website since your last property alert. You can take a look at our ‘how to‘ video which guides you through everything you need to know about using the Studentpad website.

As well as the smaller landlord-owned properties, there are still some private purpose-built student accommodation providers in the city with rooms available. This can offer you a similar living experience to being in University halls – some of you may already be living in one of our partner residences! We list many of the larger private providers within the Private Housing section of our website under ‘Your Options’, where you’ll also find lots of other useful advice. Remember that once you have found a room or property that you like, the Guild Advice team can check your accommodation contracts for you before you sign it, for free.

Got a question? Come and see us!
You can meet with a member of the Accommodation Office between 11:00am-3:00pm Monday to Friday throughout Term 2. Please visit the SID desk in the Forum to join our queue. No question is too big or too small.

Accommodation Meridith