Maddie shares tips on finding student housing such as what to look for, who to live with, when to start, and how to avoid common renting mistakes.
In my experience, most students move every year of their degree. I personally stayed in three different places during my undergraduate degree, the first of which was university owned accommodation, and the next two being private rentals in the Selly Oak area. The hardest move for me was between first and second year. Living with the university was a much similar process than doing it myself. Housemates were randomly allocated, the choices were easy to find and to compare to one another, and my space was guaranteed as long as I filled in a short form by a certain date. Finding a place on my own had no such benefits, and there was a lot I wish I had known before starting the process. Now, as a wizened old third-year, there are a few things I would say to a fresher looking for their next house.
Short answer: A house. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are many different factors when choosing a house. Price is a key one, and you need to decide early if you want to find a contract with bills included, or if you want to do it on your own. While finding bills yourself can normally work out cheaper, it’s more to keep track of and think about so it may not be the best idea. You also need to decide if you want ensuite rooms or shared bathrooms, how small of a garden you’re willing to have and a whole host of other factors. All of this is also dependent on the number of people you’re sharing with, which brings me on to:
You meet a lot of people in your first year at university, but be warned: those who make a good friend do not always make a good housemate. This person may be your best friend, but are they messy and prone to blasting music at night? If the answer is yes, maybe reconsider living with them if you’re planning on keeping the friendship. Certain courses have placements, and it may be best to stay with other people on similar placements for ease. Similarly, if you’re all close friends in the same sports society, getting to and from training could be made simpler (and you’ll host a great sports night) by living together. It’s also important to consider numbers in this, as most houses are for between five and seven people. Any bigger or smaller and you may need to start looking slightly earlier as there will be fewer options for you. I personally would recommend sorting numbers before you start looking. This way nobody gets left out if six of you settle on a five bed house, or else you don't need to find a stranger on Facebook to fill the extra bed in the house of seven you found.
At the University of Birmingham, Selly Oak is the obvious choice, with some Harborne streets also being viable. But not all roads are built equal. Bristol road is the heart of Selly Oak, so you’ll be super close to all the shops and nightlife, but also close to all the loud people coming home late at night. The tops of Hubert and Tiverton are quiet and close to the park, but they’re a long walk from campus on rainy mornings. Medical students should also consider that the medical school is closer to Harborne than Selly Oak. None of these options are incorrect, but definitely take into consideration the exact location of the house you’re looking at.
Houses can be rented through several letting agencies through Selly Oak, which can either be found on the high street or by googling ‘student rentals Selly oak’. Once you have your eyes on a few (and remember: cast a wide net and consider a lot of options) book viewings and get as many of your group as possible to go to them. In second year, I was looking with a group of six. We went to five viewings, two of which stood out. We took a vote and settled on one. We had assumed at that point that the work was over, but it wasn’t. We took the contract to the university's free consultation service, which can be found in the university centre. They read through our contract, pointing out several issues we needed to talk to the letting agency about. We took that information back to the letting agents, and got a much better and more clear deal out of the ordeal. Although it seems pedantic, I would strongly urge every student to have this team look through their letting agreement before signing it and sending in the deposit.
I started looking for my second year house just after reading week, so in early November. We were signed by Christmas, and I felt this time frame was best. The next year we left it later, and were struggling to find any houses that met our basic criteria of number of bedrooms and budget. Going any earlier than this would have been risky, as I didn’t know anybody that well and could have ended up living with someone I didn’t get on with. Friendships in the early days of university are volatile and changeable, so people who committed too early could come to regret it. The whole thing is a balancing act, and there is no right answer. It’s just best to keep an ear to the ground and see what the people around you are doing. When it seems like a lot of people are looking for houses, maybe you should start as well.
This is by no means an exhaustive guide to getting a house: just a list of tips and tricks to keep in mind when the time comes. My last piece of advice is please be respectful to the current tenants at house viewings. Don’t touch their stuff, and don’t open drawers. Happy house hunting!
My name is Maddie, and I study English and Creative Writing and want to become a video game writer.
