iQ Elliott House,
Edinburgh

Booking and Payments

• Advance Rental Payment: When required, paying the advance rental payment secures the room and constitutes a commitment to the booking. This amount is credited towards the first rent instalment.
• Completion Deadline: The Tenancy Agreement must be finalised within seven days of either paying the advance rental payment or accepting the booking terms (if no advance rental payment is required). This timeframe may only be extended by prior mutual agreement.
• Card Fees: No additional surcharges apply to payments made with debit or credit cards.
• Key Collection: Access to the property on the move-in date is contingent upon the completion of all tenancy and guarantor documents and the payment of any rent instalments due by that time.
• Guarantor: For instalment payments, a guarantor is mandatory. The guarantor must complete their agreement and submit the required documents within 7 days of the Booking Fee payment (or the booking confirmation). Failure to do so requires payment of the full rent upfront.

Room and Tenancy Adjustments

• Downgrades: Residents may switch to a lower-priced room until July 31st preceding the start date, provided space is available. Downgrades are not permitted after this deadline.
• Upgrades and Swaps: Requests to upgrade or move to an equivalent room type are free of charge until the tenancy begins. Post-start date requests are subject to availability and review.
• Tenancy Length: Contract durations can be modified without penalty until July 31st. After this date, the term cannot be shortened, though extensions may be granted if rooms are available.

1. Cancellation by iQ (Before Tenancy / Key Collection)

iQ may cancel a booking before the tenancy starts if:

• You withdraw after the booking deadline.
• Required booking steps (application, guarantor details, or documents) are not completed in time.
• False or misleading information is provided.
• Legal restrictions apply, including Immigration Act 2014 disqualification.
• Screening checks identify sanctions or you fail to cooperate with screening requests.
• Payments due before the tenancy start date remain unpaid.
• You breach this or a previous tenancy agreement.
  
  

If cancellation results from immigration disqualification, you have no contractual liability from the cancellation date, whether the agreement was signed or not.

2. Failure to Collect Keys

If keys are not collected within two weeks of the Tenancy Start Date, iQ may cancel the booking and re-let the room. In this case, the Advance Rent Payment (ARP) is retained and any rent paid is non-refundable. This rule overrides conflicting tenancy terms.

3. Cancellation by You (Before Start Date / Key Collection)

If the agreement is not signed, cancelling after the deadline means the ARP is retained.

If the agreement is signed, cancellation is allowed before the tenancy start date or key collection only if:

• Early cancellation: before 1 August or at least 28 days before the start date (non-September tenancies) – ARP retained.
• University results: required grades are not achieved or another university is chosen – evidence within 72 hours – ARP and rent refunded.
• UK visa refusal: evidence within 72 hours – ARP and rent refunded.
• University deferral: evidence at least 1 week before the start date – rent refunded; ARP retained.

If none of the above applies, you remain liable for the full rent unless a suitable replacement tenant is accepted by iQ.

4. Replacement Tenant

For non-approved cancellation reasons (e.g., change of plans), liability ends only when a replacement tenant:

• is approved by iQ,
• signs the tenancy agreement, and
• pays the required rent.

Any overpaid rent will be refunded, and the release date confirmed by the site team. Tenancies normally start on a Saturday.

5. After Key Collection / Start Date

Early release is only possible through a tenancy takeover during the Permitted Period (from 1 month after the start date until 2 months before the end date).

Conditions:

• An approved replacement tenant is found.
• All rent arrears are cleared.
  
  

Release takes effect from the replacement tenant’s start date, with overpaid rent refunded within 28 days. Damage deductions may apply.

The above cancellation policy is a synopsis of the property’s cancellation policy. There could be a few changes incorporated from time to time. Hence, we recommend you review the full Accommodation Contract for a comprehensive understanding of their cancellation policies.