Whether you are a UEA student abroad for one semester or a European student coming to Norwich for one semester, Home Run can provide advice and guidance for finding safe, affordable accommodation.
Firstly, it is worth looking through some of the general advice we give to all students looking for accommodation and you can do that here.
As well as this, there’s also information specifically for Erasmus students:
Tenancies for less than 6 months:
The main issue that you will find when trying to find accommodation is that in the UK Housing Law stipulates that the minimum length of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, AST (the most usual agreement when renting a property) is 6 months. This is in order to give tenants a right to occupy properties for a minimum period, a landlord can technically give a shorter contract but the tenant has a legal right to occupy for 6 months, which means that the landlord could end up in a position where they have a new tenant who is due to move in, but then the old tenant refuses to leave because they are within their first 6 months. This would leave the new tenant and landlord in a very awkward situation, so landlords just play it safe by offering a 6 month minimum agreement. See our leaflet here
There are circumstances under which this 6 month minimum doesn’t apply – if you rent a room that is in the landlord’s own home, this is called renting a room from a resident landlord and in this case different legislation applies.
This means that you have a lodging agreement or licence in place, with these agreements you do not get the same protection as a tenant and if you don’t get along, you can be asked to leave with very little notice. For further information, please read the our leaflet here.
Finding properties for a single semester:
Home Run can help you to find a property in two ways:
- The Housing List. This list contains properties that are accredited and meet Home Run minimum standards. You can find access this here
- The Home Run message board. This allows students living in all kinds of properties - some of which are accredited, many not, to advertise spare rooms, or to request rooms. If you are a UK student away for one semester, you can advertise your room here- it will be especially attractive for another Erasmus student coming to Norwich that semester! You can access it here
Most students find the message board really useful - and during the summer there can be a lot of traffic there, so do look at it as much as you need to.
You can also join The Official uea(su) Housing Group. This is a monitored student to student Facebook group where spare rooms can be advertised.