Rents

Private sector rent levels in Swansea are lower than in many other university towns helping to make Swansea an attractive place to study.

For the 2008/09 session typical rents range from £52 to £65 per room per week, including water rates but excluding gas, electricity and telephone costs, though there are properties on the market for both lower and higher rents than these.  

Even when safety standards are met, the quality of properties does vary, and students paying rents at the higher end of the spectrum should ascertain that they are receiving value for money.  For example you might expect to pay more for

• An accredited property 
• A house with a separate sitting room
• A house with more than one bathroom
• The largest room in the house   

If the landlord has included fuel charges, telephone rental, cable/satellite TV rental or broadband internet access within the rent, then you should expect this to be higher than the levels quoted above.  However if you are paying the water rates yourself, then you should expect the rent to be lower.

Rents for self-contained flats for one or two students will normally be higher per person than for a room in a shared house.

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Retainers

A retainer is a reduced rent and is paid by students to landlords to ensure that the accommodation is reserved for the new academic session, and that the landlord does not enter into any other contract that could affect the availability of the property.

If a retainer is paid you should ensure that:

• The property will be vacant throughout chargeable period
• The property must not have any major repairs or redecoration being undertaken during the period
• The students should have something for their money, e.g. storing belongings and/or staying in the accommodation on an occasional basis during the summer without any additional cost
• The landlord must not rent the property to another individual

Payment should be broken down to a weekly charge and included in both landlords and student copies of the tenancy agreement. The relevant dates must be shown e.g. £50 per week for 12 weeks.

Landlords who wish to carry out work to property after the departure of the current tenants should consider setting aside a 2-3 week period for this after the end of their tenancy, and starting the retainer payments for the new tenants in mid-July.

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Deposits

Please be advised that as of the 6th April 2007 a New Tenancy Deposit Scheme was introduced please click here for further details this means that all Landlords must hold your deposit in one of these scheme.  They must also notify you of which scheme the money is to be held in.

• Landlords will request a damage deposit, sometimes referred to as a bond, before students move in to the accommodation.
• The amount of the deposit may not legally exceed 2 month's rent.
• The deposit will be held to offset any costs of damage to the property (either accidental or deliberate) during the tenancy. A deposit may also be held to cover any unpaid rent or outstanding bills, provided this is made clear in advance.
• The deposit cannot be used to offset the cost of normal fair wear and tear.
• It is not normally acceptable for students to offset the deposit against the final month's rent.

For more information please contact Residential Services