The University of Leicester guarantees an offer of university-managed accommodation to new first-year students who apply before 1 September in the year they start. Its published room prices vary by residence and year: Freemen’s Common lists rooms from £159 to £263 a week for 2024/25, and Stamford Houses £107 to £120 for 2025/26. De Montfort University (DMU) publishes 2026/27 rents from £95 a week in Bede Hall to £180 in a Newarke Point studio. This guide covers both universities, the guarantees, council tax, deposits and what to check before you book.
The University of Leicester prices below come from its residence pages and are labelled with the year each page states. They are not 2026/27 prices, and rents rise most years, so check the current figure on the university’s site before you apply. The DMU figures are its published 2026/27 prices.
Cost at a glance: what to add up
Before you compare the prices on this page, check what each figure actually covers:
- Rent period: per week, month or semester, and per person or per room.
- What is included: utilities, internet, contents insurance and any meal plan.
- One-off costs: deposit, application or booking fee, and any first-month payment.
- Getting to campus: travel passes, or the extra cost of living further out.
- Currency: prices here are in the local currency. Convert them at your bank’s current rate and add the transfer fee. Rates change daily, so we do not publish rupee figures.
Anything we could not confirm from an official source is flagged on this page as “could not verify”, so read those notes before you rely on a figure.
University of Leicester residences and rents
The university describes two types of residence. The Village is a self-contained student community about two miles from the main campus, with purpose-built blocks and large converted houses. The City is a mix of buildings within walking distance of campus and the city centre. Rooms range from purpose-built residences to converted Edwardian houses.
Freemen’s Common (2024/25 prices, 42-week contract)
The Freemen’s Common page lists these rooms. The university says the site is a five-minute walk or cycle from campus and a 30-minute walk, 20-minute bus ride or 10-minute cycle from the city centre.
| Room type | Per week | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Single bedroom (town house) | £159 | £6,678 |
| Single bedroom | £166 | £6,972 |
| Single en suite | £217 | £9,114 |
| Single en suite (premium) | £228 | £9,576 |
| Single studio flat | £249 | £10,458 |
| One-bedroom flat | £263 | £11,046 |
Stamford Houses (2025/26 prices, 42-week contract)
The Stamford Houses page lists the lowest University of Leicester prices I found: £107 a week for a small single room, £110 for a single room, £116 for a small single with a washbasin and £120 for a single with a washbasin, or £4,494 to £5,040 a year. The university says these houses are about a 45-minute walk, 20-minute bus ride or 20-minute cycle from campus, so factor in the commute.
Both pages mention a £250 pre-payment taken when you accept an offer, which is deducted from a rent instalment and is not a deposit. Rent includes unlimited bills and other services, according to the university.
Accommodation guarantee and how to apply
According to the university’s how to apply page, new first-year students are guaranteed an offer of university-managed accommodation if they apply before 1 September in the year they start. The same date applies to students who apply through Clearing or UCAS Extra and accept an offer of study. For Semester Two only, the deadline is mid-December.
- You can request up to six room type and location combinations.
- You can ask for a single or mixed-gender flat and add specific requirements.
- The university says it will make every effort to match your request, based on availability.
De Montfort University halls and 2026/27 rents
DMU’s prices and contract lengths page lists the 2026/27 rents below, with the operator for each hall. DMU’s own halls, Bede and New Wharf, run for 41 weeks and one day (25 September 2026 to 10 July 2027). The partner halls run for 43 weeks (25 September 2026 to 23 July 2027), so the weekly rent is not the whole comparison.
| Hall (operator) | Room type | Per week | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bede Hall (DMU) | Standard | £95.00 | £3,908.57 |
| New Wharf Hall (DMU) | Standard | £118.50 | £4,875.43 |
| Liberty Park (Unite) | Medium to extra large double en suite | £128 to £138 | £5,504 to £5,934 |
| Castle Court (Unite) | Medium to extra large double en suite | £138 to £148 | £5,934 to £6,364 |
| The Grange (Now Students) | Silver en suite | £136.50 | £5,869.50 |
| Newarke Point (Homes For Students) | Classic en suite | £142 | £6,106 |
| Newarke Point (Homes For Students) | Premium en suite | £147 | £6,321 |
| The Glassworks (Homes For Students) | Standard en suite | £165 | £7,095 |
| Newarke Point (Homes For Students) | Studio | £180 | £7,740 |
DMU lists separate contract lengths for some courses. Nursing and midwifery students in New Wharf Hall pay £118.50 a week over 44 weeks and one day (£5,230.93), and paramedicine students pay the same weekly rent over 48 weeks and one day (£5,704.93).
DMU guarantee and contract terms
- DMU’s guarantee page covers UK first-year undergraduates who receive a Clearing offer and accept it on or after 13 August 2026. It offers a room in DMU halls or with an approved private partner, subject to availability and on a first come, first served basis.
- You must book by the deadline in your offer letter. If you book directly with DMU, you pay the booking payment when reserving and confirm the room within 7 days.
- DMU does not guarantee a particular price, hall or room type.
- Per its before you book page, the contract is legally binding for the whole term. Leaving early is possible only in exceptional circumstances, and withdrawing from your course while in Bede or New Wharf triggers a termination charge equal to eight weeks’ rent.
- DMU halls need no guarantor, but private providers will ask for one, according to the prices page.
Council tax and deposits for Leicester students
Leicester City Council says halls of residence are exempt from council tax, and so is a rented or owned home occupied only by students. If a house has one non-student occupier, a discount applies instead. You must tell the council who lives there and when they moved in, and it may ask for your tenancy agreement and proof of student status. Qualifying students are full-time students on courses of at least one academic or calendar year, studying about 21 hours a week for 24 weeks.
For private lets in England, GOV.UK caps a holding deposit at one week’s rent and a tenancy deposit at five weeks’ rent where annual rent is under £50,000. A landlord must protect a deposit in a government-approved scheme. GOV.UK’s earlier tenant guidance says the cap applies to student lets, and for a joint tenancy it applies to the group’s combined weekly rent, not per person.
Private and shared options
The university also points students to privately rented accommodation. Private purpose-built blocks in the city centre and shared houses are common from second year, but I could not verify current prices for individual buildings beyond the DMU partner halls above, so compare each provider’s total cost, bills and contract length. Our guide to university halls versus private student housing explains the differences.
What to check before you book
- The current price and year for your room, since the University of Leicester pages I read are dated.
- Contract length and the total cost, not just the weekly rent. A 43-week contract costs more than a 41-week one at the same weekly rate.
- How far the residence is from your department and the bus route you would use.
- What the rent includes and when instalments are due.
- Safety basics. See our student accommodation safety guide and checklist.
For the wider costs, read our student budgeting tips. Comparing cities? See our guides to Coventry, Nottingham and Loughborough, or browse all UK city guides.
What I could not verify
I could not fetch the University of Leicester’s current 2026/27 rents, so its figures above are older. DMU’s pages give no deposit amount and no calendar date for the guarantee booking deadline. GOV.UK withdrew the tenant guidance I cited on 8 May 2026 and replaced it under the Renters’ Rights Act, so check the current guidance. I found no official Leicester student bus fare page, so I have not quoted fares.
Talk to us about your budget and city
Not sure which option suits you or your family? Send us your city, budget and room type, and we will point you to the right guide and the next steps to check. Students and parents are both welcome to ask.
Frequently asked questions
Does the University of Leicester guarantee accommodation?
Yes, to new first-year students who apply before 1 September in the year they start their degree. Check the university’s page for the exact date that applies to your intake.
How much does University of Leicester accommodation cost?
It depends on the residence. Freemen’s Common listed £159 to £263 a week for 2024/25, and Stamford Houses £107 to £120 for 2025/26, both on 42-week contracts. Those are not 2026/27 prices, so check the current figure.
What is the cheapest University of Leicester accommodation?
Of the pages I read, Stamford Houses lists the lowest rents, from £107 a week for a small single room. It is further from campus, at about a 20-minute bus ride.
Is there a deposit for Leicester halls?
The University of Leicester describes a £250 pre-payment on accepting an offer. It says this is deducted from a rent instalment and is not a deposit.
What is the cheapest De Montfort University hall?
Bede Hall is the cheapest on DMU’s 2026/27 list, at £95 a week or £3,908.57 for the 41 weeks and one day contract. New Wharf Hall, also run by DMU, is £118.50 a week.
Do students pay council tax in Leicester?
Not if everyone in the property is a full-time student, according to Leicester City Council. Halls are exempt, and you must give the council your details and proof of student status for a private house.
How much deposit can a Leicester landlord ask for?
A maximum of five weeks’ rent where annual rent is under £50,000, according to GOV.UK. A holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, and the landlord must protect your deposit in an approved scheme.
Sources
- University of Leicester: Freemen’s Common
- University of Leicester: Stamford Houses
- University of Leicester: how to apply
- DMU: prices and contract lengths 2026/27
- DMU: guaranteed accommodation
- DMU: before you book
- Leicester City Council: council tax information for students
- GOV.UK: rent payments and deposits
- GOV.UK: Tenant Fees Act 2019 tenant guidance (withdrawn 8 May 2026)
All checked 4 November 2026.
