Accommodation for families
Moving to Leeds with your family will be an exciting time. There are a number of things you'll need to know about before you arrive.
International students with families live in different places across the city. Some live in areas where there is a high population of students. Others choose to live in areas which are popular with local families.
Leeds has a good public transport system, so you can live some distance from campus and commute. When you're looking for accommodation, it's important to think about other local services such as childcare, schools and parks, and whether the house has a garden.
Before you bring your family to Leeds
It’s important that you have permanent accommodation arranged for your family before they arrive because:
- temporary family accommodation is expensive
- it can take several weeks to find permanent accommodation
- the University does not have suitable temporary accommodation for families.
If you must bring your family to Leeds before finding permanent accommodation, there may be short-stay accommodation available in local hotels and guest houses.
If you come to Leeds on your own to look for family accommodation:
- stay in temporary single accommodation while you look for a house for your family
- don’t sign a long-term contract for a single room for yourself while you're house-hunting as you’ll be legally responsible for paying rent until the end date of the contract.
More information and advice on housing is available from the Help and Support team in Leeds University Union.
University family accommodation
The University only has limited family accommodation, so it's essential to contact the Accommodation Office as early as possible to find out about availability. You shouldn't rely on the University to provide accommodation for your family.
For more information, visit the University Accommodation website.
Private sector family accommodation
As there's often a long waiting list for University family accommodation, many families find a home in the private sector.
Unipol has information for families and an interactive search feature to help you find accommodation suitable for families.
You can also visit the Unipol Housing Hub for more details of available houses. The Housing Hub is located two minutes' walk towards town from the Parkinson Building. For more information about private accommodation, visit our where to live page.
If you're planning to live in the private sector, make sure you check whether you'll need to pay Council Tax.