Avoiding the usual student housing pitfalls

“I went down one morning and there were slugs coming out of the kitchen carpet,” recalls Abigail James, Cardiff University student, yet another student victim of shoddy private housing. Surprise though it may seem, living in squalor isn’t always due to the general lack of cleanliness typically attributed to students. More often than not, it occurs because of a bad choice of house. But all it takes is a bit of preparatory work to insure you and your mates spend the next year in a slug and disaster-free home.

Where do you and your motley crew start looking? Your first stop should be your student union. See if they have an accommodation service which does the work for you by compiling a handy accredited housing list.

This register only records the houses that have satisfied relevant standards. These requirements are things like acceptable washing faculties, gas and electricity supply and amounts of natural light. There are unfortunately, never enough of these houses for everyone to get themselves sorted.

There are some essential features that must be checked once inside the front door. Sian Cummins, from Manchester Student Homes, says, “It is important for students to check there is a burglar alarm, for any signs of damp and that all the appliances work. Switch on all the lights, the taps, and flush the toilet. Do it all during your viewing, so you know exactly what you are letting yourself in for.”

It is also a good idea to try to chat to the current tenants as much as possible. Their opinion of the property and the landlord, will be the most well-informed and honest. Lucy Morely, a student at Cardiff University, remembers, “On my house-hunt there was a guy living in one the places we were viewing who snuck me round the back of the property, out of the landlord’s earshot, to warn me about the place. He told me the landlord was dreadful and never fixed anything for months on end. Needless to say, pretty soon after that, my friends and I made a swift exit.”

Once you think you have found your dream property, make sure you aren’t being suckered in by some glittering amenity. Sure it has a hot-tub out back, but if the plumbing is shot, and the ceiling drips, is a month of bikini-clad girls in your yard versus months of chilly winter nights a trade off you can to live with?

Be wise to landlord sales tactics. Don’t panic and make a hasty decision just because he insists that the property will go fast and there are five more people itching to get it.

It is time to sort the basics with the landlord. Sian Cummins SEE CHECKLIST recommends the following precautionary moves:

When all these checks are in order, you should be good to sign. As a further safety measure, have your contract given the once-over by your university accommodation service.

Furthermore, if you are a full-time student, you also need to be aware that you are exempt from paying council tax. LINK IN TO INFO ABOUT COUNCIL TAX It is therefore your responsibility to collect your council tax redemption certificate from your student union and then give a copy to your landlord.

With all the bureaucracy out of the way, there should be nothing left to do but move in all your belongings, adorn the walls with crude posters and throw the biggest and best house party ever. Just make sure you clean up really, really well—it is your home now after all, save the thrashing for your mate’s place.

See the NUS House Hunting checklist for a comprehensive breakdown.

http://www.nusonline.co.uk/info/housing/12497.aspx

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