Landlords and homestay hosts
Become an accredited landlord with us and we’ll help you fill your rooms.
Landlords can apply to join the Landlord Accreditation Scheme, which was designed by Chichester and Arun District Councils to give professional, reliable landlords the credit they deserve. As part of the scheme, landlord properties can benefit from free website advertising on the council website.
We only advertise accredited properties on the university accommodation website.
Alternatively, students can choose a Homestay option where they can live and eat as part of a family, or live in a private home, where they rent a private room and share other facilities, like the kitchen and bathroom, with their landlord.
Become a homestay host
Open your home to a student
A host family is at the heart of the homestay experience. Homestay is more than just renting out a spare room. Hosts open their homes to students from around the world and welcome them into their family. The most important part of being a host is the ability to provide a supportive, welcoming and caring environment.
When students and teachers stay in the UK they wish to experience our traditions, values and culture while improving their English speaking skills. Our Homestay guests are mainly teaching students or academics working within the education sector who have come to Chichester to take part in a short course. You can help and support a student develop their confidence and language abilities while they study with us.
Interested in becoming a host? You will need to provide:
- A spare bedroom with storage
- Desk space or access to a quiet area
- Meals at home throughout the week
- Shared common living spaces such as your kitchen and living room.
We are always looking for welcoming people living in Bognor Regis including Aldwick, Pagham, Felpham and Middleton, to provide accommodation for students and teachers at different points over the year. You don’t have to be a typical family with children, you could be a widow, a single person, a young couple or an older couple whose children have left home.
Hosts earn £140 per week to cover the cost of accommodating a student whose stay can range from one to eight weeks throughout the year – the busiest time of year being over June, July and August.
Information booklet
Read our information for host families to find out more about what you becoming a Homestay host.
Apply to become a host
To apply to be a host please email homestay@chi.ac.uk or call 01243 812120 to request an application pack.
Homestay landlords are resident landlords, sometimes with children, who offer accommodation inclusive of meals and the opportunity to live as part of their family. No more than two students can stay with a host at any one time. It is a very popular option with students who are not residents in the UK and/or who may be looking to improve their English language skills.
Private home accommodation means living in somebody’s home but on a more independent basis – under a self-catering arrangement (where you would be given access to the kitchen to prepare your own meals). If you have three or more rooms to let to students you will be required to comply with the local authority accreditation scheme.
There is no such thing as a typical resident landlord. Some are young professionals or recent graduates, others are middle aged couples and some are retired.
Although most students’ first preference would probably be to share with other students, it is worth considering the advantages of this arrangement as well as its disadvantages.
The advantages include:
- Good availability.
- The rent is generally cheaper (although this is not always the case) and bills are often included in the rent.
- Owner occupied properties are generally kept in better repair than rented properties.
- You do not have to commit yourself to a contract. Generally if you pay weekly or monthly you would need to give that amount of notice, this means if it’s not working, you can end the arrangement fairly painlessly.
- All homes are visited every two years by a representative from the university’s accommodation office.
The disadvantages are:
- It’s not your home and if you fall out with your landlord/landlady, you will usually have no option but to find somewhere else to live.
- You will often have less freedom to bring friends or guests home and this may leave you feeling isolated.
- You are living by someone else’s house rules.
Always insist on having a rent book that both parties sign each time money changes hands, so that payment of rent is recorded. If you pay weekly you should give your host a week’s notice if you wish to leave. If you pay monthly, when terminating your contract, you should give your host a month’s notice. We therefore recommend that you pay weekly until you are settled and happy. Under no circumstances should you pay a whole semester’s rent in advance unless you are certain you want to stay. Refunds are often hard to obtain. Occasionally you may be asked to pay a deposit when renting a room and many hosts will require a retainer fee or full rental fee if you are away on holiday but still wish to retain the room.
Please be aware that the University of Chichester will hold personal data (e.g. address, contact information) of all hosts who provide accommodation to our international students.
This information will only be accessible to selected staff in the Accommodation Office and the International Short Programme Unit (ISPU) for internal purposes only in accordance with our Homestay Host (Landlord) Policy. You are able to view our Homestay Host (Landlord) Privacy Notice here.
Shared student housing
Information for landlords
The accreditation scheme for landlords has been designed by Chichester and Arun District Councils to give professional, reliable landlords the credit they deserve, and to distinguish their properties from the rest.
Only accredited houses are being marketed by the accommodation office, and as well as having a market advantage, accredited landlords who join the local authority accreditation scheme can make full use of our standard tenancy documentation and support.
Accommodation office services
The accommodation office provides a web based advertising service used by over 3,000 students looking for private-rented accommodation each year. Most students use our facilities as their first point of contact. To advertise with us, all properties must be accredited. Our office is open daily and we are pleased to answer queries from existing or potential landlords. We advertise details of your accommodation to students who will contact you to arrange a viewing. Students will make all arrangements with you.
Can I be part of the accreditation scheme?
If you are a landlord wishing to rent to students, you are required to accredit your rental properties with the local authority, if you wish to advertise your property through the University. For further details about the scheme, please visit the Landlord Accreditation Scheme on the CDC website.
The University is always looking for good quality furnished self-contained flats and houses.
What are the benefits of registering my property with the University?
The accreditation scheme gives professional, reliable landlords credit and gives them a market advantage by distinguishing their properties from the rest.
University registered landlords will benefit from:
- Sample tenancy documentation
- Regular updates on best practice and the legal aspects of letting
- Answers to FAQs with hints and tips
- Support from experienced landlord mentors
- Regular landlord evenings, providing you the opportunity to meet with other ‘student’ landlords – the sharing of experience, knowledge and ideas
- Support and guidance from the University.
All houses in multiple occupation (HMO) properties must adhere to all the safety regulations laid out in Chichester and Arun District Councils’ guidelines.
Landlords are required to register on an annual basis. Invitations to re-register are sent out during the month of December. At this stage, you will also be invited to confirm your marketing requirements for the forthcoming academic year. Please ensure you comply with the registration deadline (a date in January) so we have sufficient opportunity to update your property profile on the website in readiness of our annual Housing Fair which takes place in early February.
Demand then continues on a regular basis until late August (for the start of the new academic year), so please don’t hesitate to advertise your property with us whenever convenient over this period.
Landlords must provide full details of their properties, including photographs together with valid safety certificates. Students will then contact you directly to arrange a viewing of the property.
Once you have secured a letting, please contact the accommodation office as soon as possible so that we can remove your details from view and prevent unnecessary calls from other students. Please telephone 01243 812120 or email us accommodation@chi.ac.uk.