Don’t be a mug, wait until after Christmas to find a house

You won’t even like the people you’re planning on living with by the end of the year

letting liverpool student homes LSH renting student housing

All the good houses have already gone and everyone you know has already signed. Now you’re panicking because it’s nearly the end of the term and you’re definitely going to be homeless next year.

Everyone worries the good houses go really quickly, because they’re good properties. Letting agents often show you round in groups to rush you into signing. I remember running to a letting agents on Smithdown Road to put my name on the tenancy agreement because they showed us around with a load of other groups. The fact is that property was awful.

They knew they had us innocent freshers in the palm of their hands and could do as they wanted. They advertised it early because they knew it wouldn’t sell otherwise (so that’s why we see a load of “to let” signs popping up at the beginning of November). In Newcastle, the council even went as far as banning any “to let” signs being put up because of all the panic they caused.

Typical student home comforts

Don’t get me wrong, the student property market in Liverpool is competitive, but it’s the landlords competing for our tenancy.

There’s a surplus of student housing in the city and the best agencies don’t advertise as much, because people usually find them through Liverpool Student Homes.

On my nightmare journey to find a house I ventured to Kensington, where the rooms were appalling. They were tiny, had buckling walls and shocking facilities. When I asked whether a kicked in door would be replaced, the landlord said it would cost “too much money” to repair.

This won’t get fixed, even if they promise

But what amazed me most was my own initial reaction to the properties. They looked nice and I felt I could live there. The landlord showing us around was charming. It was only on closer inspection that I really became aware of their poor quality. Needless to say, the properties did not make it onto the LSH website.

The trick in waiting is something you don’t realise until later on. You’re advised to start looking in December, but not sign until February.

The longer you wait, the more nervous and desperate the landlords and agencies will be to actually fill the properties – an empty property is no money for them – and the more they will be willing to throw in.

A full kitchen re-fit, another fridge, TV and TV license – all examples of people waiting until May/June/July time and controlling the terms of the contract.

These people probably hate eachother now

But that’s not the only reason you should wait. You might want to live with your best buddy and corridor pal now, but you’ve barely known them three months.

Living in a house is way different to halls. You have to share cleaning duties, toilet paper, toothpaste and try not to rip each other’s heads off for turning the heating on in autumn.

So many people fall into the trap of living with the first group of people who offer, but things will change over Christmas – and by then you’ll be legally tied to them for another year.

The Housing Fair will take place in the Guild on Wednesday 3 December. It’s a great opportunity to meet reputable agencies, see the kind of accommodation available and how much you might need to pay, as well as receiving housing advice from the Guild and Liverpool Student Homes.