Moving out of your home for the first time can be a really daunting and intimidating process for new students at university. But, if you’ve done your research and sort out your accommodation early on, you’ll find that the experience for finding somewhere to live for university is much less stressful than you think.
There are several student accommodation options to choose from, so if you’re looking for the perfect room in university halls of residence or private houses, then you must check out our 6 quick tips:
1. House hunt in advance
As the saying goes; the early bird catches the worm.
If you’re hoping to find the perfect student accommodation for next year, then it’s vital that you beat the manic January rush and search for student houses within the first couple months of university.
We’ve analysed thousands of properties advertised on StudentTenant.com, and we have found that 80% of the best student properties are booked between December through to February. If you’re hoping to beat the mad rush for student accommodation and ensure that you’ve secured the perfect student property, it’s really important to start looking within the first couple months of university.
Tip! Be prepared to book a room quickly as you wouldn’t want to miss out on a brilliant house just because you’re not 100% sure.
2. Choose the right area
If Channel 4 has taught us anything, it’s location, location, location.
Carefully choosing a student property not only will save you time travelling to and from university, it will also ensure that you’re living close to food shops and student populated areas.
There’s plenty of things you should consider when choosing which location you’d like to live in:
Find out how close you will live to bus stops, doctors, and your university campus.
Distance to supermarkets or food shops; you don’t want to be carrying heavy shopping bags for miles and miles.
Are you one for activities and nightlife? Consider travel to and from events, at any time of the day (including late nights!)
Finally, consider whether you want to live in a student heavy area. Usually, students will choose to live in a livelier location over a student home; so make sure you’re certain that’s what you want.
3. Shop Around
You may not be particularly picky, but if you think that you’ve found ‘the one’, make sure you shop around for other student houses and have some comparisons before booking. That way, you can get a better understanding of the market and find out what you do like and don’t like before making a decision.
On StudentTenant.com, you are able to filter your search results to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Prioritise what’s most important to you and use it to form your student property search; are you cost-conscious looking for a low rent, reluctant to get on the bus and want to live as close the university campus as possible, or a party animal who needs to live near the nightlife?
4. View the Property
Even if you’ve searched for weeks and weeks, trawled through thousands of photos, or even guided yourself through a virtual property tour, visiting your prospective home is vital. Without viewing your student house, you’ll have no idea whether it’s somewhere where you’d like to spend a year living in.
Did you know that 1 in 8 student groups will pick the first house they see? You’ll most likely live in the house you choose for at least a year, so make sure you take your time and choose wisely.
5. Contract and Agreements
Whilst contracts and agreements aren’t directly related to finding the perfect student property, they will make your university experience far, far better if you understand them.
Take your time to read through a contract before signing, and don’t forget to ask questions about what you can and cannot do, whether furniture and bills are included in your tenancy. Once you’ve signed your tenancy agreement, you’re legally bound to follow the contract; so make sure you’re 100% happy with the terms, and it will make your experience much smoother.
Study it well, and then study it again! Do not assume that the wording in the contract reflects what your student letting agent or student landlord has said; check over your contract, and if you’re unsure, ask someone for advice.
6. Consider Bills Packages
Sharing a student house doesn't have to include stress when it comes to sharing bills. Life's too short to worry about these sorts of things. With our bills package, you only pay your fair share of the bills.
You don’t have to check the meters, phone the utility companies to switch direct debits to your account or phone the internet company just to get it activated. You can lay back and enjoy living in your student accommodation knowing there are no bills to be worrying about.