AdamBennett.co.uk supplies a vast range of high quality student housing and accommodation in York, from ten bedroom city centre properties to one bedroom studio flats close to campus all with a variety of different tastes and budgets in mind.
It is likely that this will be your first time renting a property away from home and we know that the process can appear to be quite daunting if you do not know what to expect. With this in mind we have prepared some general advice and a step-by-step guide to make it easy to rent a student property in York from AdamBennett.co.uk.
For further guidance please download and read the How to Rent guide .
First and foremost, it is essential that you work out who you intend to be living with during the next academic year. It may be that you choose to live with people from your first year accommodation, friends from your course or a combination of both. This is important as it will impact the number of bedrooms that you will require.
You can narrow down your choices using our ‘Property Search’ options:
- Location/University – the website will display the houses closest to your location/University of choice first and the distance to the University will be visible (this information is based on Google Maps data)
- Minimum and maximum number of bedrooms
- Availability - most of our tenancies start between July and mid-September and run for 12 months
Something else you’ll want to consider is price range. Have an honest and open conversation with your future housemates about what rent each of you can afford and are willing to pay, this may be a sensitive topic for some but it’s best to be honest before your group start seriously considering renting specific houses. Bear in mind that some properties have bills free or included with the rent, have a look at our ‘How to tell whether bills/services are included’ section for more information about this.
Each advert should have a video tour,360° tour, photographs and a floorplan. If you’re registered on our site you can also ‘download a sample agreement’ via the adverts.
The Written Statement of Terms & Guarantor Form provides a summary of the tenancy agreement and an example of the guarantor form for the property you are considering. Please pay close attention to the tenancy start date, rent amounts, and payment schedule.’
If bills are included/free with the rent you’ll see icons in the bottom left corner of the photographs for a house, if there are no icons then bills are not included/free with the rent and you’ll need to organise these. Please note, some houses don’t have any gas appliances.
| Service/Bill | Icon |
|---|---|
| Gas | |
| Electric | |
| Water | |
| Broadband | |
| TV Licence | |
| Gardening | |
| Council Tax |
If bills are included, they are included on a fair usage policy.
While we want you to be as comfortable as possible in your home, we do need to ensure that gas and electric usage is not excessive and is kept within fair and reasonable limits, this is why bills are included on a fair usage policy.
Below is a table showing the monthly utility allowance for 1 – 10+ bedroom properties. The figures in the table are based on bills from previous years and research about average annual utility consumption for UK households. The allowances are generous and if you are sensible with usage, it is unlikely you will exceed them, but you will be required to contribute towards the utility costs if as a household you go over the allowances.
If your utility usage is deemed excessive, you will be contacted as soon as this becomes apparent to us or the landlord.
| Number of tenants | Monthly gas and electric allowance per household (not per tenant) |
|---|---|
| 10+ | £833.33 |
| 9 | £750.00 |
| 8 | £677.08 |
| 7 | £593.75 |
| 6 | £531.25 |
| 5 | £489.58 |
| 4 | £437.50 |
| 3 | £395.83 |
| 2 | £300.00 |
| 1 | £216.67 |
No, for the safety, wellbeing and privacy of current tenants we do not offer physical viewings. We have however captured comprehensive marketing materials. The marketing on the adverts is designed to be as true to life as possible and we capture the footage on a regular basis.
Important: 2027–2028 properties
At this stage, we do not yet know whether all of the houses currently advertised will become available for the 2027–2028 academic year.
For now, please do not attempt to secure a property through the process below.
If you are interested in a particular property for 2027–2028, please email enquiries@adambennett.co.uk and let us know:
- Which property you are interested in
- How many people are in your group
This will simply let us know that your group is interested in the property. It does not secure or reserve the property, and it does not create any commitment to rent the property.
We will provide further information about availability and the process for securing properties once we know which properties will become available for the 2027–2028 academic year.
If you are interested in renting one of our properties, the process for securing it will depend on how far in advance the proposed tenancy start date is.
You will follow:
- Route A if there are 6 months or less until the proposed tenancy start date.
- Route B if there are more than 6 months until the proposed tenancy start date.
How do I find the proposed tenancy start date?
Go to the property advert and select ‘Sample Written Statement of Terms and Guarantor Form’.
In the document, look for the following section on the first page:
The date on which the tenant is entitled to possession of the property from:
The date shown is the proposed tenancy start date.
Before you start
If you are interested in renting a property with multiple bedrooms, you must usually be part of a group containing the same number of people as there are bedrooms advertised, unless the property advert states otherwise.
Please make sure everyone is happy to proceed
Renting a property involves signing legally binding documents. Once these documents have been signed, all tenants will be legally bound by the terms.
If anyone in your group is unsure about signing for a property, please do not pressure them into making a decision. Make sure everyone has enough time to consider the commitment and discuss it with their Guarantor before contacting our Sales team.
If you are unsure what a Guarantor is, please see our ‘What is a Guarantor?’ section.
All members of your group should be comfortable with the proposed tenancy before you ask us to proceed.
Route A: 6 months or less before the tenancy starts
If there are 6 months or less before the proposed tenancy start date, you can proceed directly to creating the Tenancy Agreement.
Step 1 – Register
All members of your group must register individually on our website.
When registering:
- Enter your full legal name, exactly as it appears on your legal documents.
- Enter your permanent home address, rather than your University term-time address.
- Make sure your email address is correct and accessible. You will be asked to verify your email address, and your Tenancy Agreement will be sent to this address for electronic signature.
Right to Rent check
As part of the registration process, you will be asked to complete a Right to Rent check.
A Right to Rent check does not need to be completed before a Tenancy Agreement can be created.
If you have an in-date British or Irish passport or a Government share code, you may be able to complete your check online through our website.
If you do not currently have the required documentation, you can explain this to us in a note during the registration process and provide a realistic date by which you expect to be able to provide it.
Failure to provide sufficient information or a reasonable timescale may delay or prevent the creation of your Tenancy Agreement.
Important: British and Irish passports
If you are completing your Right to Rent check using an in-date British or Irish passport through the software on our website, you must have the physical passport with you.
The software can detect when a photograph or copy of a passport is used instead of the physical document. If you attempt to use a photograph, the check will fail.
Step 2 – Verify your email address
After registering, each tenant will receive an email asking them to verify their email address.
All members of the group must complete email verification before we can create the Tenancy Agreement.
Step 3 – Contact our Sales team
Once all tenants have registered and verified their email addresses, one member of the group must contact our Sales team.
The person calling will need to provide:
- Each tenant's full name
- The email address each tenant registered with
Before the Tenancy Agreement is created, we will discuss the proposed tenancy details with you.
You can review these details in advance by downloading the Sample Written Statement of Terms and Guarantor Form from the property advert.
Step 4 – Sign the Tenancy Agreement and complete the remaining steps
If you are happy with the tenancy details, the Tenancy Agreement will be created and sent to the group by email, together with information about the next steps.
You will be given a deadline to complete the required steps. This will usually include:
- Electronically signing the Tenancy Agreement — usually within 48 hours.
- Paying the deposit — usually £450 per tenant, within a stated deadline.
- Completing the Guarantor Form within a stated deadline.
- Providing evidence of student status within a stated deadline.
If the Tenancy Agreement is not signed by the stated deadline, the property may be re-advertised.
Please make sure you read all documents carefully before signing.
Route B: More than 6 months before the tenancy starts
If there are more than 6 months until the proposed tenancy start date, you will first complete Steps 1 and 2 above:
- Register and complete the Right to Rent check, where possible.
- Verify your email address.
You can then proceed as follows.
Step 3 – Contact our Sales team
One member of the group must contact our Sales team.
The caller will need to provide:
- Each tenant's full name
- The email address each tenant registered with
Before anything is created, we will discuss the proposed tenancy details with you.
You can review these details in advance by downloading the Sample Written Statement of Terms and Guarantor Form from the property advert.
If you are happy with the tenancy details, a pro forma tenancy will be created using your group's details.
What is a pro forma tenancy?
A pro forma tenancy is a draft version of the proposed Tenancy Agreement. It allows everyone involved to review the proposed tenancy details before the official Tenancy Agreement becomes available for signing.
Once the pro forma tenancy has been created, the property will be taken off the market/reserved for your group, subject to you completing the required steps below.
Step 4 – Review the pro forma tenancy
The pro forma tenancy will be created and automatically emailed to all relevant parties for review.
You will be able to review the proposed tenancy details, but the agreement will not become available for signing until 6 months before the proposed tenancy start date.
Step 5 – Review the information from our team
As soon as the pro forma tenancy has been created, a copy will be automatically emailed to you for review.
A member of our team will also send you a separate email as soon as possible after the pro forma tenancy has been created.
This email will explain the next steps involved in securing the property and provide further information about the deadlines and requirements for Steps 6 and 7.
Please make sure you read this information carefully and follow the instructions provided.
Step 6 – Pay the holding deposit
Each tenant will be asked to:
- Accept the Holding Deposit Terms and Conditions; and
- Pay a holding deposit within the specified timeframe.
The holding deposit will usually be £150 per tenant.
If you proceed to secure the property by signing the official Tenancy Agreement, the holding deposit will usually be credited towards the main tenancy deposit, which is usually £450 per tenant.
This means that, where applicable, the remaining balance of the deposit will usually be £300 per tenant.
Step 7 – Complete the final steps 6 months before the tenancy starts
When there are 6 months before the proposed tenancy start date, you will be given a deadline to complete the remaining steps.
A member of our team will email you with details of the deadlines and requirements.
These steps will usually include:
- Signing the official Tenancy Agreement
- Paying the remaining balance of the deposit — usually £300 per tenant
- Completing a Right to Rent check, if this has not already been completed
- Providing evidence of student status, if this has not already been provided
- Providing Guarantor details
- Completing the Guarantor Form
It is important that all members of your group complete these steps within the deadlines provided.
Contact our Sales team
Once everyone in your group is ready to proceed, please contact our Sales team.
If one line is engaged, please try the other number.
Legal Requirement:
- The Right to Rent check is legally required to verify that tenants have the right to rent in the UK by checking specific documents.
Completing the Check:
- During registration, you'll be asked to complete the check.
- If you have a valid British or Irish passport or a Government share code, you can do the check remotely using the website's software.
- If you do not have these documents, select "I do not have the supporting documentation right now" and provide details of when you can bring the documents to the office.
- If you do not have the documentation and we are unsatisfied with the date provided to complete the check, we may delay or not create the Tenancy Agreement.
Important:
To complete the Right to Rent check using an in-date British or Irish passport via the software integrated into our website, you must physically have your passport with you. The software will detect if you try to use a photo of the passport instead of the actual document, and the check will fail if the passport is not physically present.
For more detailed information, you can refer to the Right to Rent guidelines here.
You don’t need to pay anything upfront, but you will be required to pay a deposit within two weeks of signing a tenancy agreement, deposits are usually £450 per tenant.
Once a tenancy agreement has been created, you’ll be required to pay your deposit, unless otherwise stated the deposit is £450 per tenant and needs paying within two weeks of the tenancy agreement being created.
To pay your deposit you’ll need to log onto your Adam Bennett account and go to your ‘Dashboard’, once there you’ll find a link which will take you to the deposit payment page.
If you have signed for a property managed by Adam Bennett Lettings then rent will need to be paid via the website too. To pay rent you will need to log onto your Adam Bennett account and go to the ‘Rent’ tab to find a link which will take you to the rent payment page.
If you have signed for a property which is not managed by Adam Bennett Lettings, rent should be paid directly to your landlord.
A guarantor is somebody who will sign to pay your rent in the event that you default on a payment. Usually this will be a parent or guardian, and they will usually need to own their own property. We recognise that students will come from a diverse range of backgrounds and family situations, so if you feel unsure or need any further advise as to who can be your guarantor please ask a member of staff before you sign the tenancy agreement. You will be expected to arrange for both your guarantor and yourself to sign the guarantor form within two weeks of signing the tenancy agreement. Your guarantor will also need to provide a copy of a document containing proof of signature; this could be a driving licence or passport. They will also need to supply a copy of a document containing proof of address, such as a utility bill. All of this will need to be submitted within two weeks of signing for a property.
From 1 June 2019, the only payments that landlords or letting agents can charge to tenants for new contracts are:
- Rent
- A refundable tenancy deposit capped at no more than 5 weeks' rent where the total annual rent is less than £50,000, or 6 weeks' rent where the total annual rent is £50,000 or above
- A a refundable holding deposit (to reserve a property) capped at no more than 1 week's rent
- Payments associated with early termination of the tenancy, when requested by the tenant
- Payments in respect of utilities, communication services, TV licence and Council Tax
- A default fee for late payment of rent and replacement of a lost key/security device giving access to the housing, where required under a tenancy agreement
A number of our properties are suitable for people with disabilities requiring easier wheelchair access and ground floor facilities such as bathrooms and bedrooms situated on the ground floor. Many landlords are willing to consider reasonable adaptations to their properties to make them friendlier for disabled people, please contact us for further details on which of our properties may be suitable for your requirements.
As a student tenant of an AdamBennett.co.uk property, you will be expected to follow and adhere to the points outlined here