How are you supposed to get a house? Advice from a third year

It’s the end of October, and with that, the dreaded uni house hunt season has arrived. 

Many of us have found ourselves asking the question: “How exactly am I meant to find a house?” 

As a third-year, who thankfully no longer has to go through the struggle of finding a student house again, I thought I’d share my advice. At this point, it’s easier to get a first than it is to secure yourself a second-year house. 

1.Think about who you live with 

In order to actually start looking for a house, you need to know who you are going to be living with. Or more specifically, how many people you are going to be living with.

There is absolutely no point in trying to start looking for houses if you are unsure how many people you are living with.

While it is important not to rush into living with people you don’t really know, the second year curse is unfortunately real after all, it is also important to consider the actual dynamics of the people you live with. Three club rats living with one quiet night owl is never practically going to work.

2. Agree your rent now 

It’s not a hidden secret that York rent prices are insanely high, it is one of the most expensive student cities in the UK. This reality means the students rents, especially in private housing, are also incredibly high. 

Furthermore, just because you may have lived with your future housemates in first year and paid the same rent, it does not mean you all immediately have the same budget for second or third year housing. Peoples situations change and it is important to respect them. 

Therefore, it is incredibly important to have a conversation about what your ideal rent price is before you start looking. Also, for those of us who chose to get a house with bills not included, consider how much this could impact your fixed expenses before signing the contract. 

Money is an awkward conversation at the best of time but by having a honest conversation early, you save yourself the awkwardness later. 

3. Explore different neighbourhoods

For University of York students, there are four main neighbourhoods where students tend to live: Heslington/ Badger Hill, Fulford, Tang Hall and Hull Road. 

All of them have different pros and cons alongside different reputations. 

Fulford is know as a more peaceful area located right on the river and close to town, while Tang Hall is known for being closer to campus but being a bit rougher. As someone who lived in Tang Hall last year, I would strongly emphasis the important of not taking everything you here about a specific area as the complete truth. 

Therefore, have a look at where the houses available are and weigh up whether you want to be closer to campus or the city, to have more or less green space. This will help guide you massively in deciding where you want to live. 

4. Go to the second and third page of Google

As I’ve already set out student rent in York is expensive. However, on major tip I’ve learnt at trying to find a house on a budget is to look beyond the websites which appear on the first page of Google. 

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Many independent landlords offers houses for prices considerably below the market rate, however these are often hidden on the second or third page of Google. 

For this reason I recommend digging through Google and you might just find yourself a hidden gem. 

5. Don’t believe the last 50 houses line 

I remember the October of my first year and quite frankly I was petrified that I would not be able to secure my house. The source of this fear was not because I didn’t have anyone to live with. It was due to estates agents constantly posting on social media and putting on there websites that they only had 50 houses. 

I’m here to tell you that is absolutely untrue. Or at least partially untrue.

The truth is the houses are released in waves. The first wave is typically at the end of October and start of November, the second is just before Christmas with two coming in January and March.

This mean that if website is telling you in December that they have less that 50 houses left, what they mean to tell you is that they have 50 houses of their current wave of houses. 

If you don’t have a house by Christmas you will be fine, if you don’t have a house by the end of January you will be fine. I have known people who secured their house in July. So please do full for the fear mongering! 

6. Sort your deposit now

One of the biggest things that surprised me when I first tried to get my second year house was the fact that I was just expected to have a random £500 lying around to pay for both a contract deposit and a house deposit. 

Obviously, we all know that we will need to pay for a deposit, but actual costs of a deposit can be a shocking surprise. If you don’t have the money ready it could also be the make or break of you getting a house. 

I would strongly recommend using reading as an opportunity to sort out the financial side of securing your house, as having a random £500 in your bank account is not a reality many of us find ourselves in. 

7. Use the snapchat story 

Please don’t underestimate the power of the York Snapchat story. For some second years, you might not be looking for a house right now as you may be planning to go on a placement or year abroad. However, sometimes plans can fall through and leave you in an awkward position. 

This happened for me and when it did I was dead set on one thing: I was not going back into halls.

I managed to secure my third year house, when a friend of mine advertised on her story that she had a spare room she needed filling in her house. This story is what secured me my final year house. 

So if I can share one thing, please don’t underestimate the power of a Snapchat story.