Private rented accommodation

An example of a rented house in Chelmsford

Renting somewhere while you’re at university is a great way to be part of the local community and live independently.

We have a specialist Tenancy Support Team who can help you find private rented accommodation and give you advice about any issues that could occur when you're renting.

Accommodation options

All or some of the following private sector options are available to you, depending on which campus you’re studying at. While we can tell you about accommodation that’s available, we don’t visit or endorse the properties, or the people advertising them.

Find out about accommodation options for under 18s and families here.

Studentpad is a property listings site ran by ARU that lets you search for houses, flats and rooms in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle (you’ll need a password from our Residential Service team before you can use it). The landlords and agencies that advertise on it send us the basic paperwork they need to legally rent their property before we agree to advertise it.

There’s a message board on Studentpad where you can find a room advertised by another student or post information about a room you have to rent (ARU students only).

We also have lists of letting agencies in Cambridge and letting agencies in Chelmsford, who have told us they are happy to rent to students.

In Cambridge there are several private halls of residence. They are all quite newly built and many have additional features like common rooms, gyms and even a cinema! These halls offer shared flats and/or studios. Have a look our private halls of residence list for more information. 

You can also find lodgings on Studentpad.

Living in rented accommodation: video guides

If you're studying in Cambridge, watch our video guides about popular neighbourhoods in and around the city, so you can decide where to start your search.

Top tips for finding accommodation

  1. We wouldn't recommend signing a contract or paying any money for a property until you have seen it. You may be required to provide a guarantor, and it is important for them to see the contract before anything is signed.
    If you're having difficulty finding a guarantor, we suggest contacting Housing Hand, because ARU students are entitled to a preferential fee rate. Compared to other similar services, Housing Hand is currently the most cost effective option for ARU students (as of May 2024).
  2. Read our house hunter guide for Cambridge and Chelmsford (PDF) or house hunter guide for Peterborough (PDF), which are full of handy hints about looking for rented accommodation.
  3. Don’t rush into making a decision. Every year, we hold an Accommodation Fair in February or March, which is the perfect time for current students to start looking for a place to live for the following September. There’s no need to rush into signing up to a contract really quickly in your first year as you may get less choice or decide you don’t get on with your new housemates before you’ve even moved in! We also hold house-hunting events for new students from July to September each year.

Beware of scams

We've received reports of students being scammed into handing over money for a property that doesn’t exist or doesn’t belong to the person who claims to be the landlord. Don’t send money transfers or Western Union transfers as they are not secure. Seek advice from our Tenancy Support Team if you're unsure. Local Trading Standards officers are working with the police to investigate but in the meantime, but these fake adverts can be very convincing so we urge you to be vigilant.

To report a scam contact the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 03454 040506 and Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Useful documents and websites

If you’d like any more help, contact your Tenancy Support Team for advice. We’re here to help.

Tenancy support

Cambridge & Peterborough tel: +44 (0)1223 698900
Chelmsford & Writtle tel: +44 (0)1245 683110
Email: [email protected]
Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9.30am–4.30pm

Happy house hunting!

New landlords: how to rent a room to a student

Advertising on Studentpad is free of charge, and the site is the first place we direct our students to when they are searching for private rented accommodation. The website is password-protected, with the password only being issued to ARU students.

If you don’t currently advertise with us, you can set up your account as a landlord and advertise your properties online at https://www.angliastudentpad.co.uk/landlords. Please add your property and the relevant details, then create your advert separately – this is linked to your property.

If you need support with this, email [email protected] or call 01223 698900.