“It’s definitely the best experience I could have hoped for from a landlord.”
From viewing to moving in
Seven simple steps, from finding your group to getting your keys in June. No admin fees, ever.
- GroupBefore you start
- ViewNov–Dec
- ApplyAfter viewing
- Vetting5 days
- SignDec–Jan
- Check-inBefore move-in
- Move inJune
Confirm your group size
Before you startWe let whole houses and flats to groups of 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 students. Agree who you’re living with first, then use the bedroom filter to see the homes that fit your group.
Browse and arrange viewings
November – DecemberBook a 15-minute group viewing online. You’ll get an instant confirmation telling you exactly where to meet, and a reminder the day before.
- Bring the whole group if you can. Houses go quickly in York, and you’ll need to decide together.
- Be on time. Viewings run back to back, so we can’t extend your slot if you arrive late.
- Have your phone ready. Straight after the viewing, your group leader gets an email with the link to the Expression of Interest form.
- Need to change it? Please cancel or rebook at least 24 hours before, using the link in your confirmation email.
Apply for a house
After your viewingStraight after your viewing, we email your group the Expression of Interest form. Choose a lead tenant to fill in one form for the whole group. Can’t view in person? Message us, and we may be able to send the form on request. We review applications for each house in the order we receive them. Your lead tenant gets an instant confirmation email, then our decision within one working day.
If another group is ahead of you, we tell you your place in the queue and let you know straight away if the house becomes available. No chasing, no guessing.
Apply for one house only. Groups that apply for more than one are removed from the list. There’s nothing to pay.Vetting
Within 5 daysIf your Expression of Interest is successful, each of you gets one email with everything in it. Your group then has 5 days to complete, all on your phone:
- Right to Rent: check your ID online using the link in the email.
- Proof of student status: upload your student ID card or council tax exemption certificate.
- Guarantor details: your UK guarantor fills in our short online form, using the link in the email.
- Pre-tenancy agreement: sign it online. It sets out the proposed rent, start date and the date by which we’ll both sign the tenancy.
- £100 holding deposit: pay securely with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a card. You’ll get a receipt straight away.
Your holding deposit reserves the house for your group, subject to contract, until the tenancy signing date in your pre-tenancy agreement. It is not a tenancy and it is not rent. It is never more than one week’s rent, and with your agreement your £100 counts towards your £375 security deposit. We’ll send a reminder on day 3 to anyone who hasn’t finished.
If we decide not to go ahead, or the signing date passes without the tenancy being signed through no fault of yours, we refund your holding deposit in full within 7 days. We only keep it in the cases the law allows, such as giving us false or misleading information, failing a Right to Rent check or pulling out, and we’ll tell you why in writing within 7 days.
If vetting isn’t finished within 5 days, we invite the next group on the list to complete theirs.Sign your tenancy
Late December – JanuaryOnce we’re within six months of your start date, we send your tenancy agreement for signing, together with a written notice that the house may be recovered at the end of the academic year under Ground 4A (the student lettings ground). Until then, the house is reserved for your group by your holding deposits.
Within 2 weeks of receiving it:
- Everyone in the group signs the tenancy agreement online, using the e-signing link in your email.
- Each of you pays the £275 balance of your security deposit: £375 in total, with your £100 holding deposit already counted. Pay it by bank transfer using the details in your email. It is protected with mydeposits.
- Each guarantor signs their Agreement of Guarantee online.
Under the Renters’ Rights Act, student tenancies are rolling (periodic), and a student house tenancy must be signed no more than six months before you’re entitled to move in. That’s why we wait until then to send it. We never ask for rent before your tenancy is signed.Check-in email
Before you move inA few weeks before you move in, you’ll each get an email with everything you need: your check-in time and arrangements, how and when to pay rent, and your invitation to the tenant portal. Rent is invoiced through your portal, and you’ll get a reminder before each payment is due.
Move in
JuneCollect your keys, check the inventory, and make yourselves at home. Your house has its own WhatsApp group with us for general questions, bin days and inspection times. Report anything that needs fixing through your tenant portal.
What you’re signing up to
- Deposit protected. £375 per student, protected with mydeposits within 30 days.
- All bills included, no caps. Gas, electricity, water and broadband, with no fair-usage limits. Every house has 1Gb fibre broadband and Wi-Fi mesh throughout.
- No admin fees, and no rent before the tenancy is signed. The only payment to reserve is a £100 holding deposit, which counts towards the deposit.
- Repairs handled directly. We own and manage every home, and repairs go straight to trusted trades we use every year.
Family-Run. Student-Focused. Over 20 Years in York.
For over 20 years, our family-run business has been providing student accommodation designed and located to help you thrive at University in York. Having been students ourselves, we know exactly what makes a house a home—character, convenience, and a place to connect.
We offer an exclusive portfolio of large, characterful Victorian period homes for groups of 5 to 9 people, alongside spacious flats for 2 people. Situated in York's most sought-after prime locations primarily servicing the University of York, we blend historic charm with modern conveniences to provide the ultimate balanced student lifestyle.
Character & Comfort
Our historic Victorian properties feature beautiful architectural details seamlessly upgraded with modern appliances and contemporary finishes.
Productivity & Health
Recharge on high-quality beds and protect your posture with advanced, ergonomic sit-stand desks, fully adjustable chairs, and high-speed connectivity.
Inviting Social Spaces
Cultivate lifelong friendships and unwind in our indoor living areas and thoughtfully designed, social outdoor spaces that create a true home-from-home lifestyle.
Direct to Landlord Service
Because we own and manage every single property in our portfolio, you receive a direct, consistent, and highly responsive service across your entire tenancy. Repairs go straight to trusted trades we use every year.
“You’ve been incredibly proactive and helpful throughout my tenancy and it’s clear how much effort you put into looking after your properties and tenants. It’s definitely the best experience I could have hoped for from a landlord.”
“Thank you for being such great landlords, we have absolutely loved living at Jupiter House!”
“It’s been a great house to live in, thank you very much.”
“Thanks for a great tenancy.”
“Missing 144 Lawrence Street.”
Already living with us?
Everything for your tenancy is in one place.
🔑 Your tenant portal
Log in any time to:
- Report a repair with photos, and follow it until it's fixed
- See your rent: what's due, what you've paid and your balance, with a reminder before each payment
- Download documents like your tenancy agreement and invoices
- Essential information for your house: Wi-Fi, bin days, appliance guides, meter locations and what to do in an emergency
- Check your tenancy details
- Send us a message
Please report repairs here rather than by WhatsApp, so they reach the right person straight away.
Thinking of staying another year? Each October we email every house to ask whether you're staying or moving on. Just reply using the link, and current tenants get first refusal on their house.
🔑 Log in to your tenant portal👥 Questions and house chat
For quick questions, bin days and visit reminders, message your house WhatsApp group. YorkRes will reply there. Anything formal, like notices, agreements and payments, always comes by email.
💬 Message YorkRes on WhatsAppHow we use your information
Who we are, what we collect, why we need it and the choices you have.
Effective from 12 October 2026
Who we are
York Residences™ is the trading name of 26 Barbican Road Limited, 254 Tadcaster Road, York YO24 1ES. We are the data controller for the information in this notice and are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO registration: ZB416417).
Questions about your data: email davidblackwell@yorkresidences.com, call 07887 557402 or write to the address above.
What we collect
- Viewings: your name, email address and phone number when you book.
- Applications: the group leader's contact details, the property you're applying for and the names of your group.
- Guarantors: name, address, contact details, relationship to the student and the information needed to show you can act as a UK guarantor.
- Tenants: contact details, Right to Rent documents, your tenancy and deposit records, rent payments, repair requests and messages with us.
Why we use it
- To arrange viewings, consider your application and run your tenancy. We need this to enter into and manage your contract with us.
- To meet the law, including Right to Rent checks, protecting deposits, HMO licensing and keeping tax records.
- To look after our homes and business, such as sending contractors to fix repairs, contacting a guarantor if rent goes unpaid and recovering debts. These are our legitimate interests, and we balance them against your rights.
We don't sell your data or use it for marketing.
Who we share it with
Only when we need to:
- mydeposits, our deposit protection scheme
- City of York Council, for HMO licensing and council tax
- Contractors carrying out repairs at your home (name and phone number only)
- Your joint tenants and, where relevant, your guarantor
- Referencing and Right to Rent checking services
- Stripe, which processes holding deposit payments (we never see your full card details)
- Signable, our e-signature service, when you sign agreements online
- Debt recovery or tracing agents, if money is owed
- The companies that run our booking, forms, email and tenant portal systems, under contract and only on our instructions
Some of these providers, such as Microsoft, may store data outside the UK. When they do, they use legal safeguards approved in the UK.
How long we keep it
- Viewing bookings and applications that don't go ahead: 12 months.
- Tenancy and guarantor records: 6 years after the tenancy ends, so we can deal with any claims and meet tax rules.
- Right to Rent copies: for the tenancy and 1 year after it ends, as the law requires.
Your rights
You can ask us to:
- give you a copy of the data we hold about you
- correct anything that's wrong
- delete your data, or limit how we use it, where we don't need to keep it
- stop using it for our legitimate interests (you can object)
- send your data to you or another organisation in a reusable format
We'll reply within one month. There's no charge.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Keeping it safe
Your information is held in secure, password-protected systems, and only people who need it can see it.
Changes
If we change this notice in a way that affects you, we'll email you or update this page.
Talk to the family that owns your home
Book a viewing, ask about a property or check availability for your group.
📝 Apply for a house
Straight after your viewing, we email your group leader our Expression of Interest form to apply for the whole group. We'll contact you about ID checks and guarantors if you're first in line. Can’t view in person? Message us, and we may be able to send the form on request.
✉️ Email
For anything formal: applications, agreements, deposits and rent. We reply the same working day.
hello@yorkresidences.comHow we keep in touch
Anything formal comes by email, so you always have a record. We’ll often follow up on WhatsApp so you don’t miss it.
✉️ Email
Formal and on record
- Your application, vetting links and receipts
- Tenancy agreements and guarantees to sign
- Notices and visit notices
- Deposits, rent and payments
- Messages to guarantors and parents
Quick and friendly
- Quick questions and replies
- Viewing-day help
- Reminders, such as “check your email to sign”
- Your house group: bin days and updates