STUDENTS across Oxford are being told to decide whether they want to stay in their rented houses almost 11 months before their new tenancy would begin.

Lettings agent Martin & Co has sent out an email to all its student tenants asking if they want to stay on in their homes from September 2015 – just seven weeks after they moved in.

If they do, they will have to sign a new contract and pay a £95 fee to renew the contract.

Martin & Co’s lettings manager Richard Goodwin said that the window for student lets is November to March and since the 2015/16 student let property list went live on its website yesterday there have been 39 enquiries.

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He said: “A conventional renewal would normally happen two or three months before the contract’s end date.

“It’s just an earlier conversation.

“Current tenants have to be the first to be considered but we ask that a decision is made quite quickly. We can’t have it dragging.

“It’s all well and good a tenant telling you they are staying but until you have a signed contract, you have nothing.”

Rollo Hovey, who graduated from Oxford Brookes University in the summer, said: “I was asked by my estate agents in November when I lived in Oxford.

“I think it’s ridiculous students have to start looking for homes so early.

“First years have to decide who they want to live with when they’ve only known people for five weeks. People got into such a panic and fluster about it when there’s no need.”

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