International Office

Private Accommodation

Students arriving at their accommodation

Shared houses and flats

This type of accommodation makes up the majority of student accommodation in Portsmouth.  It is typical for students to rent houses in small groups of three to five, although some smaller or larger properties are available.

Student Housing continually monitors the standards of properties advertised - in all cases they must receive a copy of the gas safety certificate for any gas appliances on the property and all registered properties should meet the criteria for safety, facilities, location and decorative order.  Rentals for this type of accommodation range from £65 to £75 per week excluding bills. 

If you choose to live in private accommodation, please collect the "Being a Good Neighbour" leaflet from the Student Housing Office. This leaflet offers useful advice about being a good neighbour and a valuable part of the community. The University is located in the heart of the City, so when you become part of the University that means being part of the local community.

We offer a secure online resource to help you link up with other new student house-hunters and find private rented accommodation - please visit Private housing on the Student Housing wepages for more details.

Lodgings

These are rooms in private houses where the landlord or a close relative lives on the premises. They may be family households, guesthouses or houses owned by other students (or their parents). Rooms ar offered as either Room Only (with use of a kitchen) or Half Board (with breakfast and evening meal provided). All the rooms offered as Lodgings are single study bedrooms and meet the criteria established by the University for safety and the provision of other facilities. All have been inspected by a Student Housing Officer.

A list of approved lodgings is available from Student Housing.

Typical facilities in lodgings include:

  • single study bedrooms each containing a bed, suitable work surface and chair
  • adequate drawer and hanging space
  • adequate heating with permanently fixed heating appliances
  • smoke detectors on each floor of the property
  • adequate facilities for the number of occupants

Charges for Lodgings

Students are personally responsible for paying householders' charges. Generally, payment should be made weekly, in advance. Neither householder nor student is asked to enter into any commitment as to the period of the stay. 

We find that lodgings are generally very cost effective as all bills are usually included, except for the telephone bill in most cases and food if on a Room Only basis.  

The University does not recommend specific rates and charges must be agreed between householder and student.  For guidance, the approximate weekly charges in Portsmouth for lodgings are:

  • Room Only (with use of kitchen) approx £65 to £80
  • Half Board (with breakfast and evening meal) approx £75 to £90

 

If you have any questions, please e-mail international.housing@port.ac.uk or visit the Student Housing web pages.