Ten things to do when moving into a student house

Moving into your first student house can be overwhelming and confusing. For the first time you’re living in an actual house on your own, with no higher authority to pay the bills or sort out all the confusion. Everyone wants to offer advice, yet no one tells you what the most important things are. Housemates can be as much a hindrance as a help. So we’ve decided to create a list of the top ten things you have to do.

Take pictures of EVERYTHING

Those blue tack marks left on the wall? Snap a pic. That slightly lose door handle? Snap a pic. The festering mould in your bathroom? You guessed it, snap a pic. When it comes time to move out you want to make sure you’re only being charged for your damage and have the evidence to prove it. Also reporting damages to your landlord straight away can also mean that they can choose to fix it right away, so hopefully you won’t be stuck with a broken shower all year long.

Claim your fridge and freezer shelf

Getting a good shelf may not seem very high on the move-in checklist. But having to get on the floor just because you want your dinner will have you rethinking your priorities. Also, accidents happen. Your housemate’s leaky milk could trickle down and get all over your food, which would not be ideal. Actually, while you’re inspecting that fridge, give the shelves a clean, because I can guarantee they haven’t had one in a very long time.

Choose your cupboard

This is less serious than the fridge shelf as you’ll be able to keep your stuff safe from any spillages. But, depending on how social you are, asking your housemate to move so you can grab your plates and cutlery three times a day may not be for you. If this resonates with you, I’d recommend a cupboard which isn’t right by the sink.

Check the appliances actually work

There’s nothing worse than wanting to tuck into your delicious ready meal and finding out the microwave is just for decoration. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Take five minutes to make sure the kettle, microwave, toaster, hob, oven, and washing machine all work properly, to save yourself in the future.

Rearrange your furniture

Landlords aren’t very well versed in feng shui and often just shove random furniture into a random room, creating the strangest combinations. This makes your room feel smaller than it probably is, and rearranging the furniture can help it feel more like home and give you much more floor space.

De-clutter

Poor de-cluttering

Most Read

I’ve just realised that three cast members from Celebrity Traitors were in Game of Thrones

This year is slightly different, so here is the episode schedule for Celebrity Traitors this week

The ridiculous fortunes of The Celebrity Traitors: Their net worths, from £500K to £50 million

Previous tenants can leave things behind. When I moved into my second-year house the cupboards and drawers were left filled with crockery. This not only makes it impossible to organise your things but also makes your life much harder. Now you have to deal with items someone else didn’t want. It’s better to sort it out right away and free up more cupboard space. Just make sure it isn’t listed in the inventory before it gets chucked.

Assert dominance over the spiders

Durham housing can be very old, so there are often lots of hiding spaces for spiders. This means it’s a very good idea to be armed with a slipper or a hoover when unpacking. Spiders love nothing more than to make themselves at home while contributing nothing by way of rent.

Decorate!

It’s hard to feel at home right as you move in, but filling your room with your posters and little trinkets will definitely help. Get together with your housemates and have an arts and crafts night to decorate your communal areas. Before long you’ll turn that sad beige living room into a happy colourful one.

Make a cleaning rota

Most people are very busy from the get-go. So to avoid awkward conversations down the line about who thought who was supposed to do what, make a rota. This keeps cleaning organised and fair and preserves the peace. You can even make a sticker chart to reward your housemates if you really want to.

Host pres and start making those house memories now

Whether you know your housemates well or not, you will be living together for a year and should hopefully have a lot of fun with each other. Talk about your summers, what you’re excited for this year, or if you are joining a new society. Just have a chat or play a game and be excited about the new year. P.S. there’s nothing that bonds a house more than having a feral night out followed by being awfully hungover together in the kitchen the next day.

Featured image via Google Maps.

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Durham Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.