With a large university right in the middle of town, Portsmouth is very much a student city, and sorting out where to live is the first big decision most new arrivals face. Portsmouth And has put together a plain-English guide to student accommodation here: university halls, private blocks, the best areas to rent, and what it all roughly costs.
A compact student city
The University of Portsmouth has a city-centre campus rather than an out-of-town bubble, so most halls sit close to the teaching buildings and much of the private student housing is within easy walking or cycling distance. In a city this compact, the distance from your front door to a lecture matters far less than it would in a sprawling university town, which quietly widens your options.
University halls
The university runs a good spread of halls, including Trust Hall, Bateson Hall, Harry Law Hall, Trafalgar Hall, Catherine House, Margaret Rule Hall, Greetham Street and the catered Burrell House and Rees Hall. Most are self-catered, while Burrell House and Rees Hall include meals.
The big advantage of halls is simplicity: rent is all-inclusive, covering gas, electricity, heating, water, contents insurance and Wi-Fi in a single payment, usually in instalments timed to student loan dates. Weekly rents vary by hall and room type but broadly run from around £120 to £210.
| Option | Rough weekly cost |
|---|---|
| Self-catered university hall | Around £120 to £200, bills included |
| Catered hall (Burrell, Rees) | Around £175 to £205, bills and meals included |
| Private en-suite or studio (PBSA) | Around £150 to £230 and up, bills included |
| Room in a shared house | Around £400 to £650 a month, usually plus bills |
The first-year guarantee
First-year students who firmly accept their offer by the stated deadline, and meet the conditions, are guaranteed a place in halls. That safety net is worth leaning on: it means new students do not need to rush into signing a private tenancy before they have even arrived. You apply once the halls application opens, and the current conditions and dates are set out on the university’s accommodation pages at port.ac.uk.
Private halls and renting
Beyond university halls, private providers such as Unite Students run purpose-built student blocks in the city, with sites like Greenheys offering en-suite rooms and studios, gyms and study spaces, let directly to students rather than through the university. These are typically bills-included too, and tend to sit slightly higher on price.
For second and third years, the classic route is a shared house on an assured shorthold tenancy, usually for around twelve months. These are often advertised with bills on top, so budget separately for energy, water, broadband and, where it applies, council tax, though full-time students are normally exempt once they apply for the exemption. Expect to pay a deposit, which must be held in a government-protected scheme, and to need a guarantor.
“The mistake we see every year is first-years panicking and signing a private house in October for the following year,” says a member of our team. “There is no need. Use the guarantee, settle in, and look properly in the new year.”
Which area suits you
Each student neighbourhood has its own character:
- Southsea, the most popular, close to the seafront, cafes and nightlife;
- Fratton, cheaper and handy for the centre and Fratton station;
- North End, more budget-friendly with good bus links;
- Milton, quieter and near the university’s sports site.
Getting it right
A few habits save money and stress when sorting your housing:
- apply early for halls once you firmly accept, as the best rooms go fast;
- start house-hunting for later years around January to March, not in the autumn rush;
- check the energy rating on any bills-excluded house before signing;
- confirm your deposit is in a protected scheme and that larger shared houses are properly HMO licensed.
Get those basics right and Portsmouth is an easy, affordable city to be a student in, with the sea never more than a short walk away.
