You will not need a guarantor for York St John University but you will likely be asked for one if you are signing a tenancy for accommodation in the private sector.
UK students
Most private accommodation tenancies require a UK guarantor and many students have a family member or guardian that will act as a guarantor in this instance. Students who are unable to get a guarantor due to being a care leaver, estranged from their family or come from a low-income household may be eligible to return to York St John University accommodation. We will contact all students in our accommodation when we will start to accept requests to return to our accommodation.
International students
Some private halls of residence sites will allow international guarantors but not all. If you are not be able to provide a UK guarantor then some private student accommodation will allow an up-front payment instead. Another option would be to use a company who can act as a guarantor for you.
Guarantor companies
There are companies that can act as a guarantor for you, typing student guarantor into an online search engine should bring up several of these companies and details on the services they offer. However, do some checks to make sure that these companies are genuine. We do not have any specific guarantor services we recommend but two of the most popular are Housing Hand and UK Guarantor. Please be aware that there will be a cost for these services so make sure you get a quote and to find out what payment schedules will be expected of you before making your choice.
Housing Hand Partnership
York St John University has partnered with Housing Hand who can act as a UK guarantor for our students at a discounted rate upon a successful application. This can be as much as 50% off their services,
How to apply
You must have details on the accommodation you are hoping to secure as Housing Hand will need this information as part of the application process.
You will need to provide proof of study and proof of ID
Co-signer details (options for students without a co-signer are below)
If you have all these details, then you can make an application via the Housing Hand affiliate links at the bottom of this page. Please be aware of the following;
Eligibility Checks/ID Verification
There is a free eligibility check but please be aware that there will be a small fee of £20 for Housing Hand to complete ID verification check on you and your co-signer.
Co-signer Responsibility
A co-signer must be over 18 years old and will need to be employed. Housing Hand do not do credit checks on a co-signer and they also accept co-signers from outside the UK. Although Housing Hand would only contact a co-signer as a last resort, a co-signer does have important responsibilities if there is a default on payments. We recommend that a potential co-signer views the Housing Hand Co-signer webpage and the Co-signer Terms and Conditions to fully understand their responsibilities.
What if I do not have a co-signer?
You can still use Housing Hand as a guarantor, even if you do not have a co-signer. There is a specific link for York St John University students who wish to apply for Housing Hand’s service without a co-signer but there is a difference in the discount offered.
Housing Hand Affiliate links;
Please see the affiliate links below. There is a standard link for students with a co-signer and a separate link for student without a co-signer.
Affiliate Link (Requiring a Co-signer)
Apply for Housing Hand to act as a guarantor for a student able to provide a co-signer.
Housing Hand will provide an eligible York St John University student with a price rate of 5% of annual rent when paid upfront and 5.5% of annual rent when paid in up to 12 monthly instalments, depending on length of tenancy
Affiliate Link (Without a Co-signer)
Apply for Housing Hand to act as a guarantor for a student unable to provide a co-signer.
Housing Hand will provide an eligible York St John University student with a price rate of 6% of annual rent when paid upfront and 6.5% of annual rent when paid in up to 12 monthly instalments, depending on length of tenancy.
For more information on accommodation in the private sector, please see the following knowledge articles:
KA-01020 Finding private accommodation