Deloitte has launched a new housing initiative to help graduate employees find suitable accommodation in the capital.
The organisation, which employs 14,000 staff in the UK and recruits around 1,000 graduates a year, is introducing the scheme to improve the experience of graduates who struggle to find affordable accommodation in London.
Its implementation follows a survey completed by Deloitte’s 2014 graduate intake, which found that 86% of respondents would like the employer to support them in finding suitable shared accommodation.
The new scheme, delivered in partnership with Get Living London, offers graduates taking up a role at Deloitte the option of a newly furnished two or three bedroom apartment exempt from credit checks.
Graduates will receive two weeks of rent-free accommodation, the chance to reserve property up to six weeks in advance, as well as free broadband.
It will be accompanied by a range of events and social media forums designed to help those taking part in the initiative to find flatmates and get to know each other ahead of their start date at Deloitte.
More than 40 graduates in the firm’s 2015 intake are taking up the benefit. They are currently preparing to move into apartments in East Village, the former Athletes’ Village near Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
James Ferguson, partner at Deloitte UK, said: “London has an image problem as a place where affordable accommodation is hard to find. Initiatives like this seek to address the problem to ensure London remains an attractive destination for the best and brightest.
“Deloitte is one of the largest employers of graduates in the UK, recruiting more than 1,000 each year with the majority working in our London offices. With so many young people arriving in London to work for our firm, we feel it is the right thing to do to provide more support.
“We believe this initiative will have a positive impact on our graduates’ experience of joining the firm, helping to turn the process of moving to the capital from a daunting to an exciting prospect.”