Should I stay or should I go? – I would rather stay in my shitty second year flat than go flat hunting

Student flats are notoriously awful, it comes hand in hand with the whole experience. Coming back from a long Christmas holiday spent at home I just can't stop noticing every single problem with my shitty student flat -call it a first world problem but it would be nice to live somewhere I can't physically see my breath.

I moved in bright eyed and optimistic. So what if the walls were paper thin and the doors didn't close? Naively I thought fairy lights and candles would fix all it's problems. But a Pinterest-worthy room can't get rid of the way my floor shakes every damn time a bus drives past.

A room with a view

The icing on the cake is the late night kebab shop directly opposite me. A neon beacon that invites drunk people to hang around outside my window and make sure I can't sleep. I've heard way too many loud and messy breakups – great for gossip but not conducive to a good night's rest.

Moving, however, means having to look for a new place. When faced with the hell that is flat hunting I'm suddenly overcome with love for my flat. It's not shit, it's got character.

Anything to avoid having to spend half of my life on Rightmove and Citylets. I'm not mentally prepared for packed flat viewings where you get a good look at the competition but not the actual flat – torture that could potentially go on for months. Worst of all, moving doesn't even guarantee a better flat. So I say better the devil you know.

To all embarking on the flat hunt this year: may the odds be in your favour. I'm staying in my shitty student flat.