Looking for a student house? Here are our top tips for finding one

It’s always great to look for houses early, but it’s best to be sure that you’re happy with future housemates first. Your experience with friends can make or break your uni experience, whereas your house doesn’t need to be perfect. After all, you could be used to the mess that was Carnatic…

So, here's our guide on everything you need to consider before you sign that contract on the dotted line!

Compromise!

First things first, you'll have to decide together with your friends where you all want to live. Whether that’s the famous Smithdown, close-to-campus Kensington Fields, or closer to the city centre so you can pop to Liverpool One whenever you want (although, you should remember the awful mountain that is Brownlow Hill).

Isn't Kensington appealing?

Living with people is all about compromise, you might not care where you’re going to be living, but your future housemate may want to be as close to uni as possible for late night ventures to Sydney Jones.

Something else you need to compromise on is rooms. Rooms in houses generally vary; it’s not the same as living in Crown Place. You might have to take one for the team and lump it in the box room, but that’s your compromise for living with them. Some people even negotiate to pay cheaper rent for the smaller room!

Choosing housemates

Who do you spend most of your time with and who can you see yourself living with? If you’re going to be living with people who aren’t your flatmates at the moment, make sure you’ve been on a night out with your new potential housemates, or have spent a fair bit of time with them so you know you’re making the right decision.

Whether you prioritise cheaper living to more modern living in a cleaner space, this also needs to be decided on because personal budgets may dictate this decision. There are so many student houses nowadays which are furnished well, to the extent that student houses can be even fancier than your parents' house!

"WAKE UP!"

Questions to bring up during viewings

When booking viewings, there are a few questions that you may want to consider. Make sure you know all the boring but very important details before you sign, after all, you don’t really want to be living in a complete shit hole.

Don’t be naive, look for hidden fees and ‘shop’ around. If you’re a first year, you may fall victim to believe that you have to pay a crazy amount for deposits, which include so many extra fees, and are usually unnecessary.

How do payments work? Does it fit if you’re wanting to pay monthly or when the student loan comes through? If they're asking you to pay a ridiculous deposit definitely question that.

Can you pay half-rent in summer? A fair few estate agencies only require you to pay half-rent through summer as they’re aware you’re not actually living there, which does help with costs quite a bit, especially if you have to fund this payment yourself from working all summer.

Are bills included? If they’re not included this might only bump up for weekly price up a few pounds, but it’s something you should definitely look into. Is it worth the hassle?

What furniture is included? There's nothing worse than turning up to your new house under the impression it comes with a kettle, toaster and microwave when… it doesn't. Don't be this person, different estate agencies vary in what furniture they offer tenants, so establish what they provide and what will work for you.

Have you reviewed the estate agency and their contract? – Try your bets to avoid dodgy landlords, possibly by researching them or even asking current tenants how their experience has been, and READ your contract!

Is the area safe enough? – Realistically, Smithdown and Kensington aren’t the safest places on earth, but there are definitely safer places than others within these areas. e.g. Kensington Fields feels safer than further into Kenny, towards the Lidl and McDonalds.

Also, ideally you don’t want to have neighbours who will be complaining every Tuesday when you’re having a pres for Skint!

The likelihood is that you will have to compromise somewhere along the journey of signing for a house, but, we hope these tips will help you choose the somewhat perfect house for you!