For University of Essex students, the best time to start enquiring is January to March.

Contact us by email or phone and we can talk you through any of our properties.

We offer assured periodic tenancies, which roll on month by month with no fixed end date.

Since 1 May 2026, private tenancies in England no longer have a fixed term, assured shorthold tenancies have been abolished and landlords can no longer use section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions (GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants; Renters’ Rights Act 2025, sections 1 and 2). Most of our student tenancies start on 1 September. You can end your tenancy by giving us at least 2 months’ notice in writing.

You pay rent monthly, and the most we can take in advance is your first month’s rent, only after you have signed the tenancy agreement.

We cannot ask for or accept any rent before you sign, or more than one month’s rent in advance, even if you offer (GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants; Renters’ Rights Act 2025, sections 8 and 9). Rent can be due monthly at most, not termly or yearly (section 1).

We usually ask for a UK-based guarantor who is in full-time employment, such as a parent or guardian. They will need to provide a copy of their passport or driving licence and two proofs of address, and sign the guarantor documents. If you cannot provide a UK-based guarantor, please talk to us about other options.

No. We do not charge a booking fee or take a holding deposit.

Booking and admin fees have been banned since 1 June 2019 (Tenant Fees Act 2019). The only payments we take are your deposit of one month’s rent and your first month’s rent, both after you have signed the tenancy agreement.

Your deposit is one month’s rent, and by law it can never be more than 5 weeks’ rent.

The 5-week cap applies where the annual rent is under £50,000 (Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1). We protect every deposit with mydeposits, a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme, within 30 days of receiving it, and send you the scheme details (GOV.UK: tenancy deposit protection).

At the end of your tenancy we inspect your room and the shared areas. If everything is in the same condition as when you moved in, allowing for fair wear and tear, you get your full deposit back. If deductions are needed, we discuss them with you first, and we return your deposit by bank transfer within 10 days of us both agreeing the amount. If we cannot agree, mydeposits offers a free dispute service.

If you are a working professional, yes; if everyone in your house is a full-time student, no.

Professionals: you pay council tax, and Colchester City Council will write to you to tell you how much you owe.

Full-time students: households where everyone is a full-time student do not pay council tax (GOV.UK: council tax discounts for full-time students). You will need a council tax exemption certificate from your university, which you send to Colchester City Council within 30 days of moving in. If anyone in the house is not a full-time student, council tax may be payable.

Not if you choose our bills-included ‘Simple’ package; otherwise you set up and pay the bills yourself.

With the Simple package, your monthly rent includes water, gas and electricity, and we choose the suppliers and manage the accounts. If you prefer, you can manage your own bills instead.

Yes. Once you have signed, you can end your tenancy by giving us at least 2 months’ notice in writing.

Email or a letter is fine. Your notice needs to end on a day when rent is due or the day before, and you pay rent until the notice ends. If you need to leave sooner, ask us: we can agree a shorter notice period in writing (GOV.UK: how to end your tenancy).

We carry out every safety check the law requires, plus our own quarterly inspections.

A Gas Safe registered engineer checks the gas appliances every year, and a qualified electrician inspects the electrics at least every 5 years (GOV.UK: your landlord’s safety responsibilities; GOV.UK: electrical safety standards). Our houses have linked smoke alarms, and fire blankets where possible. We also inspect the heating and plumbing every quarter to make sure they are working safely.

Yes, we have let our homes to University of Essex students since 2007.

When we add a property to our portfolio, we carry out the safety checks the University requires.