When you're a student one of the most exciting things you get to experience is moving into a house of your very own. After a year of living in halls with some truly grotty characters (there is always at least one), waiting for the opportune moment to dash into the mildew encrusted communal shower and scraping someone else's week-old dinner off your crockery, the prospect of a new beginning is heaven. However, as with all things in life having your own house aint no bed of roses. Compiling my own experience with both student letting companies and private landlords I've put together a few tips which I hope will help any students making the jump from halls to home.
1. Shop Around
As tempting as it is to put a deposit down on the first house you see because you've fallen in love with it, don't be afraid to look around at a number of properties. Believe me, I know the house with the massive living room looks amazing for house parties and the offer of inclusive internet sounds tempting but you want to make sure you're getting the best deal. Be vigilant. Look for any faults, how good the security is and nasty things like mould. N.B
Out of principle, I think that anyone who pays over £75 per week for a house is getting ripped off - regardless if bills are included or not. With a little searching you can find a property that's just as nice for substantially less. We've all heard stories of students being ripped off with their rent but those stories exist for a reason.
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| Not for me, thanks |
There's an invisible cloud of fear that forms over first years when the time comes to start house-hunting; people start to panic and imagine worst case scenarios, my personal favourite was the vision of living in a crack-shack, drinking cold soup because I didn't sign for a house quick enough. What I'm saying is don't rush things. All the houses aren't going to suddenly disappear. Wherever you sign, you're stuck there for the next 9 months so make sure you like it.
N.B. Mould is the worst. It is the Cher Lloyd of the housing world - you think its finally gone but a few months later it crops back up again, singing inane verses about jagging swag or whatever.
2. Actually read your contract.
I know this sounds like ridiculous advice but the amount of people who just sign the dotted line without properly reading through the terms is unbelieveable. Make sure there aren't any hidden clauses there to trap you, or any small print which results in your forking out more of your student loan.
What I'm talking about here is admin fees. After not properly going through my second year contract, I felt the financial sting to the tune of £68 in admin fees, which was deducted from my deposit at the end of my tenancy. Most student housing companies will charge you admin up front, usually around £70, but be wary of the ones who don't - you might not have escaped unscathed.
Also, many universities provide a contract checking service to make sure there's noting dodgy going on - all you have to do is take them a copy of the document before you sign it.
3. Make sure everything works
This one is fairly simple. When you move into your new house check all your appliances; the oven, the boiler, the washing machine, light switches...everything! You don't want to be without hot water or gas on the first day in your new home and sometimes these things happen. Make the effort to check, it only takes a few minutes and means there won't be any nasty surprises later.
4. Take evidence of any damage
I really cannot stress this point enough. If something is damaged when you move into your new property, contact the landlord/letting agent and tell them straight away. Make a record of contacting them - if it's by phone a copy of your bill, if it's email make sure you keep a copy of that saved and dated. Also, and I know this may seem a bit too precautionary, but take photographs of any damage and date them.
You'd be surprised just how easy it is to be mugged off and charged for something you didn't do. Last year one of my friends moved into our 7 bedroom house to find her bed was broken and filthy with dust and grime, really really disgusting. When she complained the letting agents said that she must have done it herself...seriously. She ended up going to their offices with her mother in tow to give them a bollocking about it.
5. Keep an eye on your bills.
Ahh, bills. After the fear over deadlines, bills are the second worst thing a student has to deal with. A lot of landlords offer tenancy with bills included but its often cheaper to just deal with them yourself - as long as you're careful. This isn't halls where you can leave your laptop on all night and stick the heating on whenever you please and this is easy to forget. It's surprising how much things like electricity and especially gas can add up if you're frivolous. Just using basic common sense and making sure everyone in your house is too will help you keep your costs down
6. Stand your ground
Perhaps the most valuable advice of all is to stand your ground. In my experience some landlords will tell you anything to cover their back and get out of doing anything that constitutes help. It's important that you keep contacting the landlord about a fault until he fixes it. It's important not to get rinsed on your deposit. And its important not to be treated like an idiot.
One of my friends reported a problem with his drains last year and the landlord dismissed his complaints three times, saying it was probably his house mates flushing sanitary towels down the toilet. After weeks of constant berating a plumber was called round to do an inspection. Turned out there were a couple of dead rats lodged in a pipe, slowly rotting in a pool of sewage.
So you see there are a number of things you need to be aware of when living as a student in rented housing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put a downer on the experience of having your own place where you can do as you please. For the most part living under your own rules in your own property is fantastic, there are just some things we all need to be aware of to avoid being taken for a ride. Good luck!
