How it works

In these uncertain times, we understand that you may be hesitant to book your home for next year, so to help you with making this decision, we at Hello Student have made allowance over and above our normal cancellation policy to protect you and allow you to cancel any booking made for September 2020 if any of the below apply:

• Your University has moved to online courses
• Your course start date is delayed, we’ll put back the start of your tenancy to match the starting month of your course
• Your University course is not running
• World Health Organisation recommendations and decisions around Coronavirus advise that you do not travel

If your Visa processing is delayed then our normal cancellation policy will apply.

In such challenging times, we want to reassure you that our students, visitors and colleague’s health and wellbeing is our top priority and we’re taking steps to provide as safe an environment as possible. Our main focus is the wellbeing of the thousands of students that continue to live with us but we also understand why students may have already moved out of or may wish to move out of their accommodation.

Therefore, we have made an exception to our normal cancellation policy and will consider an early release from your tenancy. We will not charge you any rent from 25 April 2020 onwards.  If you pay termly for your accommodation and started your tenancy in September 2019 you will not need to pay term 3, if you are up to date with your payments ,we will refund any overpayment from 25 April 2020. If you have paid in full , we will reimburse you for the period from 25 April 2020 to the end of your original tenancy date. Anyone on different payment terms will need to ensure they are paid up to 25 April 2020 before the early release of tenancy will be approved. In all cases, any ’other’ charges on your account must be cleared.

However, in order to meet the conditions of the rent payment credit from 25 April 2020, you will need to:

• Complete the ‘Early Release Form’  by 5pm on 17 April 2020
• Ensure that you are up to date with your rent payments up to and including the 24 April 2020
• Confirm that you have moved out by 25 April 2020

The Early Release Form will ask for more information regarding your current status and whether you have moved out completely or if you still have belongings in your flat which you still need to dispose of or arrange for collection before the 25 April 2020.

We are applying the same criteria to all residents and as long as you meet the conditions above and have contacted us by 17 April 2020, you will not be charged rent from 25 April 2020.

If we do not hear from you by Friday 17 April 2020, we will assume that you are continuing to live with us.

We understand you may have questions about current or future bookings , so please feel free to contact us.

All booking requests for accommodation made on the website are subject to acceptance by us. We are not obliged to accept your booking request and may, at our discretion, decline to accept any booking request for any reason. If – for whatever reason – we can’t make you an offer of accommodation, we’ll let you know as soon as possible, explain why, or offer you an alternative solution.

Where we accept your booking request, we’ll send you an offer of accommodation. You will need to accept the offer of accommodation online to confirm the booking. We reserve the right to withdraw an offer of accommodation at any time before it is accepted by you on the website. Please note that our offer of accommodation shall automatically lapse if you do not confirm the booking within 10 days of receipt.

You can accept our offer of accommodation and confirm the booking by:

• logging into your account on the website
• providing details of your guarantor (if applicable);
• providing ID documentation and any further information which we may request from you; and
• reading through and signing your tenancy agreement.

Your booking will be confirmed and the contract to supply the accommodation created when you sign your tenancy agreement. You acknowledge and agree that once you have signed the tenancy agreement you will have no right to cancel the contract, and shall be liable to pay the full rent and any related fees relating to the accommodation for the duration of the tenancy.

If you don’t have a UK-based guarantor, we’ll ask you to pay the full years’ rent upfront ten days before your contract starts.

Alternatively, you can use a guarantor service such as Housing Hand who will act as a guarantor on your behalf for a small fee. You can select this option when you make a booking at any of our Hello Student managed properties.

If you do have a guarantor, you can pay your rent in three instalments. The first, ten days before your contract starts (or you won’t be able to move in). The second in January. And the last in April.

In some cases, (like if your student loan comes through later) you may be able to pay in four instalments instead. To arrange that just contact us.

If for any reason you decide to leave during your contracted term, we might be able to release you from your tenancy agreement. But only if these conditions are met:

• You agree not to transfer or sublet the tenancy to anyone else without our written consent, as in point 7.1(n) of the tenancy agreement.
• You find a suitable replacement to take a new tenancy agreement for the rest of your tenancy. This person must: be at least 18 years old and enrolled as a full-time student in a university close to the accommodation; enter into a tenancy agreement with us and pay all sums due within it; and provide a guarantor where reasonable, who must accept the terms and conditions set out in the tenancy agreement.
• You pay a £50 administration fee.

We can’t refund you until the student replacing you has taken over your room’s contract, signed the tenancy agreement, paid, and moved in.

If you can’t find someone to take over your tenancy, you’ll be responsible for paying the full rent until the end of your tenancy agreement.

If you’re a first-year prospective undergraduate student and your offer at your preferred higher education institute is withdrawn, we may be able to release you from your tenancy agreement if:

• You find a suitable replacement to take a new tenancy agreement for the rest of your tenancy. This person must: be at least 18 years old and enrolled as a full-time student in a university close to the accommodation; enter into a tenancy agreement with us and pay all sums due within it; and provide a guarantor where reasonable, who must accept the terms and conditions set out in the tenancy agreement; and
• you provide a written rejection letter from your chosen higher education institute; and
• you provide a copy of the acceptance letter from your new higher education institute.