For those of you currently living in halls you will probably be looking for somewhere new to live for next year right now or may even have secured yourself a house already.
Renting a shared house majority of the time is much cheaper than living alone as a lot of the one bedroom houses come unfurnished which would require you to decorate the place yourself and as a student you probably won’t have that kind of money lying around. You should really take time to consider who you’re living with as you will be with them for a whole year and you don’t want it to end up being your worst nightmare.
Think about what you are able to tolerate in people and put this against the people you’re considering living with. Will you be able to handle certain traits or habits they may have? You will also need to consider routines when it comes to getting ready as I know in my house me and one of my house mates do the same course so sometimes we would end up waking up at the same time to shower and it became a case of “who can get there first?” To avoid that happening, it’s best to know everyone’s timetable and discuss times that everyone will be waking up to shower depending on how many bathrooms is in your house or flat. When choosing your house mates you need to be realistic and honest with what you expect and what you’re looking for in order to minimise possible tension along the line.
Being considerate is also a main factor. Are you someone that likes to go out every weekend and come in at 4 am in the morning whereas your house mates are more of the stay at home and study type of people? You will need to come to some kind of compromise in order to prevent conflict.
Most landlords will require a deposit in order for you to secure your house. My landlord required us to sign a contract and to pay a summer retainer rather than a deposit so that we could move in during summer if we wanted to so we could move in our stuff earlier rather than waiting until September. When I was doing house hunting, majority of the landlords were asking for a £250 deposit but it will depend on the area you’re looking to live in and whether they are student houses or not. Once you have signed the contract and paid the deposit the landlord will provide you with their contact details and you will be able to get this deposit back at the end of your contract unless you have caused damage to the property or it is not left in good condition.
Houses will either come with bills included or not included but I personally would recommend you to go for the bills included option as it works out much cheaper and all you will have to worry about it paying for your internet and/or TV. Virgin will come around student houses offering very good deals, in my house we are currently paying £7.50 a month each.
I hope this advice has come in handy!
