The BU portfolio is made up of various different accommodation types, operated and delivered by BU as well as its accommodation partners.
The accommodation you have booked will dictate who you pay your rent to, how much you need to pay, when you need to pay it and if you will need a Guarantor or not. To help you understand these things, as well as how all of the rents compare with each other and what's included in what you pay, we have set out all you should need to know, including some useful information on Guarantors.
If you have any questions on any information on this page then please contact our Residential Services team on [email protected] or telephone +44 (0)1202 969696.
How much to pay
Each accommodation has different room types with various weekly costs and lengths of contracts. We recommend that when looking at the cost of each room that you look at the total annual amount you will be paying.
September 2024 entry
You can see the full breakdown of the accommodation types and room charges in our price comparison chart for 2024/25 (pdf 188kb)
January 2025 entry
You can see the full breakdown of the accommodation types and room charges in our comparison chart for January 2025 entry (pdf 116.22kb).
September 2025 entry
Rents will be published at the end of February 2025.
It’s important to make sure you are certain you’ll be joining us before you book and pay for your accommodation. If you sign the contract and pay to secure your accommodation, and then subsequently decide not to enrol at BU, you may still be held liable for the rent until a replacement can be found. Please check the accommodation contract's terms & conditions for more information.
When to pay (2024/25 academic year)
If you are paying in the standard three instalments then you will need to have paid your rent by the following dates:
- 8 October 2024
- 7 January 2025
- 8 April 2025
The above dates are for all sites in the BU portfolio other than Corfe House and Lulworth Accommodation.
If you’ll be living in Corfe House, the payment dates are:
- 1 August 2024: 5% of the total rent
- 29 September 2024
- 26 December 2024
- 8 April 2025
If you’ll be living in Lulworth Accommodation, the payment dates are:
- End of August: 4 weeks rent payable; £150 holding fee deducted from total rent owed
- 7 October 2024
- 6 January 2025
- 7 April 2025
How to pay
Rental payments for the following accommodation options are managed by BU:
- Dorchester House
- Student Village
- Unilet
- St John’s Road
Rent payments for these sites can be made via the BU Accommodation Portal or over the phone on +44 (0)1202 969696 during office hours (09:00 to 16:00 Monday to Friday).
If you are living in one of our private accommodation partner's halls of residence, listed below, they will provide you with details of how to pay your deposit and/or rent:
- Chesil House* (Campus Living Villages)
- Lyme Regis House* (Campus Living Villages)
- Okeford House* (Campus Living Villages)
- Cranborne House* (Campus Living Villages)
- Corfe House (Student Roost)
- Purbeck House (Unite)
- Bailey Point* (Yugo)
- Lulworth Accommodation* (Lulworth Student Company)
- Lansdowne Point* (Kaplan)
*For this accommodation you will also be asked to pay rent in advance of moving in. You can see the full breakdown of charges in our price comparison chart for 2024/25 (pdf 188kb).
What's included in the rent
There is a lot to think about when you move somewhere new, especially if it will be your first time living away from home. We want to make life as easy as possible for you, so we include several features in your rent, whether you are in halls of residence or Unilet, giving you one easy-to-manage payment.
Included in your rent:
- All utilities (gas, electric, water and sewerage)
- Internet / Wi-Fi
- ResLifeBU (a programme providing a safety net for welfare/wellbeing issues as well as a varied and inclusive calendar of social events/activities to help you settle in, meet other students and build a strong community throughout your stay)
- Personal possessions insurance through Endsleigh. Visit their site to check:
✔ What is covered
✔ Key exclusions and limitations
✔ Your policy excess
✔ How to make a claim, extend and personalise your cover.
It is important to find out exactly what you are covered for as you may find that the contents cover is not sufficient and you need to extend it to protect all of your possessions both inside and outside of your room.
And whilst booking your room you will also have the opportunity to book your 12-month BU bus pass worth £295.
The annual pass gives unlimited travel on all UNIBUS services (U1, U2, U3 & U4) as well as all Morebus services within their Zone A network. A network map can be found at the Morebus passenger website (pdf 352KB).
If you don't need the bus pass, you can opt out of it when before you book your accommodation, or you can cancel it within the first term (see our Academic dates webpages for details). For more information about the bus service check out the UNIBUS webpages.
Guarantors
What is a Guarantor?
A Guarantor is a person who agrees to secure or ‘guarantee’ your tenancy agreement or contract. The Guarantor effectively takes on many (or all) of the commitments of the tenancy agreement or contract. In other words, if you sign a tenancy agreement, the Guarantor will be responsible for fulfilling many of the terms of the agreement if you do not.
The main obligation that the Guarantor is taking on is rent. What this means is, if you don’t pay your rent, the Guarantor will be required to pay it. Depending on the tenancy agreement, it can also mean that the Guarantor is liable for other costs, such as damages.
Do I need a Guarantor?
It all depends on which accommodation you book. If you book a room at a site where BU is the landlord you do not need a Guarantor. If you book a room at a site where one of our accommodation partners is the landlord you will need a Guarantor. For non-UK based students, some of the partners will accept an International Guarantor. You can see the full breakdown of which accommodation requires a Guarantor and which do not in our price comparison chart for 2024/25 (pdf 188kb).
Halls of residence contract lengths (2024/25)
Bailey Point
- 42 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Chesil House
- 42 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Corfe House
- 42 weeks: 14 September 2024 to 5 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 14 September 2024 to 30 August 2025
Cranborne House
- 42 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Dorchester House
- 42 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Lansdowne Point
- 41 weeks: 14 September 2024 to 28 June 2025
- 50 weeks: 14 September 2024 to 30 August 2025
Lulworth Accommodation
- 42 weeks: 7 September 2024 to 28 June 2025
Lyme Regis House
- 42 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Okeford House
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Purbeck House
- 42 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Student Village
- 40 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 28 June 2025
- 42 weeks (Archaeological Dig): 21 September 2024 to 12 July 2025
- 50 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 6 September 2025
Unilet
- 41 weeks: 21 September 2024 to 5 July 2025