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 course start date is delayed, we’ll put back the start of your tenancy to match the starting month of your course. You must inform us   at least one week before your original check-in date, otherwise you will be liable for the full costs associated with the original tenancy.
• 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.

If you decide to defer your course until September 2021, we can transfer your booking to the next academic year. Ask the team for details.

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.