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The student renting money guide
Most student money advice covers budgeting apps and meal prep. This is the other stuff: what repairs actually cost so nobody takes liberties with your deposit, who pays when the boiler dies, and the bills your household should not be paying at all.
Last checked against official sources: 22 July 2026
Is that deposit deduction fair?
Deposit deductions have to reflect what a fix genuinely costs, and normal wear and tear cannot be charged at all. Yet students are the group most likely to accept an inflated claim without arguing. So here is what the common deduction jobs actually cost, from our UK pricing data:
| Job | Real cost | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Professional end-of-tenancy clean (3-bed house) | £250 to £400 | The most common deduction. If you clean to the same standard yourself, this cannot be charged. |
| Professional oven clean | £50 to £70 | Often inflated in deduction claims. This is the real price of a single oven. |
| Carpet clean, per room | £25 to £50 | A whole 3-bed house is roughly £100 to £200, not £500. |
| Repaint one room professionally | £200 to £600 | Chargeable only for damage beyond wear and tear, and only in proportion to the marks you made. |
| Re-plaster or skim one room | £400 to £800 | Only justified for real damage, like large holes, not picture-hook marks. |
| Unblock a drain | £100 to £300 | Yours if fat or hair caused it, the landlord's if the pipework is at fault. |
| Mice or rat treatment | £100 to £300 | Usually the landlord's responsibility unless the infestation was caused by how you kept the place. |
Your deposit rights in 60 seconds
- Maximum deposit in England: five weeks' rent (for annual rents under £50,000).
- It must be protected in a government scheme (DPS, TDS or mydeposits) within 30 days, and you must be given the paperwork. No protection means the landlord can owe you compensation of one to three times the deposit.
- Deductions must be evidenced against the inventory. The dispute service is free and the landlord has to prove the claim.
- Photograph everything on the day you move in and the day you leave. Ten minutes of photos beats any argument.
Full rules: gov.uk tenancy deposit protection
Who pays when something breaks?
The landlord is legally responsible for the structure, heating and hot water, gas, electrics, water and sanitation. The Renters' Rights Act, in force since May 2026, strengthened tenants' hands further: no-fault evictions have gone, so reporting a fault can no longer quietly cost you your home. Report everything in writing, always.
| Problem | Who pays | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Boiler breaks, no heating or hot water | Landlord | Legal duty, and urgent. Report it in writing straight away. |
| Damp and mould from leaks or the building itself | Landlord | Disrepair is their duty. Condensation from never opening windows can be argued back at you, so ventilate and report early. |
| Blocked drain from fat, wipes or hair | Tenant | Caused by use, so usually yours. Prevention is free. |
| Broken window, cracked basin, damaged door | Whoever caused it | Accidental damage by you or your guests is yours. Age and rot are the landlord's. |
| Mice in the kitchen | Usually landlord | Especially if they are getting in through the building fabric. |
| Lightbulbs, smoke alarm batteries, garden upkeep | Tenant | The small stuff is normally yours; check the tenancy agreement. |
Your rights in full: Shelter housing advice and the NUS guide to the Renters' Rights Act
Bills in a student house share
Council tax: you probably owe nothing
A household where everyone is a full-time student is exempt from council tax completely. On a typical shared house that is easily £1,500 to £2,500 a year not owed. Get a student certificate from your university and send it to the council in week one. One non-student housemate loses the exemption: they become the liable one, usually with a 25% discount. Whatever you do, never ignore a council tax letter. gov.uk student council tax rules
TV licence: it depends on your contract
One joint tenancy agreement for the whole house usually means one licence covers everyone, about £15 a month split between you. Separate agreements for individual rooms can mean each room technically needs its own. Check before assuming, and remember you only need one at all if you watch live TV or BBC iPlayer.
Energy: split fairly, read the meter on day one
Photograph the meters the day you move in and the day you leave, or you risk paying for the previous tenants' usage. A typical shared house runs £120 to £160 a month for gas and electricity. Put every name on the bill so no single person carries the debt risk, and check the current price cap before believing any "great deal".
Broadband: do not sign a 24-month contract
Several providers sell 9 or 12-month student contracts timed to the academic year, which beats paying exit fees every summer. A standard share of £25 to £35 a month between four or five people is small, but a contract that outlives your tenancy is how students end up paying for a house they left.
Contents insurance: check before you buy
Many students are already covered for possessions at university under their parents' home insurance, and some halls and lettings include block cover. Check both before paying for a policy you may already have.
Student discounts for your home
For furnishing and homeware, the three schemes worth checking before any purchase are TOTUM, UNiDAYS and Student Beans. Offers change constantly, so search the retailer there before paying full price rather than trusting a list that was right last term.
Tradespeople almost never advertise student discounts, but some do offer them when asked. We now ask every tradesperson who joins Less whether they give students money off, and as that data grows we will list them here. In the meantime, it never hurts to ask, and our quote checker tells you whether any price you are given is fair.
For university money advisers, students' unions and libraries
You are welcome to link to this guide from student money and housing pages. It is free, carries no signup or commercial content, and the repair costs come from our published UK pricing data, checked quarterly. If anything here goes out of date, tell us and we will fix it within a week. Our cost of living toolkit pairs well with it.
Student Renting Money Guide, Less.co.uk: https://less.co.uk/tools/student-money-guide
Common questions
Do students pay council tax?
If everyone in the household is a full-time student, the property is exempt from council tax entirely, which is often worth well over £1,500 a year on a shared house. You may need to give the council a student certificate from your university. If one housemate is not a full-time student, the exemption is lost: that person becomes liable, usually with a 25% discount because students still do not count. Sort this in the first week of a tenancy, and never ignore a council tax letter, even if you believe you are exempt.
How much deposit can a landlord take, and how is it protected?
In England the deposit is capped at five weeks' rent for annual rents under £50,000. The landlord must put it in a government-approved protection scheme (DPS, TDS or mydeposits) within 30 days and give you the scheme paperwork. At the end of the tenancy, deductions must reflect what a fix actually costs, and normal wear and tear cannot be charged at all. If you disagree with a deduction, the scheme's dispute service is free and the landlord has to prove the claim, not the other way round.
Can my landlord charge me to repaint the whole house?
Only if you caused damage beyond normal wear and tear, and even then only in proportion. Scuffed paint after a year of normal living is wear and tear, not damage. Repainting a single room professionally costs around £200 to £600, so a claim for a whole-house repaint over some marks in one room is exactly the kind of deduction the free deposit dispute service regularly rejects. Photograph every room on day one and day last, and keep the inventory.
Who pays when something breaks in a student house?
The landlord is legally responsible for the structure and exterior, heating and hot water, gas, electrics, water and sanitation, and for damp or mould caused by disrepair. The tenant pays for damage they caused, like a drain blocked by fat or hair, or a cracked basin from impact. The Renters' Rights Act, in force since May 2026, strengthened tenants' position further. Report problems in writing as soon as they appear: it creates the paper trail that protects both your deposit and your health.