Signing your Tenancy Agreement

The team will arrange an appointment for you to visit the office to sign your tenancy agreement and check-in documents.

Our office is open during working hours (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) except on Bank Holidays, the Christmas closure period and over the Easter Weekend (including Maundy Thursday).

Before you can collect your keys and sign your tenancy agreement you will need to have paid your opening account in full, with your payment cleared into the University’s bank account.

Please note that if you pay by bank transfer the payment can take up to five days to clear in our account. 

The team will confirm the opening balance and payment details when your offer letter is sent out to you. 

If you need further assistance or information regarding paying your opening account, please visit the paying your rent page.

WHAT TO BRING

When signing your tenancy agreement, please bring with you: 

Proof of ID:

UK students will need to bring one of the following:

  • Birth Certificate
  • Driving Licence
  • Passport
  • University Card

If you are an international student you will need to bring your passport and visa (original documents).

 
Next step

COLLECTING YOUR KEYS

Once you have signed your tenancy agreement, if you are arriving during working hours, arrangements will be made for you to collect your keys from your site assistant, located at your accommodation.

 

Did you know?

Tenants cannot collect their keys until they have signed their tenancy agreement and paid the opening account in full, with your payment cleared into the bank, which can take up to 5 days.

 

 
Next step

ARRIVING OUT OF WORKING HOURS

If you are arriving outside working hours or outside of the scheduled weekends listed in the Signing your Tenancy Agreement section, you will need to let the team know at least 48 hours in advance so that they can ensure your paperwork is ready and your keys are in the right place. This can only be arranged once we have received the full payment of your opening account. 

You can then sign your tenancy agreement at the Old Observatory, University of Oxford, OX1 3RQ which is manned 24/7.

Your keys will either be issued by Security Services or will be available from a key safe at your accommodation site. Security Services will be happy to direct you to your accommodation.

 
Next step

INVENTORY

If you collect your keys during working hours, where possible the site assistant will:

 

  • take you to the property and complete an inventory with you to record the condition of your accommodation
  • take meter readings where applicable shortly before you arrive, you will be able to verify this with your site assistant should you wish to
  • review the inventory with you and make any corrections necessary so you can both sign the inventory
  • give you a copy of the signed inventory for your records – please make sure you keep it in a safe place for the end of the tenancy

If you collect your key outside of working hours, the site assistant will:

  • leave an inventory in your property for you to record the condition of your accommodation
  • take meter readings where applicable prior to your arrival, you will be able to verify this with your site assistant should you wish to
  • make an appointment to go through all the necessary information with you once you have had a chance to read through the inventory
  • review the inventory with you and make any corrections necessary so you can both sign the inventory
  • give you a copy of the inventory for your records – please make sure that you have read it and keep it in a safe place for the end of the tenancy

It is important that you make sure that all contents (and any damage to contents) are noted and the condition of the property is noted accurately on your inventory. At the end of your tenancy, the amount of your deposit which is refunded will depend on the condition of your property at that time.

 
Finished

Contact us


Graduate Accommodation team

+44 (0) 1865 2 80923

graduate.accommodation@admin.ox.ac.uk

Our offices are open Monday to Friday 9:00 - 17:00