At the Accommodation Service we help current members of the University and certain affiliated institutions to find a property and settle into life in Cambridge. We provide access to a wide range of accommodation.
Register to find a home with us
To join the University accommodation waiting list and to view our directory of private accommodation, you will first need to tell us more about yourself and what you're looking for.
Who is eligible to use the University Accommodation Service?
All current members of University staff on contracts of employment over 18 Hours per week for a minimum period of 12 months still remaining, full time postgraduate students and visiting scholars to the University are eligible to use our Service, subject to the more detailed criteria below. The initial registration, once approved, enables applicants to search for a home via our database of private properties and rooms.
Please do note that if, during the course of a tenancy in University-owned Accommodation, the tenant ceases to be employed by or study at the University, then they also cease to be eligible for that tenancy, under the terms of their Tenancy Agreement, and will be provided where possible with assistance in seeking alternative housing in the private sector.
Anyone who has lived in Cambridge (and area) for more than two years will not be eligible to apply for University-owned accommodation but may still look at our private listings.
Private properties
Privately-owned properties and rooms are advertised through the Accommodation Service. The University accepts no responsibility or liability for the advertised details, nor for any communication and agreement arranged between the applicant/ tenant and the landlord. Therefore, all applicants are advised to view the property for themselves, and to understand the terms and conditions of letting, before agreeing to any rental arrangement or signing any agreement.
Register
University-Owned Accommodation
The purpose of University residential properties is to support new members when they first arrive in Cambridge, to have a home for an initial period whilst familiarising themselves with the University and City, and have time in which to seek alternative, longer term accommodation. Any offer of University accommodation is based on employment, and being in the early part of your career in Cambridge. This means that if you have lived in Cambridge for more than 2-3 years, you are very unlikely to be offered a property.
Who is eligible to apply for a University-owned property (all of which are self-contained apartments and houses)?
If you would like to be considered for a University property, there are specific eligibility criteria.
To qualify for University Accommodation, applicants must be a qualifying part-time or full time member of staff employed by the University of Cambridge or a full-time Postgraduate student at the University of Cambridge. Applicants must have a contract of employment for a minimum of 12 months from the point of offer of a property. Students and Visiting Scholars are not eligible to live at Eddington KeyWorker Housing. Those who live in, or within commuting distance of, Cambridge will not be eligible for University-owned accommodation.
Applicants may be eligible for up to five years to live in any University property. There is no further eligibility to apply to change or transfer to other University-owned properties or to re-apply, having lived in a University-owned property previously.
Please note: The service for affiliated institutions is unavailable until further notice. Until notified otherwise, we are not able to house members of the following institutions in University-owned accommodation.
• Babraham Institute
• British Antarctic Survey
• EBI – European Bioinformatics Institute (Hinxton)
• MRC – Medical Research Council
• Sanger Institute
• Wellcome Trust
• University of Cambridge Primary School
Visiting Scholars and Postgraduate Students - eligibility:
Visiting Scholars and University postgraduate students applying to rent a University-owned residential property are eligible for some sites but NOT for the Keyworker Housing at Eddington. There is some accommodation at Eddington which is available at market rent for which Visiting Scholars and Postgraduate students can apply, subject to availability. We can also assist if you wish to search the private rental sector. If you are a student and also hold a University contract of employment you may apply for properties but you are not eligible for Keyworker Housing.
Conditions of employment or study:
Members of staff must have a contract of employment:
• at least 18 hours per week
• An employment contract length of AT LEAST 12 months remaining at the time an offer of a tenancy is made.
Postgraduate Students, in order to be eligible for non-Keyworker accommodation, must be actively registered on a current course or have the confirmed offer on a course about to commence. Postgraduate students who are in the process of writing up a thesis may not be considered eligible. Intermitting students will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
There are specific clauses set down in planning conditions at Eddington which mean that the eligibility criteria are slightly different. More information about eligibility at Eddington is available in the Frequently Asked Questions.
Applicants wishing to share University-owned accommodation: PLEASE NOTE that, until further notice, this policy has been SUSPENDED and it is not possible to request a sharing arrangement with another person. If a single applicant selects a two-bedroom property intending to make a sharing arrangement then their application will be adjusted for single-bedroom properties only. If they subsequently readjust to include two-bedroom properties and receive an offer, any such offer may then be withdrawn without further notice, and no permission will be granted for sharing.
NO SUB-LETTING is permitted at any time in University residences.
How are applications prioritised?
Priority is automatically assessed by our IT system and is based on the information that you provide in your application. It is assessed against others who are also applying at the time of application and allocation.
Priority is allocated based primarily on two criteria:
A) First priority is given to people who are new to the UK and who are not familiar with the City, the availability, location and types of accommodation and the associated costs. Priority is allocated as follows:
1. Hard to fill post - Allocated only by University HR and senior officers
2. New staff/student (less than 4 months) coming from overseas
3. New staff/student(less than 4 months), coming from the UK (outside of Cambridge)
4. New staff/student (less than 4 months) with prior knowledge of Cambridge, coming from Overseas
5. New staff/student (less than 4 months) with prior knowledge of Cambridge, coming from
the UK (outside of Cambridge)
6. New staff /student (less than 4 months) coming from the Cambridge area
7. University staff member or postgraduate students who have been in Cambridge more than 4 months
8. Applicant working for an approved affiliated organisation
B) Within this prioritisation there is a sub-set which is related to the applicant’s status
1) Category A - Staff
2) Category B - Visiting Scholar
3) Category C - Students (generally only for postgraduate students; undergraduates are supported by their College. There are some rare exceptions to this in particular circumstances)
This means that a member of staff will have a higher priority than a visiting scholar or student. Those not employed on a University contract of employment will have a lower priority.
When you apply, you are given a priority status. eg: 2A would be for a member of staff originating from overseas and who is new to Cambridge (less than 4 months).
More information is located at University accommodation FAQs
Please note that University accommodation is available to rent for up to a maximum period of five years. Tenancies are generally offered, provided that the tenant remains eligible and has complied satisfactorily with the terms of the tenancy. The University reserves the right to review any tenancy at any point during the five year period.
Tenants who have lived in one University property and have vacated will not normally be eligible to apply again for another University property.
Right to Rent
You must prove your right to stay in the UK before moving into any property. Your landlord, whether the University or in the private sector, will ask to see and take a copy of the passport, BRP, Sharecode (or other relevant documents) of all adults in your household. For more on this, and other useful information, see How to Rent. For all tenants and any adult residing in a University property, valid evidence of Right to Rent information must be supplied prior to the start of a tenancy and at any tenancy renewal, or expiry of origial evidence.
Move in dates and inspections
Please be advised that All check-in appointments, which are compulsory, are carried out Monday to Friday during business hours. If you choose to arrive after the start date of your tenancy, the same conditions apply.
Inspections and property checks are normally carried out during business hours, but an out of hours inspection may be required in urgent situations.
Tenants wishing to leave their tenancy must give a minimum of two full calendar months' notice of departure. This notice is only effective from the next rent period, ie the first of the month, and will expire at the end of the following month.
You should expect to remain responsible for the rent, bills and Council Tax for at least two months from the date you provide notice until the end of the next rent period (the last day of the month). If you wish to leave earlier within this notice period, you will still remain liable for all rent, utility bills and the council tax until the last agreed and confirmed date of the tenancy.
Tenants planning to buy a property:
When buying a property, exchange of contracts and completion can take a very long, and indeterminate time. In many instances there may be only a few days’ notice (or even less) of the key handover date. We are NOT able to accept any notice without a fixed date when you will move out. If you provide such notice and provide a specific date to which we agree, and are then not able to move out on that date, you will have to vacate and arrange your own alternative / temporary accommodation elsewhere.
5th Year of Tenancy
If you are in the fifth and final year of your tenancy, you should give at least two months’ notice to terminate at the end of the rent period, with an agreed move-out date being confirmed and adhered to, If you have less than two months remaining of your tenancy we will not agree to end the tenancy early.
Employment contract
If your employment contract with the University or College ends, you must notify the Service, and you will be asked to vacate your University property with two months' notice.
