And it’s not through a real estate agency!
All is set: after months of preparation and waiting, you have finally been offered a place to study at the University of Oxford! Now comes the hardest part: finding a flat or room to rent. Living in a space suited to your needs is a fundamental aspect of life abroad, particularly when we are forced to spend more time at home than usual.
When should you start looking for accommodation?
Our first suggestion for you is to start looking for a room to rent months before the start of the academic year because there is a lot of competition to find good housing solutions in Oxford. Tenancy agreements for students in the UK are usually one year long, with a chance to renew the contract for the following year. In the vast majority of cases, tenancy agreements start in August or September, meaning that you will see the first ads for free rooms around March or April.
How much you spend depends on where you look
The city of Oxford has higher living costs than the national average due to its proximity to the pricey London area. The average rent for a room is between £450 and £600 per month, but it is not too rare an occurrence to end up paying up to £700 for a single room. Additionally, you should consider all the required extra costs, such as the deposit and possibly even an agency fee. All in all, we are looking at a big investment to start with. But there is something that letting agencies won’t tell you: the rooms with the best value and most convenient rates cannot always be found in the ads you see online. Those rooms are usually rented out either on a word-of-mouth basis or on specific social network groups for room rentals, where you are more likely to find the best rates, often agency-free.
College accommodation: is it worth it?
If you are a first-year student, you likely will be offered a room in your college’s student halls. It might look like the easiest pick, but watch out for all the downsides: for example, did you know that if you live on college grounds, you might need to vacate your room between terms? And there is more to consider: if on the one hand, an all-inclusive contract saves you the hassle of having to manage bills, on the other hand, they tend to be way more costly than average.
Rent prices for college housing vary based on which college you go to, from the costly Jesus College to the more affordable Hertford. DreamanDo helps you find the right accommodation tailored to your needs by providing you with all the information you need about the different costs and tenancy rules of each of the 45 colleges at the University of Oxford.
The only “secret” to finding affordable rent in Oxford
In conclusion, there is only one effective way of saving on rent in Oxford: an adequate knowledge of the market for student rooms in town. If you know where to look and if you have local contacts, it is going to be a lot easier to find housing within your budget limits without all the unnecessary stress. DreamanDo’s Oxford-based team can help you find affordable housing that fits your needs and preferences. With the right tips and our insider knowledge, your first step towards saving money is avoiding the costly fees of letting agencies.