Housing FAQ's

Am I eligible to apply for Housing?

To apply for housing you will need to have accepted your University offer by going firm with us. You can hold either a conditional or unconditional offer.

Once you’ve gone firm and will be a full-time first-year student you are eligible to apply for housing. See more information about our housing guarantee to check if it applies to you.

You are not able to apply for accommodation if Winchester is currently your insurance choice. Around results day we will update our information if accommodation is still available for you to apply for. Contact us if and when your status changes and we can let you know how to apply and what our availability is. 

Foundation Year full-time students

Housing is available for students in their Foundation Year and usually available in the subsequent the first year of their undergraduate study, provided they are enrolled as full-time students. You would need to re-apply for Housing for the subsequent first year. each academic year. 

Postgraduate full-time students

We accept applications for housing from full-time, fee-paying postgraduate students. Please do be aware that we have limited availability for Postgraduate students. We endeavour to allocate Postgraduate students together, however this may not always be possible.  

Please see our guarantee for more information.

Families and couples

We do have a few self-contained flats for students with families or in a couples. You can apply for these using the normal housing application. We will normally allocate self-contained flats to families first and then couples. We do apply a level of needs-based assessment to applications to self-contained flats. If we are not able to offer you a flat, will provide information and advice on seeking alternative accommodation. 

I have a disability. What is on offer for me?

We have a selection of residences with accessible rooms as well as adapted rooms. These may include features such as:

• Wheelchair access
• Automatic doors throughout the flat/house
• Hoists
• Height Adjustable equipment
• Deaf Alerters
• Small fridge for the storage of medicines
• Sharps box

We also have accommodation available for students who may need to be in a quieter area or residences with fewer people. 

We endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students who require extra support within their accommodation either due to a disability, long term medical condition or sensory/physical impairment. This may include making a required adaptation to a room or allocating to a particular location to help them be involved fully in University life and the student experience.

You are strongly advised to contact the Disabilities and Learning Diversity Team at the University on disability@winchester.ac.uk as well as our Housing team on housing@winchester.ac.uk so we can best assist you.

Can I view the accommodation?

Details on upcoming Open Days and Campus Tours, can be found on our Open Days page.

You can also view the accommodation remotely through the Virtual Tour.

Follow us on Instagram for content related to our student accommodation, including ‘Get to know your area’ @universityofwinchesterhousing

Can I bring a vehicle or motorcycle?

Residents are not permitted to bring vehicles on campus whilst residing in the accommodation.

Residents can bring bicycles with them and can use the bicycle storage facilities located on campus.

How do I apply?

Please see the How to Apply page for more details of the process. Remember you will only be able to apply for housing once you have accepted Winchester as your firm choice.

How are the rooms allocated?

The allocation of rooms is undertaken on a first applied first allocated basis in date order from when the application was received. We do aim to allocate students into one of their 6 preferences. However, the later you apply the less likely this will be. If we are not able to offer you one of your preferences, we will offer you the next alternative room.

We do prioritise applications from students who have additional housing requirements and who have provided supporting evidence to us.

When will I hear what room I have?

We aim to start sending room offers out from mid July and will continue to do so throughout the Summer.

We send our offers out in batches; this is to give our team a chance to respond to any queries received before sending the next batch out. Please don’t worry if you see that someone else has received their offer and you have not. If you have been receiving emails from us with updates on room offers, you will eventually receive your offer from us.

How do I accept my room offer?

You will need to make sure you have your login details from when you created your account to apply. Your username will be a personal email address and you will be able to reset your password if you have forgotten it.

Follow the instructions on the acceptance process, making sure to read through all the important Terms & Conditions related to it.

You will need to make sure you accept your licence agreement within 72 hours of receiving your offer. If you do not accept your room offer in time, we reserve the right to remove the offer. The room would then be offered to another student.

Can I change my allocation?

We are not usually able to make any adjustments to allocations before you arrive as we anticipate that all our rooms will be full.

If you would like to find out more about the accommodation you have been offered, please do get in contact with us. We know that some students may receive an offer for a room type that they were not expecting or that was not their top choice and we encourage students to wait till they get here and settle in. Many students change their mind once they are here!

Students can engage with our room transfer process once here, further details are below.

When do we move into our accommodation?

For the academic year 2024/25, arrivals to accommodation will take place on Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 September 2024.

Can I book a time to arrive?

You will be asked to select a time slot when you accept your room offer. We do limit the number of people who can arrive each hour so if you find that your preferred time is full, you will need to select an alternative time.

Can I arrive before 14 September?

Unfortunately, we are not able to move anyone into accommodation prior to 14 September.

Can I arrive after 15 September?

Whilst we encourage students to arrive over the 14 & 15 September, if you need to arrive later than this, you just need to let us know. You will be sent information on how to do this over the Summer.

Where do we collect our keys?

Full information on this & other important areas will be sent to students prior to their arrival. We will also update these FAQs to include this information.

What do I need to bring?

All on-campus study-bedrooms are furnished with a:

• Bed
• Chair
• Desk
• Wardrobe
• Bookshelf space
• Noticeboard
• Sink unit

En-Suite study rooms have their own WC, shower and sink unit.

Self-catered kitchens are fitted with:

• Electric cooker
• Microwave
• Fridge freezer
• Kettle

Catered accommodation includes use of a small kitchenette with:

• Microwave
• Fridge
• Kettle

You need to provide your own:

• Bedding including sheets, pillows, pillowcases and duvet, duvet cover or blankets
• Crockery, including cups, plates, and dishes.
• Cutlery, including forks, knives and spoons
• Pots and pans must be suitable for electric hob use (if in self-catered accommodation)
• Tea towels
• Coat hangers

Kitchens will be fitted with an oven, fridge, freezer and microwave as standard. Most will also have a kettle and toaster already in situ.

Bedding and Kitchen packs can be ordered when you make your application – details of what is included and the cost will be indicated before you make your order. If you have already applied and would like to add one of these packs to your application, please contact us.

What else should I do before I move in?

Please follow any guidance from the University about registration and complete the Online Accommodation Induction which will be sent to you by email.

Set up your payments for your accommodation via the Online Payment Portal.

Will my contents be insured?

We have partnered with student insurance provider Endsleigh to provide some cover for the contents in your room if you live in University Managed Accommodation (either on or off campus*).

You don’t need to do anything to action this cover, but we encourage you to ensure you fully understand the protection provided and check it is sufficient for your needs.

Visit Check Your Cover to:

• Check your level of cover
• Review key exclusions and limitations
• Check your policy excess
• Learn how to make a claim

Extend and personalise your cover to protect laptops, phones and other valuables.

How do I pay for my housing?

You can pay the residence fees all in one go and receive a discount off the total or set up a Recurring Card Payment to pay in three instalments which are in line with your loan payments. Set up your payments for your accommodation via the Online Payment Portal.

Where do we go if we have a query about our accommodation?

Over the Arrivals weekend, speak with one of the Housing Helpers who will assist or direct you to a member of the Housing Team.

From Monday 16 September onwards, you can visit us in St Swithuns Lodge, call us on 01962 827533 or email housing@winchester.ac.uk .We usually experience a high volume of visits, calls & emails over the first couple of weeks, please do bear with us.

We would also highly recommend that you attend one of our Housing Introductions which will be held over the 1^st 2 weeks. You will receive further information about this over the Summer.

Not all of our housemates have moved in, what happens next?

Don’t worry! Some students arrive later to their accommodation, and for some this can be a couple of weeks. If a room is completely vacant, we will use this to house either a new applicant or a student who has requested a room transfer. We do our best to provide notice of this to current residents.

Can I stay in accommodation after the end of term?

We are able to offer ‘Summer Let’s to students over the summer period. We don’t have access to all of the accommodation over this time, but students will be advised of availability when they apply.

Contact us from March onwards for further details.

How do I report a maintenance issue?

Maintenance reports need to be made via ‘Servicedesk’. This can be found on the University Intranet, either by searching ‘Servicedesk’ or by locating it within the ‘My Links’ dropdown.

How do we report an urgent issue/emergency (maintenance, welfare, lock out)?

Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm, please contact Housing on 01962 827533.

Outside of these hours, please contact Security on 01962 827666/827667.

Where can I access support on campus?

Details of who you can contact can be found on the wall planner in your accommodation. This includes information for Security, Wardens, Residential Assistants, Finance, Student Support and Success. Contact details for these teams can also be found on the Intranet.

How do I get help with internet connection?

Queries and issues related to internet connection on campus need to be reported via ‘Servicedesk’. This can be found on the University Intranet, either by searching ‘Servicedesk’ or by locating it within the ‘My Links’ dropdown.

There is also a Walk-up service for IT support in the West Downs and Martial Rose Library desks.