As a student what can we do to help keep us out of accommodation that we may regret? Fortunately, the standard of student accommodation is getting higher and higher and alongside many regulations from the government, we rarely see bad student housing now and a lot it falls down on the experience we get from the provider!
Here are some best practices to help you:
- Decide what type of accommodation you want to live in, is it a house, studio or apartment
- Understand the differences in what life is like in the different types of accommodation
- Decide who you want to live with, take more time as this is a big reason why students move & fall out
- Search lots of different providers, accommodations & houses – go on a minimum of 5 viewings to houses and see which ones you like
- Check the location, this was a key reason for influencing happiness in student accommodation in a recent report
- Always visit the provider if possible – they will be the ones providing the service and looking after you for the next year, ultimately creating that experience for you
- Check the provider’s website and social media – this way you can see how active they are, what their brand is like and you can start to judge what your experience may look like
- Never sign the tenancy agreement without reading it & understand what you are responsible for
- Check the facts of the house (rent, bills & deposit)
- Make sure you have a guarantor lined up for when you are ready
Some of the top items that influence a student’s happiness by a Knight Frank Report
- Location – Think about what connections it has and how central it is
- Being able to live in the accommodation for more than one year – Most will allow this but once you are settled you don’t want to move
- The number of bedrooms – how many friends do you want to live with? This is a big factor
In Conclusion
Please remember that when looking for next year’s accommodation don’t just look at the house, remember to look at the provider. They play such a vital role in creating an amazing experience, the way they respond to you, their repairs time, deposit procedures, and what they do for you outside of the day-to-day. There are lots of fantastic providers out there, they may just not be at the top of Google.
Follow the points above and don’t rush into anything, such as signing the tenancy agreement. Make sure you like the house and letting agent and you do your research.
