It’s that time of the year again, young students have received their educational results and are ready to embark on university life. That means moving away from family and all of its comforts and also frustrations. Parents this may be an emotional time for you, having to let your children leave the nest, but it is important that you and your children get to grips with the logistics of student property and what to expect.
Having many offices dealing with student housing, here is our guide to swapping the cosy family nest to student digs.
1. Don’t fall into the trap of signing for the first house you view.
We’ve all been there, you’ve found a lovely bunch of friends, the perfect location and now all you need is the dream house. As exciting as it is, avoid signing for the first house you see. It is important to widen your scope, way up your options and maybe even ponder on your choices for a few days. Renting student housing is a huge commitment, so take your time, make a group decision and don’t get caught up in the housing hype.
2. Viewing a property.
As a group of friends, it is important that you are all prepped before going to view a property. Fully research the property beforehand, things to consider are its location, security, price and ultimately whether you can imagine yourselves living there. Create a list of questions you would like to ask, it is important you get all of the information you need to help you make that decision. It is also worth taking a camera/phone on the viewing so you can take some photographs, you are going to be viewing a lot of properties so having notes and images to refer back to will come in use.
3. Letting agent or private landlord?
That is the question. They both have their pros and cons, however we would advise using a letting agent. They add a layer of security, work as the middle man between yourselves and the landlord and also ensure that everything is done by the book and meets legal standards.
4. Talk to existing tenants.
It is also best to get a second opinion, and nobody has a better idea of what a house is like to live in than its current or previous tenants. Simply have a chat and ask them a few questions, they have nothing to lose so are most likely to give you an unbiased and realistic account. If they seem pretty happy, then you can’t get much better than that.
5. No pressure.
Going to university is an exciting yet nerve racking time, but don’t let yourself get caught up in all of the preparation and stress. Reach out to all of the support around you, be it university support, letting agencies, and most importantly your family and friends. Everything will all fall into place and you will have the best time.
If you are looking for student properties, please get in contact with us via our email address franchisesupport@belvoir.co.uk.
Image credit; photo's from Unsplash.
