Typically in the UK, university students are more likely to go into private rental accommodation after first year. So as this post is going live, I'm in my second year at Royal Holloway and living within the local community. Finding a house and a suitable group of people to live within the short space of time that you're given is difficult. In today's post, I want to share my experience with renting privately and give some tips to current students looking for a property for next year.
1) Understand that there will always be somewhere for you to live:
Knowing this can sometimes take the pressure away from deciding who you want to live with too soon. You want to be able to form a good relationship with the people you'll be spending 24/7 with. For RHUL students, the Egham/Englefield Green area is more than able to cater to every student who wishes to go into renting privately.
2) Determine your budget and what you expect in return for that:
Before starting to book any viewings, it's crucial that you work out what you can realistically afford and what you can get for your money within that area. For me personally, I knew that my budget would be around £550PCM excluding bills - so up to around £600ish give or take a little. But, I was also happy to settle for a single bedroom, on the basis that I had room for my clothes and books. In many cases, be prepared for some people to be demanding in terms of double beds and en-suites. People tend to want luxury facilities for a lower price, this may cause some tension within the group if it's not discussed early on.
3) Attend as many viewings as possible:
Without attending viewings, it's impossible to know what's available within your area and within your price range. When I was starting to look at houses with my friends, we decided to go to our university housing fair which gave us details of all the local estate agents and acted as a direct forum to booking viewings. As well as identifying features such as distance from the university, contract length, deposit amounts.
4) Know your rights:
When venturing into the world of private renting it's so important to know your rights so that sneaky landlords and estate agents don't try and con you for money just because you're a student. As with my town, there's usually estate agents to avoid, this is something your university can help you with. This is also particularly important when contract signing, as this is a legally bound obligation. For more information on this please see the Citizens Advice website.
5) Be open to change:
Moving into a new property can be a huge change, and in many cases, it will test friendships. So try to be as open to the change as possible, it will make the transition into private renting a lot easier.
6) Try and build a relationship with your landlord:
Both parties want to have a positive experience, so building a mutually beneficial relationship is worth it in the long-run. The landlord wants you to take care of the property and ideally renew for another year, this makes their life easier and your year a lot more enjoyable. Plus you want to live in a house that's well maintained and if any problems do occur you know you can contact someone to get them resolved as soon as possible.
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