Here’s everything you need to look out for when searching for a student house in Liverpool

It’s house hunting season – the era of walking to house viewings in the rain, passive aggressive group chat messages, and having one housemate almost considering living in Kensington, for some reason. There’s nothing more exciting than the thought of having your own house as a second year, but the process to get there? Brutal. For those of you lost in the sea of viewings and rental agreements, here are a few tips to get you moving in the right direction.

It’s all about location

Right. Let’s start at square one – where do you want to live? Is it the pubs and cafes of Smithdown, the convenience of Kenny, or does town take your fancy? Smithdown might be the frontrunner for student housing, but Kensington will save your wallet when rent is due. Plus, you’re right on the doorstep of campus, even if you do have to tackle that awful hill at 8:30 in the morning.

If you’re up for partying your way through uni then maybe town is the place for you – bag yourself a flat above Bold Street to swerve the noise complaints and taxi charges of Smithdown and Kenny. You’ll have to weigh up your options here, as most of your mates will become Black Cat locals, and do you really want to be missing out on that? However, potential Smithdown students beware: the walk is longer than you realise!

Prepare yourself for awkward encounters

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Once you’ve assembled your pick and mix group of mates and herded them into some house viewings, there’ll be a few interactions you’ll experience for the first time. Waking up tenants on your first house viewing is an experience that unites students across all of our unis – just go with it, we’ve all been there. Between that and shaky letting agents, the uni house hunt isn’t the smoothest process but use these experiences! After apologising for interrupting their hangover – get asking the current tenants about their experience. How is the landlord, and would they recommend living there? Just remember that sometimes no answer tells you all you need to know – you’ll discover a weird patch of mould in your bedroom no matter what the current tenants say.

Your money has to go somewhere

Let’s face it, the student loan disappears quicker than you realise, but work out where you want it to go! If you’ve got a crying need for an en-suite then the sky’s the limit for house choices, but compromise on a few wishes and you’ll free up some of that loan. We’re not short of amazing pubs in Liverpool, and maybe your new house sits a few streets away from your new favourite local – it’s worth sacrificing the boujie bathroom for some £4 pints.

But university isn’t just boozing (contrary to what your family might say). We still want to go to Aldi and take trips with our housemates, but you can only do so much of this, so know where your priorities are. Just think about maybe not blazing ALL your loan on a shiny new student digs. Although you would become the go-to house party location.

Not to sound like your parents, but do your research

All this searching can feel incredibly alien, especially if you’re a fresher looking for your second year house, so let’s do some housekeeping. As a starting checklist consider mould, silverfish and rent payments – make sure your new places lacks the first two and is clear on the last! Before you go asking your guarantor and promising a few thousand pounds of payment, have you any idea on where you stand with TV licenses, parking permits or council tax? Nobody wants to spend their time haggling with a faceless landlord over furniture or heating bills when your friends are living their best lives. Is it really a hard choice between haggling over repair costs or meeting your mates for a trip to Sefton Park?

It’s a scary process and everyone worries they won’t get it right, but take your time! Houses don’t run out so there is no need to panic. Once you and your potential housemates have decided what your priorities are, get searching across letting agencies and you’ll land on your feet. On a lighter note – just make sure that kitchen is big enough for all the traffic cones you definitely won’t steal on a night out…