Study Abroad
Where should Nepali students live in the UK? Halls vs private housing, deposits and the Renters' Rights Act, council tax and UKVI living-funds notes for 2026.
Finding a place to live is one of the first questions Nepali families ask after they pick a UK course. Halls, private student blocks and shared houses work differently from Nepal, and England's renting rules changed on 1 May 2026. This guide covers student accommodation in the UK for Nepali students: university halls, purpose-built student housing, deposits and banned fees, council tax, and how housing links to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) maintenance funds.
All amounts are in British pounds (GBP). Rents change by city and building, so verify every figure against official sources and your university before you pay a deposit. For the money picture overall, see our cost of studying in the UK and universities in the UK guides. The visa file itself is in our UK student visa from Nepal guide.
Most international students use one of these options:
University halls of residence: rooms managed by the university, often on or next to campus, with pastoral care and a set contract. Bills are frequently included.
Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA): private student-only blocks with studios or en-suite rooms, booked with the provider rather than a resident landlord.
Private shared houses or flats: renting with other students from a private landlord. This is common after the first year.
Homestay or living as a lodger: staying with a resident family or homeowner, under different legal rules from a normal private tenancy.
First-year undergraduates often start in halls. Students on a one-year master's also often choose halls or a student block because the course is short. Later-year students more often move into a shared house once they know the city.
UCAS notes that some universities have dedicated international halls or guaranteed places for international students, but this varies, so check with the university you accept.
Halls are usually the simplest first home from Nepal. You apply through the university portal after you accept your offer (for undergraduates, often after you make that university your firm choice). Contracts often run for the academic year and may include Christmas and Easter, so check whether you will pay for weeks when you travel home. Heating, water and wifi are often included. University-managed halls often do not ask for a UK-based guarantor, but always read the booking terms and the university's own fees page. Apply early: popular September rooms fill up.
Private companies run many student-only buildings near UK campuses. These can look and feel like halls, but you are contracting with the provider, not the university.
That difference matters in England. From 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act turned most ordinary private rentals into rolling assured periodic tenancies with no fixed end date. University-owned halls already sit outside those rules. Private PBSA providers (or their managers) who belong to the government-approved ANUK/Unipol Code of Standards can also be exempt and keep offering fixed-term academic-year contracts, under The Student Accommodation (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026. Before you pay, check who manages the building and whether your contract is fixed or rolling.
If you rent from a private landlord in England, most new agreements on or after 1 May 2026 are assured periodic tenancies: they run week to week or month to month. The official Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants says a written end date no longer applies in the old way. Different rules apply if you live in student halls, are a lodger, or rent from a council or housing association.
You can end an ordinary private tenancy in England by giving 2 months' notice in writing on the rent-due day or the day before, unless you agree a shorter notice. Landlords can no longer use section 21 "no fault" evictions. If you are a student in a student house in multiple occupation (HMO), they may be able to use a specific student-HMO ground if you do not move out at the end of the academic year. Rent can rise only once a year, not in the first 12 months of a new tenancy, using Form 4A with at least 2 months' notice.
A landlord cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before you have signed. After you sign, they can ask for a maximum of 1 month's rent in advance. If several of you sign the same agreement, you are usually jointly responsible for the whole rent, not just your room's share.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own tenancy laws. If you will study in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff or Belfast, check that nation's guidance rather than assuming the English rules apply.
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 still sets what a landlord or agent in England may charge. Official guidance on fees you can charge as part of a tenancy (updated 7 July 2026) applies to assured periodic tenancies and to student accommodation.
A landlord may charge rent once you have both signed; a refundable tenancy deposit of up to 5 weeks' rent if the yearly rent is below GBP 50,000 (or up to 6 weeks' rent if yearly rent is GBP 50,000 to GBP 100,000); and a refundable holding deposit of up to 1 week's rent to reserve the property (one per tenancy, shared if several of you will sign).
The holding deposit is normally held for 15 calendar days. It must be refunded unless you fail a Right to Rent check, withdraw, stop responding, or give false or misleading information that affects your suitability. If you sign, it should be refunded or credited toward your first rent or tenancy deposit with your agreement; otherwise it should come back within 7 days. Referencing fees, admin fees and any other payment not on the permitted list are banned.
In England, a money deposit on an assured periodic tenancy (taken on or after 6 April 2007) must go into a government-approved scheme: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Official guidance says this should happen within 30 days. Ask which scheme will be used and keep the written details. Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate schemes. If you meet the agreement, do not damage the property beyond fair wear and tear, and pay your rent and bills, you should get the deposit back through the scheme.
UCAS says most private providers require a financial guarantor who lives in the UK. If you do not have someone who can do this, some companies offer a paid guarantor service. University halls are often simpler on this point.
Be careful with anyone who asks you to send several months' rent from Nepal instead of a guarantor. In England, from 1 May 2026, a landlord cannot take rent before you sign and can ask for at most one month's rent in advance afterwards. Do not treat a request for six or twelve months' rent up front as normal English practice.
Private landlords in England must also check that adult tenants have the right to rent. After your Student visa is granted you will have an eVisa; be ready to prove your status, including a share code if asked. Never pay a holding deposit or rent to someone who contacts you only on social media or through an unofficial agent without a written contract that names the building and the landlord or provider.
The money UKVI asks you to show is not the same as your actual rent, but the two connect. On the official Student visa money page (checked 8 November 2026), you generally need GBP 1,529 per month if you will study in London (the City of London and the 32 London boroughs), or GBP 1,171 per month outside London, for up to 9 months (GBP 13,761 or GBP 10,539), plus any unpaid tuition on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
You must have held the money for 28 days in a row, and the end of that period must be within 31 days of the date you apply. Nepal is not on the list of nationalities that can skip sending evidence up front, so you should expect to show the documents. See our UK student visa from Nepal and cost of studying in the UK guides for the 28-day rule, visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.
Statement of Changes HC 584 will raise these figures for applications made on or after 30 November 2026 to GBP 1,570 a month in London and GBP 1,203 outside London.
If you paid a deposit to your student sponsor for accommodation the sponsor arranged, that payment can be offset against the funds you must show, up to GBP 1,529 (or GBP 1,570 from 30 November 2026). The amount is taken from your CAS or a sponsor-issued receipt. A payment to a third-party housing provider does not count. That is why a university hall payment on your CAS can slightly lower the bank balance you need to show, while a private studio deposit usually cannot.
This visa figure is a minimum, not a promise about real rents. An education loan can sometimes be used as evidence if it meets UKVI student-loan rules. Part-time work in the UK can help after you arrive; it cannot replace the funds you must already hold when you apply.
Council tax is a local bill on most homes in Britain. Official guidance says households where everyone is a full-time student do not have to pay. If you still receive a bill, apply to your local council for an exemption.
To count as a full-time student, your course must last at least 1 year and involve at least 21 hours of study a week. If someone in your household is not a full-time student, a bill may still apply, though a discount might be available. Ask your university for a council tax student certificate and apply to the local council.
Apply for halls as soon as the university portal opens after you accept your offer, and start with the university accommodation office.
Read the contract length. A long private contract costs more than a shorter academic-year hall contract if you go home for the summer.
Budget for food, local travel, course materials and a phone plan, not only rent.
If you cannot visit, ask for a live video viewing. Ask which deposit-protection scheme will be used, and do not pay a deposit without a receipt.
Scholarships rarely cover private rent in full; see our guide to scholarships in the UK for Nepali students.
If you are choosing between the UK and New Zealand, also read our student accommodation in New Zealand guide.
In England, a tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks' rent if yearly rent is under GBP 50,000 (six weeks if yearly rent is GBP 50,000 or more). A holding deposit to reserve the property is capped at one week's rent. University halls set their own booking payments; check whether any hall payment will appear on your CAS.
Halls are usually simpler for a first stay: you apply through the university, bills are often included, and campus support is closer. A private house can be cheaper per person later, but it often needs a UK guarantor and a protected deposit.
Usually no. You can only offset a deposit paid to your student sponsor for accommodation the sponsor arranged, up to GBP 1,529 (or GBP 1,570 for applications on or after 30 November 2026), and it should be recorded on your CAS. Payments to third-party providers do not count.
If everyone in the household is a full-time student (a course of at least one year with at least 21 hours of study a week), the household should be exempt. Apply to the local council with a student certificate from your university. If you live with someone who is not a full-time student, a bill may still apply.
Everest Global Education has guided Nepali students since 2016. For the UK, we help you compare universities and intakes, plan a realistic living budget (halls versus private housing), understand how a university hall payment on your CAS interacts with UKVI maintenance funds, and prepare the student visa file. We also talk through what comes after your course, including the UK Graduate visa. We counsel from our Nepal and Australia offices only; we do not run campus housing in the UK or invent rent figures.
Kathmandu: Putalisadak, Opposite of MIT College
Pokhara: Pushpa Ratna Bhawan, Siddharthachowk-4, Pokhara 33700
Beni: New Road, Beni Bazar, Myagdi
Dhangadhi: Boradadi Road, Dhangadhi 10900
Janakpur: Girija Path, Murli Chowk, Janakpur
Perth (Australia): 102 James St, Northbridge WA 6003, Australia
Sydney (Australia): Level 1/483 Princes Highway, Rockdale NSW 2216, Australia
Share your offer or CAS, preferred city, whether you want a hall or a private room, and your family's funds timeline. We will help you map accommodation choices against UKVI maintenance funds and the rest of your study plan.
Submit an enquiry at https://everestglobaledu.com/enquiry and our team will contact you by phone or email.
Everest Global Education
Phone: +61 8 6157 0080
Email: info@everestglobal.com
Website: https://everestglobaledu.com/
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