When do I have to pay my rent?
You’ll find this information in your tenancy agreement, which you will have received and signed when you made the booking. The deadline for the first instalment of rent also depends on the date the booking was made, but will be mentioned in the contract. Alternatively, you can find the details of your payment plan by logging into your account on the landlord portal here.
How much is the rent?
This depends on what room you booked. You can find the price in the booking confirmation email you’ve received from Student.com, as well as from your tenancy agreement, and also in the landlord portal.
When you’re booking the room, the price is usually listed either per week (ppw) or per month (pcm). However, you may have to pay a different amount if you pay less often. In the example contract below, the rent for the whole year is paid in instalments, which means you’ll only have to make four payments during the academic year, paying one quarter of your total annual rent every time. You’ll find this information in your contract.
What is a deposit?
A deposit is a payment you make before moving into your apartment. The deposit will be held by the landlord and it will be paid back to you after you’ve moved out, assuming you didn’t cause any damage to the property. If there is any damage, or the property has not been properly cleaned before you moved out, the landlord has the right to deduct money from the deposit to cover their expenses of getting the property back to the condition it was in when you moved in.
For this reason, the deposit cannot be deducted from the rent. It’s usually held by a third-party deposit custodian to make sure the deposit is kept safe while you live in your apartment.
How should I pay the rent?
The rent is usually paid by bank transfer, but you can also pay by card. With Downing Students you can also pay by AliPay / WeChat Pay if you want.
You can find the bank details of your landlord in your tenancy agreement or the landlord portal. The rent is paid directly to the landlord, and you don’t have to pay anything to Student.com.
