The Oaks

England, Wales and Northern Ireland generally use advance rent credited towards rent, rather than a refundable damage deposit; Scottish bookings can require a protected damage deposit, with existing deposits carried over when rebooking. The advance-rent FAQ lists named-building exemptions, including Glasgow deposits waived from 6 March 2026 and several English/Welsh advance-rent waivers. Its Belfast waiver only ran 21 July–30 September 2026 and is not assumed current. No universal amount is published. The booking terms/advance-rent FAQ say credit to the first instalment, while the rent-payment FAQ says the last: confirm the actual schedule before paying. Scottish damage deposits can have supported rent/damage/cleaning deductions and are held with MyDeposits Scotland.

Create a Student Roost account, choose the property, room, tenancy length and payment plan, provide personal details plus guarantor/emergency contact, pay any required advance rent/deposit and accept the emailed offer. Payment alone does not guarantee the booking. The offer’s acceptance deadline and pre-arrival tasks must be met. A required guarantor agreement is due within 14 days or before check-in, whichever is earlier; unpaid rent/deposit or unarranged arrival more than 14 days late can lead to cancellation with sums still due. University-booked rooms can have different dates and terms.

Student Roost offers annual, termly or monthly plans. The payment FAQ says monthly instalments cost 2% more in total than one or four payments. For new England/Wales/Northern Ireland bookings, first rent is due by 1 August if booked before then, otherwise from booking; in Scotland it is due on the tenancy’s first day. Rebooker dates vary and are in the account. Pay through the account/Open Banking or by card at reception; bank transfer requires special arrangements and rent is not automatically debited. The actual agreement schedule controls, including the unresolved first-versus-last advance-rent credit wording and any university nomination.

The guarantor FAQ asks every customer to nominate a guarantor, including those paying in full. The guarantor must be over 18, not a student, in full-time employment, and a homeowner or renting accommodation. International guarantors are accepted; a UK address is not required. They sign electronically and upload ID; a new agreement is needed for each academic-year booking. Documents are due within 14 days, with the cancellation policy also requiring completion before earlier check-in.

Official visa refusal must be evidenced and accepted; withdrawal/expiry is excluded. National/year terms differ. Main policies require pre-start evidence within four weeks; after-start rent normally runs four weeks after sufficient evidence. Check the full applicable agreement.

Use the cancellation form linked in the policy for the correct year and agreement. For 2027/28 the main section allows three days after acceptance, reducing to 24 hours for bookings on/after 1 August 2027; collecting keys ends cooling-off. For 2026/27 Scotland/Northern Ireland/Wales, the equivalent cutoff is 1 August 2026. England’s separate 2026/27 reservation and Common Law sections differ: reservation holding-payment cooling-off is three days from agreement/payment, whichever is earlier; the Common Law section reduces its decision period to 24 hours on/after 1 August 2026. Check which signed document applies. After cooling-off, rent remains due unless an evidenced criterion or approved replacement permits release. Replacement must be an eligible student, not an existing resident/booker, take the entire remaining term, complete documents/payments, and all old accounts must be settled. Takeover cutoff is 31 May 2027 for 2026/27 and 31 May 2028 for 2027/28; the policy quotes a £50 charge in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Visa refusal excludes a previously granted visa later withdrawn/expired. Current main sections require sufficient official evidence; pre-start requests need evidence within four weeks, while accepted after-start release normally takes effect four weeks after sufficient evidence. The older 2026/27 English Common Law section requires evidence with the request and has different holding-payment deductions. England Common Law study withdrawal/exclusion/refused admission or agreed illness suspension over 60 days can permit four weeks’ written notice with evidence and departure, rather than the general FAQ’s discretionary wording. For failed grades, the 2026/27 route needs absence of appropriate student status; the 2027/28 section still names 2026/27 in that clause, so next-year eligibility needs written clarification. Early exam completion alone is not a release. Refunds remain subject to properly due rent and supported deductions.