Our homes

Utilities

Gas, electricity and water: If you live in one of the bungalows you will need to pay for your heating, hot water and electricity in addition to your rent. If you live in a flat or studio you only pay for your electricity (heating and hot water are included in the rent).

You can find out more about the options for energy suppliers here.

Water is included in your rent.

Energy performance: we are required by law to have an Energy Performance Certificate for every home in the village. This tells you how efficient your home is to heat and gives an indication about the cost for heating. However, the actual cost of heating your home is dependent on how frequently you turn on the heating.

If you live in a flat or studio the heating is managed by the staff team.

You can get a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate for your home from the Nansen Village office.

Over the next 10 years we will be making improvements which will make our homes more energy efficient.

Who we house

Nansen Village welcomes people from all over the world including the United Kingdom.

We aim to maintain a thriving mixed community and try to limit the number of households from any one country to five. We also prefer to accommodate people for a minimum of one year, although, from time to time, shorter tenancies may be available.

Nansen Village exists to help provide accommodation for families and couples undertaking post-graduate studies who are on low incomes and would otherwise find it difficult to come to the United Kingdom.

Application process

We always receive more applications for accommodation than are available. Therefore, we encourage applicants to look at all housing options available to them.

The application form is available online and can be completed at any time. For applicants looking to join us between August and October we would encourage you to apply between April and May. We will assess these applications in June and July.

It is the responsibility of applicants to complete the application form and submit supporting documentation. If an application is not completed properly or the correct supporting documentation is not supplied your application for housing will not be processed.

Lettings policy

You can find our lettings policy here.

Reservation Fee and Tenant Deposit

If you are offered accommodation, you will be required to make two payments:

1. A Reservation Fee of £100, to be paid within 14 days of an offer of accommodation being made. This will be returned to you three months after the date your tenancy commences. If you choose to terminate your tenancy and you are at the village for less than three months, the Reservation Fee will not be refunded.
2. A Tenant Deposit: The amount of the Tenant Deposit will depend on the home you rent. This will be returned to you shortly after your tenancy comes to an end.

Tenancy agreement

Your Tenancy Agreement is a one-year fixed term short hold tenancy and sets out what you can expect from your landlord, Barnet Overseas Students Housing Association, which owns and runs Nansen Village, and what your landlord expects of you throughout the tenancy.

Your Tenancy Agreement is renewed annually and will be extended if you have conducted the tenancy well and you are continuing your studies. We will require evidence of your continuing studies each year.

Tenancy Agreement extensions are not usually granted beyond four years.

The Tenancy Agreement is between the person studying in the UK and the Association. We do not allow joint tenants.

Rent and what it pays for

Our main source of income are the rents received from tenants for our homes. Tenants are required to pay their rent monthly in advance on commencement of the tenancy.

Your rent pays for the maintenance and upkeep of the village (its grounds and homes), social events and activities organised by the Association or residents, staff salaries, insurances and utilities including broadband and Wi-Fi.

The Association is not-for-profit. Any surplus is invested in maintaining and improving homes for current and future residents.

Rents are reviewed each year and any changes are implemented from 1st January.

Contents insurance

During your stay your personal possessions will be covered by contents insurance. This includes portable devices such as laptops. A copy of the policy will be provided when you take up your tenancy.

Tenants’ legal protections

We want you to make the most of your time studying in the UK and know that we are a responsible landlord.

As well as your tenancy agreement, which is a legal document, you have the following protections:

Tenancy Deposit Scheme: Your deposit is protected by an independent organisation which means that whatever might happen to the Association your deposit will be returned to you. You can find out more here.

Social housing regulator: Barnet Overseas Students Housing Association is regulated by the UK Government’s Regulator of Social Housing. The Regulator sets out a range of financial, consumer and governance standards which we are required to follow.

Housing Ombudsman: The Association is also registered with the Housing Ombudsman, an independent UK Government sponsored body. The Housing Ombudsman sets standards for landlords in dealing with complaints from tenants. It also provides a dispute resolution service for when member landlords and current or past tenants are unable to resolve a dispute through the landlord’s complaints procedure.

Data Protection: We are required by law to explain how we use your data throughout your stay at Nansen Village and how we manage the data we collect. Unless required by law enforcement agencies, we will not pass your details to any third parties. You will be given a copy of our General Data Protection Policy when your tenancy starts.

Safeguarding: We recognise that it can be daunting for some people arriving in a new country and during your stay your circumstances may change. We are here to help with any concerns you have about you, your family and your neighbours and will do what we can to help. There may be certain situations where we have a duty to report any concerns to statutory bodies. Further information can be found in our Safeguarding Policy.