Living with best friends can be a joy and the start of a lifelong friendship but sometimes living with your best friends doesn’t always work out. Our advice team regularly see students who have fallen out with their housemates, sometimes before the contract has even started and once you have signed the contract there's often no getting out.

When deciding who to live with make sure you get to know any potential housemates. We might not want to admit it but we all have bad habits so now is the time to talk openly about these. Some habits can be ok at first but when you start living together they can get magnified. To help, take our quick test to help identify your needs:

1. Are you an “owl” or a “lark”? In other words, do you prefer to stay up late or do you like to get up early?
2. Do you prefer to party a lot or cosy nights in with Disney+?
3. Which courses are you all studying? If you are a nursing student and on a night placement, do you want to live with the person who is up at 6:30am with the hair dryer blasting?
4. Will you shop or cook individually or do it as a whole house (can be cheaper)?
5. Are you ok with other people eating your food?

Most housing contracts for a group of people have ‘Joint and Several Liability’. This means everyone on the contract is responsible for each other. It doesn’t matter who broke the window or who left without paying rent, everyone is responsible. So you need to make sure you know and trust your housemates.

A great way to find people is through the Home Run message board and the uea(su) housing group on Facebook where students can post and chat about forming a group.

We also host find a housemate events to help you meet other students. Click the banner at the top of the page for our full events calendar and to book your free ticket! We also post event details via uea(su)’s social media, so keep a look out!

Some students prefer to live with people they don’t know. That’s ok too, although we suggest you have some “getting to know you” meetings before you agree to live together.

Some landlords will advertise rooms on an ‘individual basis’. This means that you have your own room but you’ll probably have to share the kitchen, living room and bathroom with others in the house. This also means that you’ll have an individual contract. The advantage of this is that you are only responsible for your rent and cannot be asked to pay if others don’t. On the other hand, the landlord does not have to consult with you when they rent out other rooms in the property.

Find out about the different types of housing contracts here.

 

Resident Landlords

During your search for accommodation, you may come across rooms which are offered by Resident Landlords. This means that you live with the owner of the property who is not necessarily a student. The landlord may live alone, with their family and with or without other students.

If you rent a room from a Resident Landlord then you will be issued with a different type of housing contract (a licence or lodger agreement) and have different rights to those who sign a tenancy agreement. Find out more by reading advice(su)’s guide on renting a room from a resident landlord.

It’s probably helpful to know a little bit about the size of properties on offer in Norwich. Most properties within the student market have between three and six bedrooms. There are some bigger properties, up to eight bedrooms. Smaller properties such as those with one or two bedrooms are in relatively low supply, particularly in the areas closest to UEA.

Living in Norwich you also have a variety of student accommodation options, from Victorian terraces to modern Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) blocks, similar to those found on the campus at UEA. If you are living with others, then get together and discuss your requirements - make a list to refer back to:

• Do you want to live in; a house, flat or purpose-built student accommodation?
• How will you travel to campus and placements?
• Do you need a parking space?
• Do you need secure bike storage?
• Which of the following are important to you - single/double beds, communal living space, en-suite facilities/number of showers and toilets, garden?

If you haven’t lived in Norwich before you might be wondering where most students choose to live? Which areas are close to campus or the city centre? We can help with that too. View our interactive map to identify the main residential areas in Norwich, where these are in relation to UEA and the city centre, as well as points of interest and walking and cycling directions.

As well as the interative map, check out our video series ‘A Guide to Norwich’. Our videos focus on the six most popular student areas in Norwich. Watch here for information on average rents, travel to campus and local amenities.

City Centre

The picturesque city centre of Norwich is right on UEA's doorstep, and its streets are packed with historic cultural sites as well as a great range of independent eateries and retailers.

West Earlham

Golden Triangle

University Ward

Riverside

Threescore

Most student housing contracts start in August or September although some will start as early as July. Most contracts are for a fixed term of 10, 11 or 12 months.

You will be liable to pay rent as soon as your contract starts, not when you first occupy the property.

Remember not to forget about the end date too, as it is not normally possible to end a contract early and it is likely to cover some of the summer break.

If you are currently living on the campus then your rent will include utilities (gas, electricity and water), internet and other services such as cleaning.

In the private sector some rents include all utilities, others include one or two and some won’t include any. If utilities aren’t included remember to allow an amount on top of the rent to cover these extras. As a guide we suggest allowing an additional £50-£60 per person per month*.

*Note, this may not be sufficient for superfast fibre broadband, a phone line and TV package! Also bear in mind that your bills for utilities are likely to be higher during colder months when you have the heating on!

You might find it easier to budget with an all-inclusive rent as you'll pay a set amount each month or you might be happy to pay rent to your landlord or agent and pay suppliers directly for utilities.

There isn’t a right or wrong way but whichever you choose, make sure the budget works for all the household.

Some landlords specify a whole property rent and ask you and your housemates to determine how the rent will be split. Other landlords have a set rent per room and you’ll be asked to pay the corresponding rent for your chosen room.

Find out more about average rents by watching our 'A Guide to Norwich’ video series above. 

Postgraduate Accommodation

As a postgraduate student, you can apply for on campus accommodation. Find out more about your options and the application process here.

If you’d prefer to live in the private sector, or want to check out all of your options, then you are also welcome to view the Home Run housing list (see 'where to look' below), message board and uea(su) housing group on Facebook.

Some landlords/agents advertising via Home Run may state that they are looking for postgraduate tenants. This may happen where spare rooms are advertised and the current tenants have specified that they would like to live with other postgraduate students.

If you would also like to live with other postgraduates and an advert is not specific about the current tenants (if included, these details will be found in the property description) then it will be necessary for you to request further information from the landlord/agent.

The housing list search function also includes a ‘Student Type’ filter and postgraduates is one of the available options.

The message board is also split into different topics, some of which are for postgraduates only.

We do not have any specific postgraduate housing events at the moment but all students are welcome to attend our events. These are listed on the events calendar here.

 

Family Accommodation

UEA has a very limited supply of accommodation which is suitable for those with up to two children. To check availability and to request further information, contact UEA Accommodation Office by email ([email protected]).

If you’re looking for family accommodation then it is quite likely that you’ll need to search in the private sector.

Home Run (see ‘where to look’ below) does not have a specific allocation of family housing but landlords/agents may indicate that they are happy to rent to students who have family joining them in Norwich for their time at UEA. These properties can be identified by selecting ‘Family’ from the ‘Student Type’ filter on the property search.

As most student property rents are calculated per person or per bedroom, it may be preferable to look outside of the student market where rents are normally calculated for the whole property. You may wish to start your search via one of the accommodation search platforms online which bring together properties in the local area which are offered by local letting agents. Please note, in most cases, the properties advertised via these platforms are not affiliated with UEA or UEA Students' Union.

Take your time to make sure you are prepared for your search. When you are ready, read the next steps of your house hunting journey below (although this doesn't mean you need to start your search straight away!).

Have a question about your property search or renting outside of the campus? Contact Home Run by email to [email protected] and we'll be happy to help.

For most students, UEA on-campus accommodation isn’t available after their first year. This means you will need to look in the private sector, but don’t worry, help is at hand via Home Run.

Home Run is a property accreditation scheme for student accommodation in Norwich, run by UEA Students’ Union. Home Run has a range of Private Landlords, Letting Agents and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation Providers (PBSA) offering a variety of accommodation across the city.