Students studying at Leeds Trinity University College

 Leeds Trinity and Unipol

Unipol works in partnership with Leeds Trinity University College to offer you the best possible advice and information on finding the best accommodation for you. Whether you are a prospective student coming to Leeds for the first time or already living in Leeds and wanting to find something for next year:

Unipol is the first place to start your search

Unipol offers properties that it owns or manages for other landlords and a database packed full of quality properties from private landlords and managing agents. The Unipol website displays many different types of properties, from bedsits to self-contained flats, rooms in shared houses to rooms and studios in large developments. Unipol can offer properties close to your campus in Horsforth or properties in popular student areas, like Headingley and Hyde Park, close to transport links.

Unipol is committed not only to offer you a wide range of properties but to also offer you the highest quality of accommodation and we do this through our accreditation scheme known as the Unipol Code.

The Unipol Code

The Unipol Code covers a wide range of issues affecting a student tenancy from the tenancy agreement, to the fixtures, fittings and furnishings in the house. The Code also covers repair guidelines and there is a complaints process. Owners join the code on a voluntary basis and at least 1 in 5 of their properties are inspected before they are granted membership. A list of current members can be found here. For full details of what is in the Unipol Code, please click here. Hard copies of the Unipol Code are available from the Unipol Bureau or from your Student Union. 

Properties covered by the Unipol Code can be identified by a blue banding on their advert and the ‘thumbs up’ logo as shown. Over 80% of properties advertised on the website are covered by the Code so there is no reason why you need to go for an unaccredited property.

Areas to consider when house hunting

Horsforth

Living close to campus is the top priority for some students. Horsforth is not a traditional student area but certainly has properties available for students. It has the advantage of good local amenities and good transport routes in to the City Centre. Horsforth is a nice residential suburb and is popular with young professionals sharing houses.  Horsforth has an ever increasing number of pubs and bars, many of which can be found on Town Street. Town street hosts many independant shops, cafes and restaurants.  There is also local sports clubs including the Horsforth Harriers, several cricket clubs and football and rugby clubs. 

Leeds Trinity run a free shuttle bus for all campus users and visitors connecting the college to Horsforth train Station and the amenities of Horsforth, operating weekdays during term time. The first Shuttle Bus leaves campus at 9:15am and then every 30 minutes until 6:45pm. Details of route and timetable

Other areas to consider

If you are looking for that ‘full-on’ student experience there may be other areas that you would find more suitable. After your first year of living on campus, you shouldn’t feel that Horsforth is your only option for finding accommodation. There are other areas in Leeds that have good access links to Leeds Trinity University College, which have good local amenities and are closer to the City Centre. Below we will talk through the main areas we recommend for you to think about when looking for accommodation. 

Kirkstall

Only 3.5 miles from Horsforth and offers good links by bus to Horsforth. Unipol advertises lots of properties in Kirkstall, including some we own and manage for other landlords.

Headingley train station is quite close to some areas of Kirkstall, and it only takes 5 minutes from the station to Horsforth with the cheapest available fare being just over £1. Click here for train times

Kirkstall also has good links to the City Centre with buses running every ten minutes along Kirkstall Hill/ Burley Road and Kirkstall Road. The services that run from Kirkstall to Horsforth are 50A, 33 and 50. These journeys only take a maximum of 21 minutes. You can view the timetable and plan your journey at the following link; it provides you with a map so you can also see which bus stops are closest to your property. Click here for more information on timetables

Not only is Kirkstall great for transport links it also has great amenities. There is a large retail park which comprises of Morrisons and Boots. The Kirkstall Fields leisure park, a cinema, bowling alley, Nando’s, Frankie and Bennies, McDonalds, Virgin Active and a Chinese buffet restaurant. There are many other cafés and restaurants within Kirkstall. The Kirkstall Abbey is a spectacular site, which is home to its own café with outdoor seating area. There are many local pubs too, which run quiz nights and serve good food. Kirkstall also has its own leisure centre which is run by the Council so membership is quite cheap. For more information visit the Kirkstall Leisure Centre website.

Headingley

A very popular and vibrant student area and many of your fellow Trinity students choose Headingley for their home. It has a range of facilities and amenities including a cinema, lots of bars, pubs, restaurants and shops and hosts the Headingley cricket and rugby league grounds. Housing costs are higher than average but due to the surplus of student housing in the area students are encouraged to try and negotiate with landlords. For example: There has been an increase in the percentage of unlet bed spaces in Headingley from 23% to 27% and although this does not seem dramatic this is the largest concentration of bed spaces in Leeds.

Headingley has great links to the City Centre with buses running every few minutes from Otley Road. It has its own train station, with a direct service running to Horsforth.

The bus service that runs from Headingley to Horsforth takes 19 minutes. You can use service 97, which runs every 15 minutes. Click here for more information on travel 

Hyde Park and Burley

Both these areas are close to the City Centre and if you choose the streets quite carefully you can get a property within a short walk of Burley Park Railway station, which offers a direct service to Horsforth.

Hyde Park is the most popular student area of the moment, offering a trendy and vibrant student scene, with amenities such as a cinema that specialises in art house films; to independent vintage shops and cafes; to pubs and the Brudenell Social Club, where many of the great independent music scene bands visit. Many students from all the institutions choose to live in this area and this will certainly be a great way to meet more people. The housing choice in Hyde Park is a little less varied than some and mostly comprises terraced housing and back to back properties. Burley, not quite as trendy as Hyde Park, offers the proximity to Hyde Park and Headingley but tends to offer lower rents so would be a good choice for those on a tighter budget.

City Centre Living

Leeds City Centre has boomed over recent years and there has been a massive explosion of housing provision, A surplus of properties across the city has lead to areas such as the City Centre becoming more affordable and many more students are deciding to live there.  The City Centre is roughly divided in to 4 quarters:

The Civic Quarter is the area at the north of the city centre, home to the Leeds Magistrates and Crown Courts. Leeds Town Hall is a prominent landmark. The City Library and City Gallery are next door. Behind Leeds Town Hall is Millennium Square and Leeds Civic Hall, two other prominent Leeds landmarks. The Civic Quarter also lies in close proximity to the universities of Leeds Metropolitan University, University of Leeds and other academic institutions such as Leeds College of Art and the Park Lane and Technology campuses of Leeds City College.

The Shopping Quarter is home to many of city's largest shops. Like any major city the shopping district has major international chains, including Marks & Spencer (founded in 1894 on a small stall at the city's market), luxury stores such as Harvey Nichols and many independent shops. Off Briggate are several of Leeds' famous shopping arcades, such as the Thornton Arcade and the Victoria Quarter.

The Cultural Quarter is situated in the east of the city centre. Landmarks here include the BBC building, the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Leeds College of Music. The Cultural Quarter is also where the Royal Armouries Museum can be found and has become one of the city's major tourist attractions.

The Financial Quarter is centred around the Georgian Park Square, one of the green spaces in Leeds city centre. Leeds Law School is located at Cloth Hall Court. Major names can be found in the financial quarter such as Norwich Union and The Bank of England. Infirmary Street is a major bus interchange in the financial district. The railway station which lies on the fringes of the financial district also has a bus interchange.

For Trinity students city centre living is certainly an option as transport links are very good.   Unipol has properties in the Civic Quarter (Alexander Court), the Shopping Quarter (New York Street) and the Cultural Quarter (Mill Street). These developments are intended for students who want to be "at the heart" of a dynamic and thriving city, with restaurants, bars and city centre life all around them. Many students have part-time jobs in the city and for those who live in these developments are often just round the corner from work. For more information on these properties please click here

Unipol owned and managed properties

Unipol has many properties within its own housing portfolio available in Headingley, Hyde Park and Burley. Find out the benefits of living in a Unipol property by looking at the Unipol housing section.