What is included in the rent?
Rent includes all bills, high speed broadband and a weekly cleaner for the communal areas (you have to clean your own room and en-suites). The washing machine and tumble dryers are extra and are on coin meters.
What furniture is in the room?
We provide a bed, mattress and mattress protector, wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside table. Most rooms have the option of a desk and chair
Do you have Wifi?
Of course! We have high speed broadband because we know you can’t live without it!
Do you take couples; can I share with a friend?
Unfortunately, we do not take couples or sharers. All our rooms are double rooms, for single occupancy.
Am I allowed to bring guests?
We appreciate that you may like to have a guest to stay and we are happy to accommodate this, within reason. We tend to say that 2 nights a fortnight is acceptable, as we do not wish a house to become overcrowded.
Are children allowed in the house?
Guests under the age of 18 are not allowed in the house. The house is meant for young working professionals and we are not insured for anyone under 18.
Who lives in the house?
The majority of our housemates are young professionals aged 23 – 35. They tend to work locally in public service and management, although we do have some that commute regularly to central London. Most of our housemates are new to the area and are looking for like-minded people to socialise with.
Do you do short term lets?
We have a minimum tenancy agreement of 4 months, with most people taking the standard 6 months – but we’re hoping you’ll want to stay longer! In this way we can build up a home for people who enjoy living and working in Bicester.
What if I leave early?
We always ask for a months’ notice when you decide to leave us. If you leave within the first 6 months there is an extra 2-week payment to make.
Do I need references?
Yes, we need to take current/previous landlord and current employment references. You will be asked to complete a tenant information form- it will be sent from us directly or you will be asked to complete details with a tenant information service.
How do I take a room?
We meet all prospective housemates before we can offer you a room as we try to fit like-minded people together in a house. We will arrange to meet you at the house to show you around to see if the room suits your needs and maybe to meet a couple of the housemates if they are at home.
If it works for all of us we’ll ask you for a £200 registration fee to secure the room and we’ll stop advertising it. This fee is non–refundable if you decide not to take the room, otherwise we’ll take it off your first month’s rent when you move in.
Can I use housing benefit for the rent?
No, I’m sorry but we don’t take DSS tenants.
What do you mean by membership? Do you pay for this?
Many of our housemates don’t know anyone in the area when they take one of rooms. We’ve therefore set up a closed facebook page just for our current housemates. It means you can chat to each other, share places that you’d like to meet and socialise with a range of people across Bicester. We hope you’ll get to make lots of new friends this way.
Where the houses in relation to bus/train/shops?
You can see where all our houses are in relation to local amenities, the town centre and the train stations on the interactive map.
