Northumbria’s Students’ Union saves £100k for house hunters

A free service for Northumbria University’s students has helped save £100,000 since trading began.

NU:Lets is a dedicated letting agency for the University’s students, launched by Northumbria’s Students’ Union.

Offering a completely free service to students, NU:Lets guarantees no agency fees, which typically cost an average of £150 every time a tenancy agreement is begun. The free service was developed to ensure that Northumbria students get a fair deal when finding somewhere to live in Newcastle and has recently hit an impressive milestone, having saved students more than £100,000 since it launched in 2012.

Cat Maxey, who is currently in her first year at Northumbria studying Business and HR, is one of the many students who have benefited from the service. She said: “We found out about NU:Lets by chance when we came into the Students’ Union. We’ve now found a really nice place to live in Heaton next year and we didn’t have to pay any admin fees, which is a huge bonus.”

Set up at the university, which has the sixth highest student population in the UK, NU:Lets is dedicated in ensuring that all students have direct access to the service. Operating within the Students’ Union, NU:Lets is a not-for-profit organisation, which offers both students and landlords a fair deal.

Students’ Union President, Natalie-Dawn Hodgson said: “For many students who come to university from different parts of the country or abroad, the transition from halls to houses is a daunting one, often made more difficult by the fees that traditional letting agencies charge.

“Even for our students in later years, the choice of high street letting agents can be overwhelming and it’s difficult to know who to trust.

“NU:Lets has removed all fees as well as offering a trustworthy and quality service which has been officially approved by the University – which goes down very well with students and with their parents.

“We’re delighted to have hit the £100,000-saved mark and we’re looking forward to continued savings for students while delivering a top quality service.”

The Lloyd's Bank University Quality of Student Life Survey recently named Northumbria as having the lowest cost institution owned or sponsored accommodation for students, with the Students’ Union aiming to continue to save students money throughout the transition from halls to houses.

Manager at NU:Lets, Andrew Hartley, said: “We offer a professional service with experienced staff and because we work from within the Students’ Union we’re in touch with the needs of today’s student body.

“We offer a quality product that has the students’ best interests at heart and hitting a milestone like this is extremely encouraging for our future as an agency.”

To find out more about the accommodation we provide, register for Northumbria’s Open Days on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June at www.northumbria.ac.uk/openday