If you have clicked onto this post hoping to discover a comprehensive list of tips for finding the perfect student house then all I can do is apologize. The title of this post may almost certainly be 100% clickbait and spoiler alert: perfect student housing doesn't exist. But, now that you're here let me impart some of the little wisdom I have in this area, being in my final year of university. Also, if you'd like to have a look at my two previous student bedrooms you can see those here and here.
There is no rush
Let me just repeat this one, there is no rush. During my first year we were absolutely terrified into choosing a house within the first few months amidst rumours that the houses would 'run out' and only the 'bad ones would be left'. Well, trust me, this is all artificial pressure from the estate agents. There are more than enough houses to go around, and alright ones at that.
Look for mould, everywhere
Student houses are mouldy, and some are significantly worse than others (my second year house for example). Take your time to look around for mould, the estate agent is hardly going to point it out for you. Our landlord last year bought us a dehumidifier but took it back after a few weeks, so that was the end of that, back to mould city for us.
Speak to the current tenants, alone
I think this is my biggest piece of advice of all and I cannot stress it enough. If you get the chance and there's somebody around, go and ask them what they think of the house. I did this at a few of the houses we were looking at and fortunately, this saved us from another crappy student house. Ask if there are any major issues and if the landlord is helpful if things go wrong!
Really think about who you want to live with
This one ties into the first one, but genuinely consider who you want to live with. Just because you lived with someone last year doesn't mean that you have to live with them again this year. And the same with coursemates, just because you sit in lectures together it doesn't mean you'd still be best buds after arguing about who left the skidmarks left in the toilet and the overflowing bins that need to be taken out.
Ask about what's included
This seems like an obvious one but is something we forgot to do when we viewed our current house. We'd seen so many and asked so many questions that we just didn't think to ask about anything. So, guess who had to make porridge on the hob and forgo their cup of tea when they realized the house didn't come with a microwave or a kettle. (For reference, I know you can boil water on the hob, I just chose not to). So yeah, ask what comes with the house and what belongs to the current tenants...
Do you have any student housing horror stories?
2 comments
Sage advice! Ask estate agents for their fees too, to make sure that everyone knows what they've got to pay up front, and that the agents aren't charging higher fees just because you're students!
ReplyDeleteI had so many issues with previous student houses. In the end, I found that private landlords that look after only a few properties tend to look after their tenants a lot better! I was monumentally screwed over by a horrific lettings agency in second year which was notorious for treating their tenants terribly - reputation and word of mouth really means a lot in those situations! Great post :) I graduated from Uni of Southampton last year hope it's going well x
ReplyDeleteThe Traffic Jam of Life