Unlike the general private rented sector, it is very common for students to arrange their private sector accommodation many months ahead of their contract start date and the start of the new academic year.
We start to approve requests to advertise properties for the next academic year from 15th November. Despite this, our main message to students through the first semester is ‘don’t rent yet’ and we will not actively market our housing list until the 'Ready to Rent' campaign starting in January. 'Ready to Rent' is a series of workshops and events aimed at helping students prepare for house hunting and make informed decisions about where they choose to live. We also cover topics including tenancy agreements, finding housemates, deposits and how to be a good tenant and neighbour.
We believe that this will benefit our students and you, by knowing that your next tenants will have the best understanding of their responsibilities.
It is our experience - as the leading housing support provider to students in Norwich - that students are far more likely to approach us regarding issues with their houses, housemates and landlords, looking for the possibility of ending their contract early (and in some cases before the tenancy agreement has even started) if the tenancy agreement was signed during the first semester.
There is no evidence to suggest that properties advertised from January are less likely to be let than those advertised from November. In fact, during a normal year, our statistics show that January is the month where we see the most engagement with the housing list and the highest number of let rooms and properties.
We would ask you to support us in preparing your next tenants by avoiding practices which encourage students to commit to a house too soon.