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House hunting 101

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When we started looking for a house at the end of first year, we had no idea what we were doing. We’d gone through hours of painful discussions in the kitchen over who was going to live with who and how we’d divide into houses, and we thought that was the end.

It wasn’t even the beginning.

We spent hours house-hunting, viewing big, small, and expensive properties. I’ve seen my fair share of student houses, and this year we decided to stay in the house we chose last year, so I hope that makes me at least slightly qualified to suggest some things you should look for in a student house.

The landlord

Your landlord will make or break your student housing experience. We were lucky, because our landlord fixed any problems ASAP. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to know much about your landlord before you sign a contract, but when you’re looking around, the students currently living there will often be in the house: ask them what the landlord is like. They have no reason to lie.

Our agent was also our landlord, and I would advise this set-up. Landlords can hide under a blanket of anonymity if they go through an agent, and that gives them the opportunity to ignore you when the roof caves in on your bedroom (this actually happened to one of my friends in their second year).

Room sizes

Houses naturally have different-sized rooms, but if you can find a house with rooms of a vaguely similar size, that will help when deciding who wants which room.

Some groups decide that those with bigger rooms should pay more, and some groups find that there are a couple of people who don’t mind cosier rooms. In the winter, smaller rooms are much easier to keep warm.

Location, location, location

When I was looking at houses with one of my female housemates, we were sent to one alone. We never made it to the house, because we felt unsafe on the road we had to go along to get to it.

Trust your instincts: if you feel unsafe in broad daylight, imagine how you’d feel heading home on your own after a night out when you’ve lost everyone else. You shouldn’t put yourself in a situation in which you don’t feel safe, as the chances are you won’t be able to shake that feeling all the while you live in that place.

Damp and mould

We recently found that things were going mouldy in our house (including shoes and curtains!), and the spores from black mould can cause respiratory problems. Check things like exterior walls, the backs of curtains, and behind cupboards for damp areas.

Try to picture yourself living in the house for a year, and remember that a year isn’t all that long. If the house you’ve picked isn’t perfect, which it probably won’t be, then you’ll have learnt some valuable lessons and hopefully won’t make the same mistakes again.

Do you have any house hunting 101 tips for students? Any bad experiences? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: Kate Hiscock / Flickr

Samantha HoppsHouse hunting 101

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