How to compare two student accommodation offers

Normalise the numbers

Record the rent period, number of payable weeks or months, included bills, deposit, holding payment, optional add-ons, and payment schedule. Calculate the total contract value in the property currency before comparing.

• Total rent for the full contract
• Deposit and when it is returned
• Bills included and excluded
• Payment instalments and due dates
• Any optional service or guarantor cost

Compare the exact room and building

Check whether the offer is for a studio, en-suite, non-en-suite private room, or shared room. Confirm the specific property address, room features, shared facilities, accessibility needs, and the route to your teaching campus.

Compare the exit risk

Read what happens after payment if a visa is refused, university plans change, arrival is delayed, or you want to leave early. Ask whether a replacement tenant is allowed and who remains liable while a replacement is being found.

Use a weighted decision, not one headline number

If two offers are close in price, score the factors that matter to your actual situation: campus route, contract flexibility, payment timing, room certainty, bills, guarantor requirement, and provider responsiveness. A slightly higher total can be rational if it removes a major arrival or cancellation risk; record why you made the trade-off.

• Mark each factor essential, preferred, or optional
• Separate facts from assumptions
• Record every unanswered question
• Choose the offer with the clearest written terms

A comparison table to copy

Create columns for property and address, room type, contract dates, total rent, deposit, bills, payment dates, guarantor or advance-rent requirement, cancellation rule, replacement-tenant rule, commute, and contact person. Do not compare one property’s weekly rent with another property’s monthly total. Convert both into the same contract-level view first.

Make the trade-off explicit

After filling the table, write one sentence explaining the decision: for example, “Offer B costs more but has a later start date and no guarantor fee.” If you cannot state the trade-off because key fields are blank, the offers are not ready to compare. Send the unanswered questions together and save the reply with your comparison.

• Circle missing facts
• Separate essential from nice-to-have features
• Write the reason for your choice
• Save the final offer and contract version

Recheck before the payment deadline

Prices, availability, and payment instructions can change between an initial quote and a final contract. Reconfirm the room, dates, total, recipient, and cancellation terms on the day you pay. Keep the confirmed version so your comparison remains an accurate record.

Decide what would change your choice

Write the one or two facts that would make you choose the other offer: a shorter contract, a lower upfront payment, a confirmed commute, bills included, or a clearer cancellation route. Ask those questions before the deadline rather than after paying. Keep the comparison table, written answers, and final contract together so another family member can understand the decision without reconstructing a chat history.

• Most important unknown
• Question sent to provider
• Answer and date
• Reason for final choice
• Backup offer and expiry

Score certainty separately from price

Add a certainty column to the comparison: confirmed room allocation, written bills, clear payment recipient, defined cancellation route, and a named contact. Do not award a property a high score for a feature that is only shown in a generic image or promised in a chat. A slightly more expensive offer may be the safer choice when the room, dates, and contract are documented. Mark every estimate and give it an owner and deadline for confirmation.

• Room allocation confirmed
• Bills and caps written
• Recipient verified
• Cancellation route clear
• Open question owner and deadline

Review the comparison with the person funding the move

Ask the student and parent or sponsor to review the same dated table. Confirm that everyone understands the pre-arrival cash requirement, later payment dates, guarantor or advance-rent obligations, and the largest unresolved risk. If they value different things, keep separate weights visible instead of hiding disagreement in one average. The aim is a decision the family can explain and fund, not a score that looks precise but rests on different assumptions.

Freeze the final comparison on payment day

Before authorising money, compare the signed contract, invoice, room category, dates, total amount, currency, bank account name, and cancellation terms with the comparison table. Save the final version and record what changed from the initial offer. If the provider cannot reconcile a change, ask for written clarification or a corrected contract before paying. Keep the rejected offer and the reason for choosing the final one so the decision remains auditable later.

• Final contract and invoice
• Room and dates
• Amount and currency
• Recipient account name
• Change from earlier offer
• Signed comparison version

Keep the comparison usable after booking

Save the signed contract, payment receipt, provider contact, room allocation, move-in instructions, and the final comparison in one dated folder. If a payment, room, date, or bank detail changes, update the comparison and record the written answer and date. This gives the student and family a clear reference for the next instalment, arrival handover, or cancellation question instead of relying on an old quote.

• Signed contract
• Payment receipt
• Room allocation
• Move-in instructions
• Change log and provider reply