After the unique experience of living in halls; February marks the beginning of the stressful house hunt for Southampton’s first year students.
But where to begin? Looking for the right housemates is usually number one on the list. Finding compatible people one could potentially be with 24/7 is often one of the biggest hurdles.
Claire Wilks, a third year at Southampton, Solent University experienced the pitfalls of choosing housemates, incorrectly:
“I decided to move into a house with a few people I met in halls,
As we moved from halls into the house, I realised that the people I had moved in with I really was not getting on with… By the beginning of October I wanted to move out.”
Advice from Southampton Solent University staff: “compare your lifestyles, working hours, cleanliness, interests, reliability and financial stability.”
Often while students are only just beginning to contemplate who to live with, the first flyers-advertising student houses- pile up. Certain agencies urge Fresher’s to look as soon as the end of October. Posh Pads (www.poshpads.com) is the main agency who try to get a head start. They manage to entice lots of students with their glossy flyers portraying luxurious looking furnished accommodations.
Claire recalls how these flyers intrigued as well as scared her and her fellow flat mates into getting a place as soon as possible with Posh Pads.
“We got a house really early in January ready for the June, which I would warn all students about” said Claire.
Monika Szychta from Cryers agency (www.cryers.co.uk), however, goes along with every estate agents sales patter: “the earlier the better”. “In February most of the nice places have already gone. You need to start early to find a nice place”, said Monika.
Claire disagrees: “There is no need to rush into getting a house there are always plenty of houses available even in September.”
Who to trust? It is definitely a plus to know what`s out there to get a feeling for what one likes and what you are avoiding. But it is common knowledge that especially privately owned properties that go on the market very early are probably not the nicest properties. Landlords put them up that early in order to try and scare students into signing contracts early on because they are of such poor quality that they are afraid of not being able to get them let…
Contracts are one of the most dangerous parts of acquiring a house.
Claire wishes she had double-checked the contract before signing:
“I spoke to my landlord who stated that in the contract it said I can not move out without getting someone to replace me. The lead tenant of the house did not want a stranger to move in so I found myself struggling… I had signed the contract so I had to stick to it. “
The type of contract and house of course depends on the agency or landlord students chose to go with. In order to pick a trust worthy one Solent has a dedicated accommodation website :(www.sassh.co.uk) with accredited housing lists. These lists include private landlords and agencies that agreed to maintain and manage a property to a set of standards. While going around properties there are different things to look out for. The NUS has put up a checklist for house hunters on their website (www.nus.org.uk)
Claire said: “If I was to have been told things before I had moved into a house it would be: to not rush into it, make sure you are 100% sure on the people you are living with, you are comfortable with the landlord or agencies, that you are aware of everything (e.g. what would happen if someone was to leave) and to check the contract.”
After following this advice there are plenty of carefree housepartys awaiting.
Estate Agent Monika Szychta
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