House Hunting
Queen’s University's own accommodation is very popular and is our main recommendation to students. All enquires must be made directly to their Office at Elms Village.
If Queen's Accommodation becomes fully booked and/or you'd like to think about private rented housing options have a read of our Ready to Rent Guide or look at the pointers below.
Plus, make sure you follow our advice on Tenancy Contracts and Deposits before parting with any money.
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Searching for your Property or Temporary Accommodation
Our Queen's Students' Union Accommodation Forum is a Facebook group that Queen's students can use to:
- post that they're searching for private accommodation;
- post details of available rooms/houses;
- help them find housemates when moving.
To become a member of this group:- Returning students: Email SU Voice at studentvoice@qub.ac.uk (using your Queen's email account) with your name and student number.
- New students currently without QUB email access: Email SU Voice at studentvoice@qub.ac.uk with a scan or image of your Queen's University Belfast confirmation letter.
We recommend NI Student Pad, the official Northern Ireland Housing Executive student accommodation search engine, to help you search for a private rental. If you register, you can get property alerts emailed directly to you whenever accommodation becomes available that matches what you are looking for.
If you can’t find what you are looking for, give these sites a try:
www.propertypal.com
www.gumtree.com
www.spareroom.comIf you’ve found somewhere you like and want to check if it’s close to Queen’s, you can. Just enter the postcode of the University (BT7 1NF) into Google maps with the postcode of the accommodation and it will give you an indication of how long it takes to get to campus on foot and by car.
Until you find something, you can look for some temporary options like hostel, B&B and hotel accommodation at Visit Belfast or Homestay. This link provides details of hostel, B&B and hotel accommodation so you can search for something within your budget. (This is provided for your assistance and Queen’s Students’ Union does not in any way endorse or recommend any of the accommodation listed.)
- Tenancy Agreements
Don’t sign or commit yourself to anything until you have read your tenancy agreement in full and understand your rights and responsibilities. Make sure you know the length of contract you are committing to as it is likely to be for twelve months. Any tenancy agreement is legally binding and it’s rare to be permitted early release by a landlord.
Once you sign, you’re liable for the rent for the entire period and can also be held liable for rent with any ‘joint’ tenants so choose carefully who you share with if you are committing to a ‘joint’ tenancy.
If you feel there are unfair terms in your tenancy agreement you can contact the Trading Standards Agency for more advice. All tenants should be given a copy of the tenancy agreement, rent book, summary of tenancy terms and the landlords name, address and contact details.
- House of Multiple Occupation (HMO)
If you’re moving into a house that will be occupied by three or more people (who aren’t from same family), this is known as a HMO.
These properties must be registered to comply with the law and regulations to make sure that the house is safe, well managed, and meets regulations such as fire, gas, and electric safety.
You can find out if a HMO is registered by calling 03448 920900 and asking for the Belfast HMO Office. By providing them with the full address, they can check if the property is registered and for how many occupants.
If the property is not registered, think very carefully about committing to a contract.