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Leaving the safety of home for the first time in your adult life can be a stressful prospect for anyone. Especially when you have the added burden of finding student lettings to spend the next year of your life in, that first move can become a lot more intimidating than it needs to be. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can follow to make the search a lot easier.
First Things First: Should You Go Private Rented, or Jump into University Accommodation?
While the accommodation provided by universities is often a good starting place for new students, it can be expensive, and—depending on the university—might also be quite a way from local amenities.
This accommodation is often an easy and simple choice; there are options to pay a little extra for catering, and you can be sure to be placed with other first years. If you decide to start off in the private letting sector however, then you will have much more freedom to choose location and price.
The first step is to decide where to live, a simple case of finding your priorities for location. It might sound like there are endless possibilities, but really there are only three things to consider:
– Are you on a course that requires a lot of library or lab time? Then a property within walking distance of campus might be the more economical choice
– Maybe you won’t need to be in campus often and are interested in spending less on rent. The further from campus your student letting is, the less the property is likely to cost.
– If you’re not worried about the price, or the travel; consider the area instead. Is there a decent supermarket nearby? A local pub? Or even a good place to eat.
With your ideal location found, you’ll need to put together a list of properties. Most local estate agents will have a postcode search, so get stuck in and pick out any properties that appeal to you. Keep an eye out for a spacious kitchen, and at least one bathroom per four rooms. Once you’ve got a few properties together, it’s time to arrange a viewing.
Check Everything
The most difficult part of all of this also requires the least advice; always question the estate agent when viewing student lettings. Now this doesn’t mean that you should be rude about it, just try to remember at all times that they are trying to sell you on the property. You should go to a viewing with two things in mind:
- Check everything yourself (from cupboards and windows, to the fridge lights)
- Always ask the current tenants if there is anything you should know about the property.
With these tips in mind, finding that first property shouldn’t throw any nasty surprises at you, and the transition from home to alone will be less of a nightmare than you might think.
