Finding Accommodation

There are thousands of bedspaces available to rent privately and near to the University’s sites – either by walking, cycling or public transport. You can search in different ways to find student accommodation.

Types of student accommodation

For those renting student-specific accommodation in and around the city centre, there are two main types of accommodation:

• Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSAs) – these are larger buildings which house circa 100 or more bedrooms. Overall Durham city has 13 PBSA sites with 3078 bedspaces between them. Typically they have services on site, a variety of study and social spaces and rents include all bills. Rooms will typically be let on an individual basis, and room types are usually studio, or ensuite study bedrooms with shared living facilities (cooking / dining / living areas). Most of the time you are there all your neighbours will be students however it is worth noting this may not be the case all year round.

• Student Lets / Private Rented Sector Housing – there are around 2,530 private properties in the DH1 postcode area (Durham city and surrounding neighbourhoods) which are available to let to students. The most common type is in HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation), where 3 or more tenants will have a joint tenancy in what is commonly referred to as a ‘house share’. These have 3 or more bedrooms and usually share bathroom(s), living, kitchen and dining spaces. Some have outdoor spaces such as gardens or yards, driveways, garages etc. Even in areas with a dense student population you will still live alongside permanent city residents as part of the wider community.

In person

There are restrictions on advertising boards in the city centre, so instead many landlords and agents will display a ‘window cling’ sticker identifying the property as a student let. Many letting agents also have city centre offices and may have lists to view either in their office, or to take away.

Some students decide to door knock in person in areas where they specifically want to live. We discourage this practice because it is not respectful of the right of non-student residents to peaceful enjoyment of their home. It is not always possible to tell if a house is or is not a student let.

Online

Many letting agents, and some landlords, have websites and / or social media feeds, and may also use one or more third-party search platforms to advertise their available properties.

If you’re looking for other people to share with then the Durham Uni Find a Housemate platform is a great place to go. You can find tenancy take-overs (for example from students going on a placement year), single rooms available in larger houses, small groups who want to make a bigger group, and more. It is operated, monitored and moderated by Durham Students Union.

Specific search engines exist to find ‘roommates’, but there can be costs associated with these and you should make your own checks as to what these might be.

Want to know how many other students live where you’re looking? This map will give you an idea of this - the darker the shading, the higher the percentage of students in the postcode.