Rent Guarantee Scheme

Student eligibility criteria

• You have been requested to provide a UK-based guarantor by a landlord
• You are a full time registered and enrolled (at the same time) undergraduate student (not going into first year) or postgraduate research student at Imperial College, and are full time registered throughout the term of your tenancy/licence agreement (due to application time restraints aligning with enrolment requirements, it is not yet possible to offer support to PGT students).
• You cannot find an alternative UK-based guarantor
• You have no outstanding academic or non-academic debts to the college
• You can provide a satisfactory reference from your most recent accommodation; references for college halls of residence are included in the application
• You can show that you have the funding to pay your rent (please see the 'Documentation' tab for further details)
• You haven't already signed your contract, unless you are in a contract longer than 12 months and are apply for a renewal

Property eligibility criteria

• The tenancy/licence agreement must be checked by and meet the standards of the Student Accommodation Office
• The property is not a private hall of residence
• The landlord must provide a current gas safety certificate, electrical safety certificate and HMO Licence for the property if applicable
• Your proportion of the rent on the property doesn’t exceed £275 a week. For joint or shared tenancies, the College will act as guarantor for each named student’s share of the rent up to a maximum of £275 a week each
• The college can guarantee a student for a maximum of 12 months; if the contract length is longer, the student can re-apply for the next period 

The scheme is run by the Student Accommodation Office

• Step 1: Students apply online (see 'Apply here now' tab), uploading the documentation listed
• Step 2: The student will receive response confirming if their application has been approved or if further information is required within 3-5 working days
• Step 3: Successful applicants are then asked to pay a non-refundable admin fee of £72 (including VAT)
• Step 4: Once the fee is paid, agreements will be sent to the student and to the landlord to sign and return to the Student Accommodation Office via email
• Step 5: Once returned, a counter-signed copy will be sent out to each party

• Please note that the college does not sign any external paperwork or contracts
• The guarantee is restricted to 12 months, provided the tenant remains enrolled and registered at the college
•  If the contract is longer, the student must make an application to renew their guarantor agreement prior to the guarantee expiry

You will be asked to provide at the point of application (so make sure you have the below ready before you start!) -

1. Your contract: an unsigned tenancy or licence agreement for 2024/25
2. A landlord reference for the 2023/24 academic year (if you are in college halls, we will obtain this for you)
3. If you are renewing your contract or going into the second year of your contract: either a draft renewal or the current 2 year contract
4. Financial information: you must upload at least one of the below, and the document must be in English or annotated in English

• Sponsored students: Evidence of your maintenance funding arrangements for the academic year or proof of funding from an external sponsor which covers the total amount of your rent
• Students funded by family members or guardians: a family member’s bank statements for the last 3 months showing they have sufficient funds: i.e. enough disposable income to cover your rent plus bills and living expenses
• Self-funded students: a copy of your bank statements for the last 3 months showing sufficient funds: i.e. enough disposable income to cover your rent plus bills and living expenses

Once you have the documentation from the previous tab ready, please apply here now