5 foolproof steps to discover the right student house

How to find the right student house in 5 simple steps

So, you’re staying in halls. Everything is sorted – a room, electricity, heating and food all under one, admittedly large, bill. All is well.

But hang on, do you still want to be in halls next year? Do you still want to be forced to take your breakfast before ten? Do you want to be kept awake at night by your neighbour’s inexplicable love for 3 am High School Musical singalongs? Worry not, there is a way out: you can move into a student house, off campus.

Not sure how to go about such a complex and adult process? Well sit back, relax and read these five tips for finding the right student accommodation.

1. DON’T PANIC

Like a certain Hitchhiker’s Guide, this Student’s Guide also begins with those two friendly words. No, it’s not too late. Yes, there will be houses left. No, you won’t have to sneak into the library every night to find somewhere to sleep. Just don’t rush into anything, keep a calm head and it will all be fine.

2. Who to live with?

To be honest, who the people are that you’re sharing with is the most important decision to make. A £50-a-week villa with swimming pool and IMAX cinema would still be dreadful if shared with your arch nemesis and great aunt Edna. A nondescript Victorian terraced house however will seem like a palace, if you’re with your mates. Have a think about the size of your group and see what’s available.

3. Where to live?

In Nottingham, there’s three main student areas. Lenton is the most popular area – not too far from campus, not too far from the city centre and generally a bit of a party district. But then Beeston, though far from the city centre is a lot quieter and has a plethora of supermarkets in which to buy your weekly provisions. And Dunkirk, though shop-free, is basically on campus it’s so close. Take your pick.

In Birmingham, the main student area is Selly Oak. It’s right by the University of Birmingham, a train station and there’s lots going on. But you’ll find student accommodation all around the city. Investigate an area where you’d like to live and see what’s available.

Bristol, well…There’s student housing pretty much everywhere!

Think about how close you want to be to university, shops, transport. Do you want to live somewhere quiet, fancy or in the beating heart of student life? Keeping in mind…

4. Budget

Decide on how much you can all afford and search accordingly. Remember, some student houses have bills inclusive (so the rent includes all your electricity and gas bills etc.) and some don’t.

If you’re happy to organise your utilities yourself, then there’s plenty of advice on that available on mastering expert-level adulting.

Of course, you can always live by candlelight, with your duvet frosty in the morning. And if you’re  happy to not waste money on using such superfluous mod cons as washing machines, then, by all means, do so and laugh as your student loan remains undiminished.

However, if you’re going to use normal amounts of electricity and gas, then there’s a lot less faff in opting for bills inclusive. This does NOT mean you can always have the thermostat set to “Sauna” and line every square inch of your walls with constantly flashing lights. Bills inclusive does not give you an infinite supply – you still have stay within normal usage!

5. Know what you want before you look around

Before you’ve selected a few possibilities and tentatively phoned up to have a recce, make sure you know what you’re looking for. Some people don’t really mind where they live as long as it keeps the rain off and burglars out.

This is not a helpful state of mind when house-viewing. Decide beforehand what is important to you that will be different in each house. Is there enough space to all cook in the kitchen? Is there somewhere you can keep your bikes? Is there double glazing? If you have any questions that aren’t obviously answered by looking, ask the students living there. They probably won’t bite.

There you go, hopefully that’ll help. Follow these steps and all will be well. For a good place to start looking go to www.purplefrogproperty.com/student-accommodation/.

For any of those more complicated questions, just contact a member of the team at www.purplefrogproperty.com/contact-us/ . Now, relax once more, go back to those regulated mealtimes and, of course, don’t panic.

Image credit: Marc Falardeau (https://www.flickr.com/photos/49889874@N05/)