Viewing Student Houses: The Definitive Guide
Working out where you want to live when studying is without doubt one of the most important decisions a student needs to make – you need to feel safe, relaxed and comfortable in order to work properly, and the right choice of student house is the first step towards that.
A student house is more than just a place to stay whilst you study – it’s (probably) the first time you’ll have a place to live that’s actually yours. Even if it is rented, it needs to be the best it possibly can be; both for your health and the health of your degree. It really is important, and that’s why we’ve made this guide to help anyone looking for a house. Happy hunting!
The Landlord
It doesn’t matter how well-equipped, well-cleaned and well-kept your house is; if your landlord’s no good, living in the house won’t be any good. Generally student houses fall under one of two categories as far as landlords are concerned – there are the private properties, which are managed by an individual as opposed to a company; and there are the company properties, which are usually part of a much larger chain.
Both of these have their benefits – private landlords are usually more than happy to help out in whatever way they can, and tend to be pretty chilled out if the rent’s taking a bit longer than expected because student loans haven’t delivered on time (yet again). In addition, it’s nice to be always talking to the same person and have their mobile number right there on your phone when you need them.
However, if you get a bad private landlord, they tend to be much, much worse than a bad company – a company has a reputation to uphold; a bad private landlord, in general, couldn’t care less about reputation and is only interested in getting as much money from you as easily as possible. Which is obviously a difficult situation when the hot water won’t turn on and the plumber hasn’t turned up for a week. Bad landlords are much worse than bad companies – remember that, and make sure you meet the landlord before you rent from them.
Many students will end up renting from/with a company, and they tend to be much more used to what students need and don’t need. This isn’t always a good thing, though – they could very easily decide that you don’t need a TV quite as much as the house they’re using to advertise to prospective students down the street does. And they could decide this halfway through the term. It’s one of those horror stories that don’t happen very often, but do happen – generally it’s best to err on the side of caution and check with other students if this or that company is one you can trust to be good to you. Make sure to check online, as well – if the company’s upset people, there’s bound to be something on the Internet about it; that’s how the Internet works. Google is your friend.
If you’re cautious and careful but still get stuck with a bad landlord, there’s not much you’ll need to worry about. Generally a landlord’s job is to turn up, make sure you’ve settled in properly, address any concerns you might have about the house, and then disappear until it’s time to pay the rent or something gets broken. That’s what you should aim for.
Utilities
How’s the house kitted out? Decent cooker? Toilet? Shower? Bath? Make sure you check out the place before you sign any kind of contract and see what it does and doesn’t have. There should be enough space for everyone in the living room, a fridge, a freezer, WiFi (this one’s just as important as a cooker or a toilet – you are a student, after all), all of the usual bathroom stuff (not everywhere will have a bath, but it’s a big plus), along with working lights and a cupboard and all of that kind of stuff. Common sense is all you really need here – what do you need to live, and what would you like to have?
Two very, very big plusses are a dishwasher and a clothes dryer – both are excellent machines and will save you an enormous amount of time over a year of living in the same place. However, don’t expect to have either; it’s just excellent and very lucky if you do. Honestly we think we’d pay a little extra in rent if there was a chance all of our washing-up could be done for us.
Another thing to remember as you scout about the house is, quite simply, plug sockets. Students need lots of these. Vast amounts, really – you’re going to need one for your mobile, one for your laptop charger, another for another charger, another for your alarm clock, desk lamp, speakers, mini-fridge, whatever. You need a lot of plug sockets, so keep that in mind as you check a property out, or don’t worry about it too much and steal your parents’ socket separator. Either or.
Your Housemates
Who you choose to live with is as important as where you choose to live – it’s all very well thinking that this or that guy is really fun at parties, but do you really want to live with them 24/7? Think about it. Yes, this section isn’t exactly part of a guide to student houses, but we thought it was worth mentioning anyway – make sure you’re going to be happy living with the people you’ve chosen, and make damn sure they’re going to be happy living with you. This is meant to be your fortress of solitude, so it needs to be shared with people who respect that. Seriously.
Rent
Rent, though important, might not be as important as you think – generally your landlord will charge you pretty close to what you will receive from the Student Loans Company. Of course, it does depend on how much you receive as part of your loan. This means that Student Finance should always pay the bills, so you shouldn’t worry too much about rent unless you’re stupid enough to live somewhere that charges more than it should. Don’t do that. That’s a bad idea.
If you’re going into a second year of finding a house and like the set up you have, be a little cheeky and see if your landlord will reduce the rate for the year slightly, seeing as you’re offsetting the pain and expense of finding new tenants. Along the same vein, try to get a few extra perks going into your second year of living somewhere – it’s not too out of line to ask for a bookshelf to be put up or that annoying thing the shower does sometimes to be fixed.
Location
Location’s pretty important, and there’s not really much to tell – you want to be near a supermarket, near enough to university that you can go too and fro easily, and pretty close to a decent boozer. Normal stuff. Oh, and bus routes are pretty important, too – you’re going to need to get around the place at some point or another, and even if you or one of your housemates does have a car, there’s no guarantee that’s going to save you every time. Buses are good.
But walking is arguably even better – not many students exercise regularly (some keep their weight down by not being able to afford food – it works quite well, but not recommended) and walking may well be the only bit of exercise you’ll be getting. Make sure to get a bit of fresh air occasionally, even if it is only a quick trip to the nearest corner shop because you’ve run out of cigarettes/alcohol. And if that sounds facetious, it’s only because we’ve been there, done that.
Bills
Work out if you have to pay bills – in many student houses, the bills are covered as part of the contract and this may cost a few quid more, but it’s probably worth the conversation at the end of every month when everyone starts asking awkward rhetorical questions like “who was it that left the tap on all night when they were drunk again?” or “who keeps forgetting to turn the lights out?”. In the interest of everybody’s peace of mind, try to see if you can get the bills included in the contract. Trust us, it helps.
We’ve looked over what every student should keep in mind when choosing a new house, and have made our own checklist for you to copy that should, hopefully, be some help. Here it is. Remember; if the answer is “no” to any of these questions, you may want to reconsider or try to solve the issue.
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Now, these are all good things to look for, but they’re not the be-all and end-all of house hunting. There is a lot more that’s less important that we haven’t talked about here, but it all depends on the individual. Use your common sense, and then if it all goes wrong, blame us.
Possibly you have a thing against supermarkets, or possibly you can afford to pay through the nose for rent if you feel like it and can afford to go past what student loans gives you. It honestly all depends on what you, personally, feel like you want or need – nothing else matters anywhere near as much as this.
The few essentials you really, really need though are plug sockets, WiFi, heating, running water, a fridge, and a bed. Everything else is secondary. Just about. Look for the place you’ll be happiest and most comfortable in – all else should follow.