Accommodation for international students

We want the UK to be a home from home for all our international students.

Make sure you have organised somewhere to live before you start your journey to the UK.

This may only be temporary accommodation because you want to check out what is available before making a long-term commitment. But don’t arrive without anything, as arranging something last minute could be risky and expensive!

Temporary accommodation

If you require accommodation for a few nights until you can secure more permanent accommodation, you can book a hotel, bed & breakfast or an AirB&B which will be local to Canterbury. Good web portals to use to book a room are booking.com, trivago.com, bing.com and hotels.com plus airbnb.co.uk.

Why stay local?

It is a condition of your Student Route Visa to attend all your classes so you will want to be within a reasonable commuting distance of the University.

The city is a great place to stay with lots to see and do. There are plenty of great job opportunities which our student recruitment agency Unitemps can link you to.

And remember if you are staying further afield to check the cost of commuting - public transport costs can be high, so may end up costing you more money.

Looking for accommodation?

CCCU accommodation

Why not check out the University accommodation – it is centrally located close to the University and a great way of making friends and settling in.

There is a range to select form depending on your budget. Plus, all your bills are included in the annual price, so you won't have to worry about energy cost or setting up your own Wi-Fi contract.

Please note CCCU only offers accommodation to students on a single occupancy basis for a study bedroom on our license agreements, and we do not have family accommodation.

For a CCCU study bedroom apply online on our website Accommodation - Canterbury Christ Church University

For any queries on CCCU accommodation email Acommodation or call 01227 923000.

Other private purpose-built student accommodation

There are private purpose-built student accommodation with en-suite bedrooms, communal shared kitchens, and studios in Canterbury. You can apply directly via their websites. Check the weekly rent and how long the contract is for (usually between 44 to 51 weeks).

Provider	Location (by foot)	Contact Details
Palamon Court, CT1 2YA Rhodaus Court, CT1 2RJ Currus Court, CT1 2RS	Next to CCCU Augustine House, 10 to 15 mins to main campus, city centre location	www.crm-students.com/canterbury/palamon-court 01227 211133
Riverside, CT1 1SZ	Ten minutes to campus, 5 mins to city centre, beside cinema complex and shopping centre	Riverside \| Student Accommodation in Canterbury \| Novel (novelstudent.com)  1227 939010
Alma Court, CT1 1DD	Five minutes to campus, city centre location	https://nowstudents.co.uk/location/canterbury/alma-court/ 01227 949000
Cloud Student Homes, CT1 1YN	Parham student village (15 mins walk from main campus and town), beside Asda supermarket	Info@cloudstudenthomes.co.uk 0330 053 5701
Canterbury Student Manor, CT1 1GA	Parham student village (15 mins walk from main campus and town), beside supermarket	www.crm-students.com/canterbury/canterbury-student-manor 01227 211136

Private student landlords

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) offers advice on private renting, as does Citizen’s Advice.

There are also study bedrooms in shared student houses or flats in residential areas. You can search for these via websites or estate agents:

Some residents rent a room in their house to students or other tenants. Look at www.spareroom.com or www.studentpad.com.

Private renting top tips!

If you can, make sure you look around the property first before signing a contract – even if it’s just via a video call. Check that your new home meets its safety responsibilities.
Read all tenancy agreement information carefully. Please ensure you read all terms and conditions and are satisfied with the conditions to which you are agreeing.
Make sure you understand when, and how much you need to pay to secure your accommodation.
UKCISA offers advice on deposits and guarantors for international students:
- If you would like to pay your rent in instalments instead of up-front, once you are a registered Canterbury Christ Church University student you may be eligible for a UK based guarantor*, such as Housing Hand guarantor service.
- Be careful of rental fraud and never be pressured into signing or sending large sums of money.
- Rental fees should only include rent costs or money held in a Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme.
- Be cautious and only send money if you trust the recipient and have received all the required paperwork.

Need more advice?

Email accommodation@canterbury.ac.uk or call 01227 923000. You can also come to our drop-in at Augustine House, every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-4pm.

If you need to talk to someone about private renting, you can contact community.liaison@canterbury.ac.uk.

If you're not sure what something in a tenancy agreement means or something just doesn’t feel right, it is always best to check with our Student Support Adviser or Christ Church Students’ Union Advice Service.

We are looking forward to you joining our community and before you arrive you can connect with other international students via our International Facebook Group and with each other via CampusConnect