How to find accommodation on Rightmove, Zoopla, and SpareRoom in the UK and Australia

By Muntasir Minhaz • Published May 16, 2026 • Student Life

TL;DR

Rightmove, Zoopla, and SpareRoom dominate UK student rentals. London rents average £1,211 per month while Sydney apartments rent AUD 1,770–3,300 monthly.

How to find accommodation on Rightmove, Zoopla, and SpareRoom in the UK and Australia

Finding housing on the UK platforms

Rightmove , Zoopla , and SpareRoom dominate student rentals in the UK. All three let you filter by university city, property type, and rent range.

Rightmove displays listings from estate agents and private landlords. You search by area or select from a list of over 100 universities. Once you find a property, you submit an inquiry with details about your move-in date, length of tenancy, and whether you have a guarantor. Rightmove's verification system asks for government-issued ID and performs background checks through their tenant referencing service .

Zoopla works similarly but emphasizes credit checks and employment history. Landlords use Zoopla to run credit checks and verify your income via payslips and bank statements . Reference checks from current or previous employers are standard. As of the end of 2024, all foreign nationals in the UK must now prove their right to rent using a digital eVisa, not a physical permit .

SpareRoom's UK platform contains thousands of rooms in flatshares across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow and other cities . Unlike Rightmove and Zoopla, SpareRoom emphasizes peer-to-peer connections between flatmates seeking housemates. You message the landlord or current tenants directly, negotiate terms, and arrange viewings.

Cost of student rentals in the UK

UK houses neighborhood rentals

London student rents have surged. Average weekly rents were £232 for university accommodation and up to £395 for privately rented student houses in 2024 . The average rent for a room in London from a Purpose-Built Student Accommodation provider is £13,595 annually in 2024/25, up from £11,500 in 2022/23, representing an 18% increase in two years .

Outside London, costs drop significantly. Regional variation is stark: in London, monthly rents average £1,211, far outpacing Northern Ireland, where average monthly rents are £904 .

Location Average Monthly Rent
London £1,211
Northern Ireland £904
Shared house (UK average) £395 per week

Beyond rent: UK utilities and council tax

Full-time students are exempt from council tax, but you must apply for the exemption through your local council . An entire property can be exempt if everyone living in it is a full-time student under Class N .

Utilities cost more than students expect. International students in the UK typically spend £170–240 per month on utilities, a figure that increased approximately 7% since 2024 . Breakdown for shared accommodation:

  • Gas and electricity: £40–80 per month per person
  • Water: £20–40 per month for a household
  • Internet: £20–30 per month
  • TV licence: £169.50 per year (only one household needs to pay)

UK tenant rights and deposit protection

When you sign a tenancy, your landlord must protect your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme . Key requirements:

  • Deposit protection is mandatory within 30 calendar days of receipt
  • Prescribed information must be provided within the same deadline
  • Deposits are capped at five weeks' rent (or six weeks if annual rent exceeds £50,000)
  • Disputes are resolved free through the scheme, which acts as an independent adjudicator

If a landlord fails to protect your deposit or provide required information, you can recover the full deposit plus up to three times the deposit amount in compensation .

The Renters' Rights Act 2025: What changes for students

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received royal assent on October 27, 2025, and is the biggest reform to the private rented sector since the late 1980s . The first phase takes effect on May 1, 2026 .

Three changes affect student renters directly:

  1. No-fault evictions end. Landlords can no longer use section 21 evictions to remove tenants without cause. Evictions must cite a specific reason from an enhanced menu of grounds under section 8 . Landlords are banned from evicting a tenant during the first year of a tenancy .

  2. Rent increases are capped. Landlords can raise rent only once per year, and renters can challenge unfair hikes . Landlords must stick to no more than the advertised rent price .

  3. Upfront payments are limited. Landlords can ask for no more than one month's rent upfront . It will become illegal to refuse tenants just because they receive benefits or have children .

SpareRoom and rental scams in the UK and Australia

Rental scam warning online

SpareRoom operates in both the UK and Australia, offering thousands of listings from flatmates and landlords . The platform's strength is flexibility: you negotiate directly with whoever is renting the space, avoiding agency fees.

Its weakness is vulnerability to fraud. SpareRoom warns of scammers posing as "official hosts" on other websites like Facebook housing groups, requesting deposit payment to secure a viewing . Other scams involve fake links to legitimate websites like Airbnb, directing you to pay via international bank transfer . A third type exploits holiday rental listings: scammers gain access to an empty property listed on Airbnb or similar platforms, advertise it for long-term lease, conduct in-person viewings to build trust, then take deposit and first month's rent before disappearing .

Red flags include requests for deposit or holding fees before viewing, payment by bank transfer to personal accounts rather than letting agents, rent well below market rate, inability to meet in person, early requests for copies of passport or bank statements, and overly professional photos appearing on multiple sites at different addresses.

Never pay without seeing the property in person. The golden rule is: do not hand over any money until you have viewed it and used your common sense . Research the landlord on Google or LinkedIn, ask to see their ID, and verify that the property is not listed on holiday rental sites under a different name .

Payment safety: avoid peer-to-peer methods and never pay via Western Union, MoneyGram, cryptocurrency, or gift cards . If you are ready to pay a deposit, use a credit card instead for extra protection to claim if something goes wrong .

For international students securing accommodation from overseas, have a friend, contact, or relative check the property in person .

Finding housing in Australia

Sydney Australia apartments

SpareRoom also operates in Australia and is the primary peer-to-peer accommodation platform, alongside Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace . When applying for Australian accommodation:

  • Research neighborhoods and transportation links to your institution
  • Understand your budget and hidden costs (utilities, internet, shared expenses)
  • Prepare required documents (passport, proof of enrolment, bank statements)
  • Apply early before peak intake periods
  • Ask landlords about utilities, lease terms, and house rules

The Australian market differs from the UK. There is no equivalent to Rightmove or Zoopla. Real estate agents list properties on portals like Domain.com.au and realestate.com.au , but SpareRoom remains the go-to for flatshares and single rooms. The Australian Department of Education provides guidance to assist education providers and organizations in supporting international students with accommodation .

Australian rental costs and the affordability crisis

Australian rents have accelerated. Sydney's rental vacancy rate is below 1%, with median weekly rents surpassing $750 for houses and $650 for apartments . In Sydney, the weekly rent of a one-bedroom apartment ranges from $300 to $700 as of September 2024 . Over the last five years, rents have risen by over 50 percent, while wages are stagnant and declining in real terms .

Private rental for a one-bedroom apartment ranges from AUD 1,770–3,300 per month in major metropolitan areas like Sydney and Melbourne . Shared rental accommodation costs AUD 95–215 per week .

Accommodation Type Weekly Cost Monthly Cost
Shared room AUD 95–215 per week AUD 410–930 per month
One-bedroom apartment Not typically rented weekly AUD 1,770–3,300 per month
House (Sydney median) AUD 750+ AUD 3,250+
Apartment (Sydney median) AUD 650+ AUD 2,800+

The crisis runs deeper. Australia's purpose-built student housing stock currently offers only around 90,000 beds, with approximately 134,000 student-only beds when including on-campus and college accommodation, against 1.6 million students enrolled annually . Australia is designated "severely unaffordable," while Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane are all designated "impossibly unaffordable" . Hot-bedding, where tenants share a bed in shifts to reduce costs, is becoming more common, with immigrants and international students being the most likely to live in such accommodation .

Australian rental scams and tenant protections

The low vacancy rate fuels fraud. Low vacancy rates (below 1% in Sydney and Brisbane), skyrocketing rents, and fierce competition have created ideal conditions for scammers. Scams appear on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and housing groups. Common warning signs:

  • Requests for deposit or holding fees before viewing
  • Payment requests via bank transfer to personal accounts rather than letting agents
  • Rent well below local market rates
  • Inability or unwillingness to meet in person
  • Overly professional photos appearing on multiple sites at different addresses

Properties receive dozens of applications within hours. Landlords often request multiple weeks of rent and bond upfront. Some agents encourage tenants to offer above the listed price to secure a lease..

International students face additional barriers. Overseas students' lack of "recognised rental history and credit" renders them uncompetitive in the private rental market and forces many to share bedrooms in cramped apartments . Your university may offer on-campus housing, student accommodation providers, or referrals to vetted landlords. Use these if available.

The Australian Department of Education provides guidance to supporting international students with accommodation, understanding the accommodation market, securing appropriate accommodation, and being aware of rental rights .

Application requirements across both countries

Both UK and Australian landlords require similar documents. Expect to provide:

  1. Proof of identity (passport or driver's license)
  2. Proof of income or enrolment (pay slips, employment letter, university enrolment confirmation)
  3. References (employer, previous landlord, or character reference)
  4. Bank statements showing financial stability
  5. Right to rent proof (UK eVisa or visa confirmation for Australia)

International students often struggle to provide prior rental references or credit history. For the UK, you can ask a previous landlord to confirm you paid rent on time, which may offset a low credit score . Universities often act as references or provide guarantor schemes for their international students. Ask your accommodation office whether they offer this support.

In Australia, Private Rent Assistance is financial assistance administered by each state and territory government, provided to low-income households experiencing difficulty with securing or maintaining private rental accommodation, usually as a one-off form of support such as bond loans and rental grants, but may also include ongoing rental subsidies and payment of relocation expenses .

Sources

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