What to look for when house hunting for second year

When you’re house hunting for off-campus student accommodation for your second year there are some things that you want to look for and here’s why. These things might seem obvious but they can often slip someone’s mind.

Bills, bills, bills

Please, oh, please look out for bills and what’s included in your contract. This is important because far too often people are pre-occupied with the price of the house – which of course is very important – but then forget to look at what bills are included.

For example, house A might cost £X per month whereas house B only cost £Y per month. You, of course, go with house B because it’s cheaper. However, you then realise that house B does not include Wi-Fi in its contract. Now, you need to sort and arrange all of the broadband for your new house, which ends up leading to more money being paid per month. With the added expense house B now costs £Z per month which is more money than house A – which had Wi-Fi included.

So, remember to keep a lookout at what is actually available to you. Just so you don’t end up with a bad deal leaving you worse off than you had previously anticipated.

Location

Again, you might think that this is an obvious factor, however it can often slip one’s mind. Remember to think about travel, living and accessibility. How can you get from your accommodation to your university? Are there any buses around? Is it a direct bus or do I need to take two? Are there car parking spaces, if you have a car? What about your weekly shopping? Is it a safe area?

These are questions that you need to think about when looking for a house. The house might be great but it is in a terrible location that means that there is a one hour commute each day. Or it could be in an excluded place where access to buses is difficult. Think about what sort of things you want and see if they tick your boxes.

Leader

Finally, think about a possible leader in your group. This might not be for you, but it could be helpful for one person to take control so that things don’t get too complicated. One person could hold responsibility for one house responsibility and another person is in charge of another etcetera. This is just a helpful tip that I learnt when I was house hunting with my friends for the second year.

So good luck with house hunting!