Finding a student house

This is something that everyone seems to struggle with, especially in first year! It's a new concept and you don't really know where to start.

My advice, though, is to find out what your university offers in terms of support. My uni had a specific website for searching for student housing, where you could put in a location, how many rooms you wanted and other criteria and then it would give you the best matches. Also, the Student Union put on housing events that helped you find what you were looking for, and gave you information about paying bills and how to go about choosing the right house for you. They compiled a list of agencies which were not so good for students - and I'd recommend paying close attention to that list! So the uni can be of great help in the housing search.

I also found that through societies and clubs, you get to know people in different years, and they will be happy to give you advice on areas to look in, agencies or landlords to go with, or even just how to get started. The current tenants of our house got in touch with us, as they were looking to sell some of their furniture to us. We went to look at the furniture, and ended up chatting for a long period of time and we really benefitted from the information they could give us, as they'd already done what we will be doing in a month's time!

Another important thing to look out for is the agency/landlord. Many agencies charge you a fee for using them in order to find a house, so often it is better to go straight through the landlord, something the Student Union or a simple walk around the area looking at the 'For Rent' signs can help you with. You must make sure that the landlord from whom you are renting will come and fix things if they go wrong. If at all possible, try and find people who have rented a house from them before, or try and meet them in person before you sign the contract. Our landlord showed us around the house, and was very open with us. We felt comfortable around him, and he owns many other properties in the area so we thought he must be okay!

In terms of finding house mates, by the time I was looking for a house I had some great friends who I was sure I wanted to live with. However it can be a really tough decision - you're having to make this decision based on a friendship of possibly only a few months! Therefore I really would advise making sure you know the people you're thinking of living with, and making the decision based on what is best for you. Often, though, the university can help you find people who do not yet have a house/housemates, and social medias such as Facebook groups are a good way of getting in contact with other people in your situation.

So don't worry! The university will have lots on offer to help you, and there's no rush! There will be enough housing for everyone, and make sure you are happy with who you are living with and where you are living - don't make rash decisions.

Thanks for reading!

Laura