Riverside House - Guildford

When you confirm your booking you will be asked to pay a £300 refundable bookings deposit, which will be converted into your refundable security deposit when you move in. Your refundable security deposit is protected by MyDeposits, a UK government recognised scheme.

Once you’ve made the easy decision to live in one of their studios, to confirm your booking they ask you to pay the deposit amount with the first month’s rental payment. You can then have a few options of how you would like to pay your rent:

• Upfront in one go, this includes all administration charges and you’ll benefit from a 2% discount on your total rent
• Termly payments - Payment dates usually coincide with the Student Finance UK payments, so it makes budgeting easier. 
• Monthly payments (if you have a UK guarantor), just speak to our Sales Team and we can explain what additional documents will be needed.

They accept payments by Bank transfer, debit or credit card and have partnered with ''TransferMate' who offers a free currency exchange service with very competitive rates, guaranteed to lowering your transaction fees. 

Updates to Policy

1. Unlife offers students the guarantee of a full refund when students are unable to join their course at University. This is the Unilife Guarantee.
    
2. If there is an official travel ban that prevents the student from attending University, the Unilife Guarantee applies and students will get a full refund.
    
3. If there is a temporary travel ban but students are able to join the university course, Unilife will seek to reduce the cost of the vacant period with short term lets. The success of this measure will depend on the length of the delay and the prior advance notice given. Prompt communication from the student is paramount to ensure the success of this measure.

Cancellation is allowed for academic reasons or a replacement tenant is found.

Q. Who can book a student studio?

You can book a studio with us if you are a student aged 18 and over and in full-time education, whether studying an Undergraduate or Postgraduate course for our long term lets.  

If you are interested in viewing a studio then you can easily arrange a viewing in person or through Skype.  We aim to make it as simple and hassle free to book with us.

Q.How can I cancel or re-arrange viewing?

It’s not a problem we understand that things can change and will be only too happy to cancel or re-arrange your viewing.

Q. Can I book a studio without having viewed?

Of course, this isn’t a problem. We can provide you with lots of pictures and floor plans of each studio type, we can also arrange live Skype viewings. If you arrive and change your mind, we will do our best to accommodate you but subject to availability and additional administration charges.

Q. Are pets allowed?

Unfortunately, in the buildings we do not allow pets, the exception being assistance dogs.  Please let our team know at the time of booking.

Q. How long is the contract?

We have a limited number of Studios with flexible terms available (from 40 weeks) so you can choose the term that suits you best. Our typical contract is 51 weeks.

This includes all your bills and makes living simple.

Q. How do I pay?

Once you’ve made the easy decision to live in one of our studios, to confirm your booking we ask you to pay an admin fee of £120 along with the first month’s rental payment. You can then have a few options of how you would like to pay your rent:

Upfront in one go, this includes all administration charges and you’ll benefit from a £200 discount on your total rent
    Termly payments
    Monthly payments (if you have a UK guarantor), just speak to our Lettings Manager and she can explain all you will need to know.

Q. How much will the deposit be?

It depends on your Payment terms. If you pay:

– Annually: We ask for 4 weeks deposit.

– Termly: We ask for 8 weeks deposit or 4 weeks if you have a UK guarantor. If you haven’t got a UK guarantor and would like to reduce your deposit, please ask the team for details about our partner’s guarantor scheme.

– Monthly: You must have a UK guarantor or subscribe to our Guarantor scheme – We ask for 4 weeks deposit.

Your deposit will be registered with the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme for added protection.

Q. What is the tenancy deposit protection scheme?

The Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDPS) is a piece of legislation introduced by the UK Government in April 2006, for landlords in England and Wales. The purpose of the scheme is to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords, who have been accused in the past of taking amounts from deposits unfairly. The legislation ultimately protects you and allows us to follow a very streamlined process for disputes after check out.  

Q. When do I get my refundable deposit back?

At the end of your tenancy, assuming the studio and its belongings are in the same condition as when you moved in, and you’ve paid all your rent, your deposit will be refunded within 10 working days.

Q. What does my weekly rent cover?

Our ‘All Bills included’ guarantee means that your rent covers your studio and shared facilities all your utility bills (water, heating, and electricity), contents insurance (through Endsleigh insurance) and unlimited Super-fast wired and wireless internet access.

You will also have your own 32″ SMART TV in the studio, including the TV license.

We left out your food or travel expenses, if you’re not within walking distance then you will be just a few minutes away from a Unilink bus stop to take you to University.

Q. What do I need when I check-in?

Once you have confirmed your booking, signed and returned all the paperwork (including the copy of photo ID – we are sorry if it seems a lot), and paid all charges and deposits then you are ready to move in. Our Team will be on hand to help where we can when you move in, it doesn’t extend to unpacking, unfortunately.

Q. Are student studios furnished?

Yes, our studios are furnished to a very high standard and all in great taste.  Each studio has plenty of storage, lovely comfy mattress, and a double bed, a large well-designed bathroom and kitchen area.  Everything you will need to make it your home, the ultimate in student living.

Q. Will there be an inventory when I move in and out?

Yes, we have an independent company who takes care of this. They will provide you with an inventory when you move in and when you move out.

Q. Do I need to pay council tax?

No. As a full-time student, you do not need to pay council tax. You will be provided with a council tax exemption form by your University during your enrolment. However, if you are occupying couples sharing a studio and one of you is not a student you will be required to pay council tax fees.  Please just speak to a member of our Team if you are unsure.

Q. What internet service do you provide?

Unlimited and Super-fast wired and wireless internet, we don’t think you should ever have a problem accessing the internet whilst in any of our buildings. You can also enjoy our free-Wifi parks around our buildings! Ask our team for more details.

Q. Can I have a TV? Will I need a TV license?

We have included a 32″ Smart TV in your room. Your TV license is included on our “All Bills included” promise – And it gets better! Your TV license covers any device you watch TV on, wherever you are.

Q.  Is linen included?

We don’t include linen within your studio furnishings.

Q. Can I smoke?

No, our buildings are smoke-free.

Q. Who will clean my studio?

You are responsible for cleaning your studio together with communal areas of your shared studio. However, for those students that would prefer to have a cleaner come to their studio on a regular basis, we can arrange this for you with our dedicated cleaning services team at each location, as you would expect subject to availability and additional charges.

Q. Who will maintain the building?

Most of the maintenance we carry out is scheduled and proactive in nature. Should anything break down, we guarantee a speedy response. If you experience any problems, no matter how small (a broken fridge bulb for example) then report it immediately to our Housing Manager or create a ticket on our Portal and we will arrange for any issue to be resolved as quickly as possible and will try to ensure you experience the least amount of inconvenience.

Q. Will the building have videophone entry system and CCTV?

Every one of our buildings has 24 hour CCTV cameras and each studio has a Videophone entry system, your safety is of the utmost importance to us. 

Q. Is there an onsite laundry?

Yes, each building has laundry facilities and we have included 25 washes and 25 drying cycles on your Laundry card as part of your accommodation Rewards.  All we ask is, once your washing is finished that you consider your fellow residents and remove your items straight away.

Q. What happens if I lose my keycard or get locked out of my studio?

We know that this happens, all you will need to do is make a quick call to our Housing Manager and we can get you back into your studio as quickly as possible. We will ask you to pay £25.00 for a new key card. If you lock yourself out during working hours (9am-6pm) we will ask you to pay £25.00 to get you back into your studio. Outside of working hours, this charge increases to £50.00, so please be really careful!  Keep your room key card with you at all times.

Q. Worried you won't know anyone and never lived in the UK before?

Many of our students are from International countries and have never lived in the UK before, so firstly you won’t be alone.  We understand that starting University is nerve-wracking enough and even harder being so far from home.  Here, we want you to feel at home and want your time here to be a great experience and one you remember always.

To help make you settle in and get to know some friends our Events Team will be arranging a number of events throughout the year from a Welcome party, film nights, visits to interesting places and Summer Barbeques.