Private Accommodation

There is a good supply of reasonably priced accommodation in Norwich which includes rooms, flats and houses rented from private landlords/landladies, many of which have been registered with NUCA for some time. Information regarding private accommodation is made available to all accepted students during the summer term. The Student Support team are happy to help students find rented accommodation in Norwich and the service offered includes:

• Advice and Guidance at the University College's Open Days.
• Weekly updated list of house/flat share accommodation with other first year students.
• A 'Living in the Community' brochure produced in collaboration with UEA and City College Norwich.
• Help and advice on tenancy agreements, disputes and deposits, maintenance and repairs and approved agents and landlords.

The average price for accommodation in the private sector is between £60.00 and £70.00 per week excluding bills and the utility bills (gas, electricity and water) usually amount to between £5.00 and £7.50 per week. It should be noted, however, that such accommodation has not been vetted by the University College and any agreement made between the student and the landlord will be a private agreement. You can also search for accommodation in the local paper or at www.homes24.co.uk, try local accommodation agencies in Norwich or contact other students on our Year One Facebook page.

Once you have found a suitable property, you must come to some form of agreement with the landlord/landlady. A landlord/landlady may offer the prospective tenants individual contracts, i.e. each person has a tenancy agreement with only their own name on it, or a joint contract, where all the tenants' names appear on one contract. Where tenants have individual agreements they are only responsible for their own rent and cannot, for example, be made liable for the rent of a fellow tenant who moves out.

Tenants who have a joint contract are 'jointly and severally liable'. This means that each person is ultimately responsible for the whole rent and therefore if one person vacates the remaining tenants will be expected to make up the rent.

Before signing any agreement you should understand the clauses it contains. Be prepared to ask the landlord/landlady if you can take an agreement away to read it carefully before you sign it. Any reasonable landlord/landlady will be happy for you to do this. Remember, you are legally entitled to a copy of any contract you sign, so make sure that you are given one.

Under the Housing Act '88, what is agreed when you sign the contract is of paramount importance. You could be evicted for breach of contract if you fail to abide by any of the clauses. The leaflet 'Housing Act '88 - Negotiating with Landlords/Landladies' is essential reading.

If you have any questions please email accommodation@nuca.ac.uk.