Information for parents and carers
Why choose our accommodation for your young person?
Choosing University accommodation offers several benefits that can enhance your young person’s overall University experience.
Here are some key reasons why staying on-site with us is a great choice:
- Convenience and Proximity: Living on campus means our students are close to classes, the library, and other facilities, saving them travel time and making their daily routine more manageable.
- Community and Social Life: We have a vibrant and multicultural community supported with the help of Chaplaincy, which welcomes people of all faiths and none. Our ResLife Team events also provide excellent opportunities for our students to meet new people and make friends, so that they can be a part of supportive and connected student community. The Student Union also offer a range of activities and events.
- Facilities: We offer a range of facilities onsite, including the Oriam sports centre, a doctor's surgery, a dentist and a student shop. These amenities make daily life more convenient and enjoyable..
- Safety and Security: Our SafeGuarding team are on site 24/7; 365 days a year, ensuring a safe and secure environment for our students.
- Residence Life: The ResLife manager leads a team of three ResLife assistants and ten experienced live-in wardens. They are a friendly first point of contact who are here to help ease the transition into campus life. The team also host a busy calendar of events, creating an inclusive and welcoming community on campus. We encourage all residents to come along to their events as they are a great opportunity to meet the wardens and form new friendships with fellow resident students.
- Inclusive Costs: Our rent includes heating and power, internet, assisted clean of communal areas, contents insurance and 24/7 Safeguarding making it easier for students to budget without worrying about additional bills.
You can help your young person attending one of our Open/ Offer Holder Days allowing you to all to understand our room types and what being a Heriot-Watt student can look and feel like.
Information about being a Guarantor
A rent guarantor is someone who agrees to take financial responsibility for your accommodation. This is usually a parent, guardian, or friend. If the student fails to pay their rent or other charges, the guarantor must cover the debt under a legally binding agreement.
- The guarantor must be financially able to cover all costs for the full duration of the tenancy
- This is not a credit check, and guarantors do not need to be UK‑based
- A completed guarantor form must be uploaded by all students during the application acceptance process
- Guarantors will only be contacted if payments are outstanding
- If your young person is care experienced, they may not require a guarantor, please contact halls@hw.ac.uk for further information
Managing expectations
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), educational institutions must handle student data with great care. This includes ensuring that any communication involving personal data is conducted directly with students.
We are able to discuss our accommodation in general, our contract dates and rates and how to make an application. However, the contract is between the University and the student noted on the tenancy agreement therefore we are unable to provide specific information about a student, financial information, their allocated room or any complaints without the expressed permission from our student.