Housing
In Need of Emergency Accommodation?
The University Accommodation Office provides short-term emergency accommodation to current students.
Examples of situations where you might need to stay in emergency accommodation include:
- a fire, flood or similar that means you cannot remain in your usual accommodation.
- a concern that your safety is at risk if you stay in your usual accommodation.
Please visit the University Emergency Accommodation website for more information.
My Rent, My Rights
It’s important that you know what rights you have as a student tenant. That’s why we created our My Rent, My Rights campaign – to help provide you with all the information you need to rent property confidently as a student.
- Take a look at our MRMR booklet here.
We even have our very own ‘Viewing Checklist’ for you, thanks to Bristol SU Lettings, which should help you ace any property viewing! This kind of information is what My Rent, My Rights is all about. You can find this checklist in the booklet above.
Find out more about the campaign, and what resources we have on offer, right here. There’s also plenty of handy information online, such as this: ‘Private Renting: Your Rights and Responsibilities’.
Legal Advice
We’ve also previously worked alongside The Law Clinic to create resources for students on Housing Rights.
As part of their free service, the law clinic can provide legal housing advice to those who cannot afford a solicitor. You can find out more about this service here.
Bristol SU Lettings
Did you know we have our own lettings team here at Bristol SU?
Since opening in 2013, Bristol SU Lettings has played an active part in improving the moving experience for its students with its affordable quality housing.
Why not register on the Lettings website for new property alerts now? You can do so on their website.
Bristol Students' Housing Co-op
Another good way to find affordable housing in Bristol is through Bristol Students’ Housing Co-op.
The co-op was created after the rent strikes at the University of Bristol in 2020-21. To find out more, and get in contact with them, check out their website.
Extra Advice and Support
Moving from Halls to a House
The move from University Halls to private accommodation is exciting, but it can be daunting to think about all the different changes you will need to make and prepare for!
That's why we've produced a handy 'Halls to House' booklet which you can read right here.
Please read the advice on the UoB Finding properties to view website
Private Housing Advice
The University offers a range of online resources to provide housing advice and support. While there are no in-person advisors available, these webpages are designed to help you address common issues you may be facing in your accommodation.
Website: www.bristol.ac.uk/accommodation/privately-rented/advice/
Please read the advice on the UoB Finding properties to view website
Housing Matters
Housing Matters are a community-based housing advice service. They offer free, independent, and confidential advice on housing-related matters to anyone in need in Bristol and the surrounding area.
Website: https://housingmatters.org.uk/
Advice line: 0117 935 1260
Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council has a team who can investigate rogue landlords, this could be a landlord is harassing you as a tenant, is renting you a property that doesn’t meet legal standards, is renting a property without a licence, is charging unlawful fees and other things. You can also report problems with the quality of the property you are living in and the Environmental Health department in the local Council can look into any serious repair problems that could put your health at risk.
ACORN Tenants Union
One way to take power back as a tenant is to join a tenants’ union. This is where renters come together and as a collective can stand up to dodgy landlords and letting agencies via direct action and negotiating meetings.
The local tenants’ union to Bristol is called ACORN; they are a network of community organisers who have won millions of pounds back for their members. They stand up for their members who are being exploited, running days of action, training up members in campaigning and member defence, and even stand up against illegal evictions which happen in the community.
How can you get involved and ensure that you have union representation as a renter? You can join ACORN as a member for £3 a month as an unwaged student.
Check out their Facebook page for any events, callouts or trainings. If you need support as a tenant, please join the ACORN tenant support group.
Shelter
Shelter is a housing and homeless charity that campaigns for tenant rights in Great Britain and defends their rights to a safe home.
Website: https://england.shelter.org.uk/
Free Helpline: 0808 800 4444
Rent Strikes in Halls
Rent Strike Checklist
- Get a core team of interested people together who are happy to help organise and start spreading the word – do a call-out on social media or spread via word of mouth.
- Create social media accounts for the campaign or get hold of existing ones (e.g. Bristol, Cut the Rent or Rent Strike Bristol accounts).
- Have an initial meeting to agree clear demands of the campaign (3 or 5 is good), agree on a minimum threshold of signups for the strike to go ahead (e.g. 100), and create a Google sign up form asking for email and phone number.
- Announce publicly that you are calling a rent strike and spread on social media and in halls group chats.
- Create a strike WhatsApp group and Mailchimp and add every new signup to the mailing list and the group chat.
- Set up regular strike meetings to create working groups for the campaign – press team, internal email team, social media team, phone-banking strikers team, leafletting and actions team, contacting the Uni team.
- Continue regular social media posts and print out some leaflets to spread throughout halls.
- Contact the SU so they can send out an all-student email to everyone in halls.
- Once you have reached your minimum threshold of signups, email the University to ask for a meeting to discuss your demands.
- Keep growing the strike via spreading and regular Zoom meetings and plan an action just before the strike starts where you ‘hand in’ your demands to the University.
- Make sure you phone-bank students who have signed up to strike checking if they have cancelled their direct debit!
- Once the strike has started, think about an escalation plan to go hand in hand with your meetings with the University to keep the pressure on.
- Map out when students are likely to get ‘please pay now’ letters to the University to reassure strikers.
- Link up with other rent strike campaigns across the UK for solidarity, support and collective strength.
- Keep pushing until you win!
