If you are, or have been, a second-year student, you probably also know the struggles of finding suitable housing for next year. Most people have to choose between two options: either staying within university accommodations or moving out to student housing/private accommodations.
Last year, I decided to move out of university accommodations with some friends and into private student housing. This decision was partly due to the cheaper fees and partly because we were unsure if the university accommodations would allow us to continue living together.
From October to December, we explored many, many houses and student accommodations. This year, we have done the same, though we decided halfway through to stick with our current house.
Throughout these months of house-hunting, I personally experienced many of the trials and tribulations associated with finding housing for second year.
Contractual Problems
Some student housing options may have problematic contracts. For instance, on one occasion, my friends and I received the contract for a house, but upon reviewing it with the University Legal Services, we were informed that several clauses in the contract would be considered illegal.
This highlights the importance of researching thoroughly, reviewing the contract with assistance, and being cautious of potentially unfair terms.
Double-checking contracts is very important, especially for international students. I am an international student myself, but I was fortunate to find friends local to the UK who were willing to rent with me early on. As a result, they were much more familiar with what to look for in houses and what is required for renting.
A term that came up was guarantor, typically a working adult in the UK who will pay your fees in case the student cannot. I was able to find one in time due to being warned, but I also know of people who could not and returned to university accommodation.
The Time Pressure
The prime season for marketing houses is around October. As the months go by, accommodations dwindle in number. I do know of some people who secured their housing as late as July, but usually those options are for solo renters or small groups looking to share.
This means that first-year students have to start looking for accommodation incredibly early. I remember being incredulous at the fact that I had to search for housing for the following year when I had only lived in the UK for a month at most and hadn’t even turned 18 yet.
Some try to postpone house hunting until later in the year or the second semester, but the pressure on time is real.
Usually, when you want to rent a place, you would tour it multiple times before making a decision. This is not possible for student housing due to the competition. There were far too many occasions when my friends and I really liked a house, only to have it signed by another group within a week.
Sellers often try to speed up decisions; one seller even brought paper copies of the contract for us to review and sign on the spot once. This leads to situations with hasty contract signings, which carry risks of unfairness, as mentioned above.
The time crunch becomes a bigger problem when, for some, private accommodation is only a backup plan. This leads me to:
Problems with Getting University Accommodation
Most people are guaranteed a place in accommodation during their first year and have to apply for a place in subsequent years. Typically, allocations are based on need, with those who cannot commute to the university, such as international students, having a slight advantage.
Most of the people I know who applied for accommodation were able to secure a decent place. However, a portion of students struggle to secure good university accommodations, and there are some are unable to obtain any at all.
I managed to have a conversation with someone who worked to allocate university accommodations. Preferring to remain anonymous, they told me:
“There were so many people who could not secure university accommodations. We had to tell them we had no space left. Links to sign up for private housing are provided, but that’s all we can do.”
Here’s the biggest problem: since university offers must align with the release of A-level scores, confirmations for accommodations can be incredibly late in the year. This means that individuals may not find out if they have a place to live for the next year until late August or even September, by which time many housing options are already off the market.
While the university itself offers assistance with finding housing and legal counsel if needed, such services cannot cover every single student.
Final Advice
As someone who has been through the process two times now, my advice is to make sure you check the house carefully during viewings and review the contract with both your family and university services.
It helps to ask the residents about the landlord’s response time, as well as any major issues wrong with the house. If you do not like a part of the house, don’t expect that you will be able to grin and bear it.
Good luck to all.
