broadband checker<\/a>. Using a comparison site will allow you to filter or sort my contract length.<\/p>\nThere are 30-day contracts too but they can be more expensive.<\/p>\n
\nIs broadband our responsibility or the landlords?<\/strong><\/span>
\nIt depends where you\u2019re staying. If you\u2019re in private rented accommodation, it\u2019s your collective responsibility.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re living in private halls or other commercial buildings, it is usually the landlord that takes care of broadband and adds the cost to your rent.<\/p>\n
\nI can’t find any specific student deals, what are the alternatives?<\/strong><\/span>
\nIf you cannot find student broadband deals for your address, you have a couple of options:<\/p>\nShort term contracts<\/span><\/b> \u2013 30-day contracts don\u2019t have a fee for cancellation, but setup and running costs are usually more expensive.<\/p>\nMobile broadband<\/span><\/b> – if you have a good enough 4G or 5G signal and can get an unlimited data plan, this could work.<\/p>\n
\nWhat broadband speed do we need?<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe speed you need depends on how many of you will be using it and how you will be using it.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re connecting a large house with lots of you in it, you\u2019ll need fast broadband to keep everyone connected.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re in a flat or smaller house with just a couple of students, you don\u2019t need such fast speeds.<\/p>\n
\nWhat is a reasonable price?<\/strong><\/span>
\nA reasonable price is tough to pin down as they change all the time. The best way to come up with a reasonable price is to check what\u2019s available in your area and compare speeds, data caps and prices.<\/p>\nVery broadly, you can find plenty of fibre optic broadband deals with speeds of around 35Mb-65Mb for less than \u00a330 per month. If you want a faster connection with speeds of 100Mb+, you\u2019re probably going to be paying \u00a330+.<\/p>\n
The cheapest won\u2019t always be the best option. What you need is the cheapest broadband that offers everything you need.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be blinded by freebies either. Some broadband providers will bundle TV into broadband, which makes it harder to assess value. Others will offer gift cards, free gifts or some other incentive.<\/p>\n
Look at the deal dispassionately. Compare the price of the contract with the competition and the price of the gift card or free gift.<\/p>\n
\nIs there likely to be a setup fee?<\/strong><\/span>
\nSome broadband deals may have a set-up fee, some don\u2019t. Shop around and if your chosen deal does have a setup fee, call them and point out their closest competitor doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\nThey may waive the fee, they may not, but at least you tried!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What if the installation date isn’t for weeks after we move in?<\/strong><\/span>
\nThere will be a delay between signing the broadband contract and having it installed. That\u2019s just the way it is, unfortunately.<\/p>\nThe key is in the timing. Sign up to a broadband contract as soon as you have a firm moving in date, preferably at least 14 days beforehand. It would be better with 28 days\u2019 notice, but two weeks is better than nothing.<\/p>\n
That way, you should be able to book an engineer visit (if one is necessary) closer to moving in day.<\/p>\n
If there is going to be a delay, tether your smartphone to provide at least a basic connection while you wait.<\/p>\n
Keep an eye on your data use though!<\/p>\n
\nOur broadband needs a line installed, is that ok?<\/strong><\/span>
\nMost houses within the UK have a line already, but if yours doesn\u2019t, make sure you get permission in writing from the landlord for it.<\/p>\nBroadband installation requires a hole to be drilled into the wall and a wall box fitted inside and out.<\/p>\n
Not many landlords would make a fuss over this, but some might so it\u2019s worth getting that permission so you don\u2019t lose your deposit.<\/p>\n
\nDo I need to pass a credit check?<\/strong><\/span>
\nMost broadband contracts do require a credit check but it\u2019s more to verify your identity than your creditworthiness. Few people would ever fail a broadband credit check so you should be fine.<\/p>\n
\nWhat’s the best way to split the bill?<\/strong><\/span>
\nMost students we know split broadband the same way they split other bills. One person is responsible for paying the bill and everyone else pays them each month.<\/p>\nYou can manage this informally, as part of a contract or use one of the many bill splitting apps out there<\/a>. As long as it gets paid, how you come up with the money is up to you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We don\u2019t need to tell you how important having an internet connection is. It\u2019s on par with gas, water and electricity and is typically non-negotiable when choosing a place to live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","category-students-and-graduate-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23342"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23353,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23342\/revisions\/23353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}