Information for Parents
Basic Information
As experienced landlords and also parents to four children, we appreciate that it can be a stressful time for parents and well as students looking for decent accommodation so soon after starting at University.
Lancaster has a good supply of student houses but the quality is quite variable and inevitably good properties tend to go quickly. Living in student halls for the first year is a great way to start University life and meet new people etc but the best 'student living experience' is often when they move out in the second year and rent a student house with thier friends. They have as much freedom as they like and also get to take on new responsibilities in looking after a property which can be a big change for some and comes as second nature to others!
At NewDigs we work hard to ensure our properties are really top notch, the images we use on our website are the genuine images of the properties, the information is all accurate ie. when it says it takes 8 minutes on the bus to the Uni, it genuinely does, and when we say we will do something we always do it.
We run the business completely hands on and all maintenance is done by ourselves and promptly. We set up a WhatsApp group for each student property and use this to communicate with the group throughout their rental year. This way any maintenance issues or anything else is shared by everyone so we can all see what was said and done, and when.
Our properties exceed the specifications for standard student houses and we are constantly improving them.
Golgotha was a professional conversion into 6 good sized bedroom house completed about 10 years ago. We acquired the property in 2017 and have invested a considerable sum updating it and bringing everything up to the latest standards. in 2019 we upgraded the heating system with a new high power Valiant system boiler feeding a large pressure tank for the twin shower rooms controlled by smart technology. In 2020 we fitted a brand new shower room in the basement, and in 2022 we installed a new top floor shower room as well as internally insulating the walls, creating a second kitchen in the basement and upgrading the main kitchen on the ground floor. It is far more spacious than standard 6 bed properties and unusually for Lancaster offers decent outside space with off-road parking.
Because Internet service is so important nowadays and especially for students we have fitted both properties with the latest tech.
Both our properties have Virgin Media high speed fibre broadband with speeds from 125Mbs to 250Mbs and they are fitted with high speed access points (similar to the units used by hotels) which enable an excellent WiFi connection and speed in every area so you don't need ethernet (wired) connections.
Golgotha is classed as a HMO (House of Multiple Occupation) and is fully licensed under Lancaster City Council. HMO licensing is quite onerous and the specifications which have to be met in terms of quality and safety by the council are high and non-negotiable.
Lentworth does not require HMO licensing under current housing policy however it has been specified to exceed current HMO regulations and has been fully inspected by Lancaster City Council and Lancaster University Housing.
We offer 48 week rents which gives us a full month to do any major maintenance/upgrade works each summer and this is also the time we do the mandatory gas safety checks etc. We can sometimes vary the start time for tennanies to accommodate students who have early term start dates by mutual negotiation
The rents are fully inclusive of gas/electricity/water/high speed fibre broadband and TV license. Students are exempt from paying council tax but they have to notify the council that they are living in the house (the council sends an inquiry letter every September/October).
Like most landlords energy usage is capped ie. if they used an enormous amount they would incur additional expense. However we allow a very generous amount and to date we have never had to bill additional amounts. Our properties are fitted with Hive control systems so we can remotely switch the heating off if the students have all gone home and forget to do that.
We insure the houses for the buildings but we don't offer student content insurance. This is because it is very difficult to know exactly what any one student would bring in terms of high value goods and also actual claims for thefts are notoriously difficult to have accepted in homes of multiple occupation so such policies provided by landlords are often practically unusable. Thankfully our properties are located in decent areas with low overall crime levels. Of course students can take out their own individual insurance policies for belongings.
All our properties have fully wired smoke and heat detection alarms and carbon monoxide monitors as well as emergency lighting on all levels with fire doors and escape windows fitted in all appropriate zones.
Lentworth has been fully refurbished from top to bottom by ourselves and although it does not require mandatory HMO licensing it exceeds all current standards as future proofing.
We provide standard assured short-term tenancies approved by the National Residential Landlords Association and all deposits are protected under an approved government statutory deposit scheme.
We are always happy to help students settle in to their new home, we understand that this is often the first time they will of had responsibility for a house and it can be a balancing act between allowing them full freedom to take on responsibility for a home whilst also knowing they can approach the landlord if there are any issues. We would always much prefer to be contacted about problems than either the students worrying unnecessarily or a small maintenance issue becoming a major one through neglect.
Parents are always welcome to speak to us if they have any questions.
Lancaster has a good supply of student houses but the quality is quite variable and inevitably good properties tend to go quickly. Living in student halls for the first year is a great way to start University life and meet new people etc but the best 'student living experience' is often when they move out in the second year and rent a student house with thier friends. They have as much freedom as they like and also get to take on new responsibilities in looking after a property which can be a big change for some and comes as second nature to others!
At NewDigs we work hard to ensure our properties are really top notch, the images we use on our website are the genuine images of the properties, the information is all accurate ie. when it says it takes 8 minutes on the bus to the Uni, it genuinely does, and when we say we will do something we always do it.
We run the business completely hands on and all maintenance is done by ourselves and promptly. We set up a WhatsApp group for each student property and use this to communicate with the group throughout their rental year. This way any maintenance issues or anything else is shared by everyone so we can all see what was said and done, and when.
Our properties exceed the specifications for standard student houses and we are constantly improving them.
Golgotha was a professional conversion into 6 good sized bedroom house completed about 10 years ago. We acquired the property in 2017 and have invested a considerable sum updating it and bringing everything up to the latest standards. in 2019 we upgraded the heating system with a new high power Valiant system boiler feeding a large pressure tank for the twin shower rooms controlled by smart technology. In 2020 we fitted a brand new shower room in the basement, and in 2022 we installed a new top floor shower room as well as internally insulating the walls, creating a second kitchen in the basement and upgrading the main kitchen on the ground floor. It is far more spacious than standard 6 bed properties and unusually for Lancaster offers decent outside space with off-road parking.
Because Internet service is so important nowadays and especially for students we have fitted both properties with the latest tech.
Both our properties have Virgin Media high speed fibre broadband with speeds from 125Mbs to 250Mbs and they are fitted with high speed access points (similar to the units used by hotels) which enable an excellent WiFi connection and speed in every area so you don't need ethernet (wired) connections.
Golgotha is classed as a HMO (House of Multiple Occupation) and is fully licensed under Lancaster City Council. HMO licensing is quite onerous and the specifications which have to be met in terms of quality and safety by the council are high and non-negotiable.
Lentworth does not require HMO licensing under current housing policy however it has been specified to exceed current HMO regulations and has been fully inspected by Lancaster City Council and Lancaster University Housing.
We offer 48 week rents which gives us a full month to do any major maintenance/upgrade works each summer and this is also the time we do the mandatory gas safety checks etc. We can sometimes vary the start time for tennanies to accommodate students who have early term start dates by mutual negotiation
The rents are fully inclusive of gas/electricity/water/high speed fibre broadband and TV license. Students are exempt from paying council tax but they have to notify the council that they are living in the house (the council sends an inquiry letter every September/October).
Like most landlords energy usage is capped ie. if they used an enormous amount they would incur additional expense. However we allow a very generous amount and to date we have never had to bill additional amounts. Our properties are fitted with Hive control systems so we can remotely switch the heating off if the students have all gone home and forget to do that.
We insure the houses for the buildings but we don't offer student content insurance. This is because it is very difficult to know exactly what any one student would bring in terms of high value goods and also actual claims for thefts are notoriously difficult to have accepted in homes of multiple occupation so such policies provided by landlords are often practically unusable. Thankfully our properties are located in decent areas with low overall crime levels. Of course students can take out their own individual insurance policies for belongings.
All our properties have fully wired smoke and heat detection alarms and carbon monoxide monitors as well as emergency lighting on all levels with fire doors and escape windows fitted in all appropriate zones.
Lentworth has been fully refurbished from top to bottom by ourselves and although it does not require mandatory HMO licensing it exceeds all current standards as future proofing.
We provide standard assured short-term tenancies approved by the National Residential Landlords Association and all deposits are protected under an approved government statutory deposit scheme.
We are always happy to help students settle in to their new home, we understand that this is often the first time they will of had responsibility for a house and it can be a balancing act between allowing them full freedom to take on responsibility for a home whilst also knowing they can approach the landlord if there are any issues. We would always much prefer to be contacted about problems than either the students worrying unnecessarily or a small maintenance issue becoming a major one through neglect.
Parents are always welcome to speak to us if they have any questions.
Deposits
To secure one of our properties we ask for a reservation deposit, this is currently £350 for Golgotha and £350 for Lentworth. This deposit secures the property in your child's name and once their tenancy begins it becomes their damage deposit. Assuming we get the property returned back to us is in good order and they have not incurred any other additional costs (for example exceeding their very generous energy allowance etc) then this is returned in full at the end of the tenancy.
There are properties available to students without paying reservation deposits but in our experience if a landlord is not protecting themselves against any damage to their property then that is reflected in the standard of the property being offered to the students.
Deposits are held in a government approved statutory deposit scheme and the students are provided with evidence of this.
There are properties available to students without paying reservation deposits but in our experience if a landlord is not protecting themselves against any damage to their property then that is reflected in the standard of the property being offered to the students.
Deposits are held in a government approved statutory deposit scheme and the students are provided with evidence of this.
Becoming a guarantor for your child
When a student needs to rent a property in the private rental market they will nearly always be required to have a guarantor. There are some landlords who do not insist on guarantors but in our experience such accommodation is often of a lower standard so the landlord have less concern about damages etc.
A guarantor effectively agrees to guarantee for the landlord that the student will fulfil the tenancy contract, including making the rent payments and keeping the property in good order. Students require a guarantor for several reasons:
It may reassure parents to understand that by signing our guarantor agreement you are only acting as a guarantor to your own child and not any of the other students with whom they share the property.
A guarantor effectively agrees to guarantee for the landlord that the student will fulfil the tenancy contract, including making the rent payments and keeping the property in good order. Students require a guarantor for several reasons:
- They have little or no credit history
- They rarely have an employment history
- They normally have a very limited traceable address history since this is only tracked once they are aged 18+ via the council tax records.
It may reassure parents to understand that by signing our guarantor agreement you are only acting as a guarantor to your own child and not any of the other students with whom they share the property.
Securing one of our student properties
We generally experience a high demand for our homes with many groups of students chasing each one and parents sometimes ask us how they can ensure that their child gets one? On average we get at least 10 groups chasing each property.
The following are tips which you might find useful in securing one of our student houses:
Firstly all the students taking the properties have to be non-smokers/vapers.
To minimise disruption to our current students we offer a block viewing at a weekend when we give timed viewing slots to each group. They have the chance to have a good look around, meet us and ask any questions they like either of us, or any of the current students who might be there.
It is always difficult to decide which group should have a property but these are a few things we look for in helping us decide:
The following are tips which you might find useful in securing one of our student houses:
Firstly all the students taking the properties have to be non-smokers/vapers.
To minimise disruption to our current students we offer a block viewing at a weekend when we give timed viewing slots to each group. They have the chance to have a good look around, meet us and ask any questions they like either of us, or any of the current students who might be there.
It is always difficult to decide which group should have a property but these are a few things we look for in helping us decide:
- Did all the group attend the viewing?
- Do they seem a decent cohesive group (bearing in mind they have most likely only recently met each other a few weeks ago!)
- Do we think we will get on with them OK for the year (we may never see them in the year but equally if there are any issues we may well need to).
- How organised are they? If they want to apply we ask that they all submit their online application forms promptly and we don't consider any group until we have them all in.
- If we email/text or phone them do they respond promptly? If we can't communicate effectively now then we probably would struggle later.
- We expect them to pay deposits promptly if they are successful and we will need to get the guarantor forms we email out to parents returned back quickly. The property is not secured in thier names until they have all paid the retaining deposit which becomes thier damage deposit once the tenancy starts.
- We cannot create the final signed tenancy agreement until we have all of the guarantors paperwork in place. Ideally we like to have firm signed contracts in place for students before they break up for Christmas.
