How to House Hunt as a Student
The perfect guide for how to house hunt as a student. Learn the best time and easiest way to find a house during university without losing out.
Apply for viewings early
It’s not something everyone wants to do when they first get to university, but if you leave it too late, you risk being stuck in the worst houses in the area.
After living in “luxury” of high security and a boxed bedroom, you don’t really want to be spending your next year in uni, ill from the damp and having to do all your work in the library because your room doesn’t even have room for a desk.
Be smart about who you’re going to live with
For every student it’s hard to work out which people to live with, after all in 1st year you’re forced to decide after meeting everyone for 2 months.
So be smart, think about who you like the most and possibly who’s the cleanest?
View at least 5 properties
No one wants to be wasting their time looking at houses when they could be soaking up the sun in a beer garden with their mates, but try and view a couple properties instead of choosing the 1st “nice” one you see.
For all you know, that’s the most expensive property in the area, or there are even better ones for a cheaper price.
Budget yourselves
Speak to your, soon to be, new flatmates and discuss how much each of you are willing to spend.
It would be wise to discuss whether or not you’re going to pay more or less for the size of the bedrooms.. this makes it easier when fighting over bedrooms.
Be on the look out for damp
It’s highly likely that your student house will have damp, unfortunately that’s the life we all must live for a while.
So keep and eye out, a little bit of damp is bearable, but just think how that’s going to grow over the months of living there.
Do you really want to suffer with re-freshers flu and a bad chest later in the year?
Try and keep everyone happy
Obviously, everyone looks for different things in a house, for some it’s price, others a decent size garden.
Try your best to find something that suits everyone; you don’t want someone to pull out last minute, leaving you with the hassle of finding a new tenant.
Consider location
Speak to your other friends or classmates to see where most students will be living.
When pre-drinks or house parties happen, you don’t want to travel far, so make sure you’re living in an area with a good student life.
