Rumour has it that Bristol’s student housing crisis means that students often need to rush into house hunting before the Christmas decor is up. Trust me, you can relax a little. Popular renting websites, such as Rightmove, UniHomes and Bristol SU Lettings release new waves of properties in the new year, so getting your housing sorted after Christmas is certainly possible. Here’s some advice for a first-time student renter or those looking for a refresh of the house hunting process.
Start by getting your group sorted. Knowing who you are living with early on will remove any unwanted stress as together you can decide what to look for and begin researching for properties. At the same time, it can be concerning when you haven’t known your future housemates long enough to be familiar with aspects such as their cleaning habits; often the biggest cause of bickering arising from sharing accommodation is when some aren’t the best at keeping the kitchen tidy — so try to make sure you’re living with people who will stick to the cleaning rota! On the flip side, scoring potential housemates against stringent benchmarks and eliminating ‘under-performing’ group members over and over is not the best move as housing groups often do form quickly, so to avoid being left out, be discerning but don’t nitpick.
Once your group is sorted, research is the next step. As I have mentioned, sites such as Rightmove, UniHomes and Bristol SU Lettings are great places to start. Decide on the location everyone is happy with — consider the distance to Uni and amenities such as grocery stores. Next up and most importantly, figure out the budget. Agree on the maximum amount that everyone is willing and able to spend on rent per month and begin searching for properties that are within the consented budget. Remember that bill prices for water, gas, electricity, and Wi-Fi are not always included within the monthly rent, so separate bills may mean another payment to make per month. As you begin finding houses or flats with affordable price tags and satisfactory looks, consider each of their features, such as: double or single beds, and the presence of a washing machine or dishwasher if desired.
When the group is content with the above, call up the estate agents listed with the properties and get your viewings booked. It’s best when the whole group attends the viewings so that everyone is familiar with the property and knows what to expect before signing the tenancies — you’ll save yourself from future housemate complaints this way, so make sure to arrange a time for when everyone is available. When viewing the properties ask questions on anything you are concerned with and consider aspects such as the sizes of the bedrooms, signal strength and especially the presence of mould as these problems will likely come back to haunt you. Once viewings have been completed and you have found the student house of your dreams, let the estate agents know and wait to hear back. Then follows the process of signing tenancies and paying the deposits. Make sure your guarantors are on board with your housing decisions and get their pair of eyes over the tenancies if the documents feel a bit overwhelming.
Before you move into the property, it might be best to allocate rooms within the group, but after the tenancies have been signed and the deposits settled, it’s basically just a waiting game until you move in. Landlords will get in contact to arrange a date to pick up the keys and your estate agent should keep you updated with the process, but all that aside you should have survived this year’s house hunting as your student house welcomes you with open arms. Happy house finding!