I am a modest person. And you know I'm modest cause I hate saying I'm modest in case it makes me look arrogant. But despite my modest disposition, the one thing I will never shy away from owning is the beauty of my student house. My university house is blooming fab and I will forever be grateful for stumbling upon it, cause most student digs are a 6/10 at best. Therefore, I feel like I am a pretty good person to be giving advice when it comes to finding a great house to live in once you leave your university accommodation. Below you will find my Top 10 tips regarding how to find the best student houses near your university!

1- Gather friends... early!

If there is one piece of advice I can give you about house hunting, it's this: start thinking about it early. Now I know this is hard because you are still finding your bearings and making friends, but begin bringing it up in conversations around early November (which means I'm a bit late to the game on this one, I know, don't hate me!). Think about which friends you've made so far that you could see yourself living with for the next year, and see if they would be up for it too. Don't worry if you haven't got enough friends to fill a house, start with a couple and they might have some friends to bring to the house as well!

Example Uno: 
My housing situation was a very strange one. My whole flat began discussing sticking together in one big house, but let me tell you, there are very few 8 room houses around, and honestly, a house that big will probably be quite claustrophobic. I live in a house of 4 and it is honestly the perfect number (but that's a preference thing). Anyway, my flat then split into separate friendship groups, but I was only friends with a couple of people, so between us we started asking around to find friends who could move in with us. This left us with a group of 7, which was too big. Therefore, we split into two, going into groups of people who knew each other best, and went from there. It was very stressful, but we got there in the end! Equally on that note, this year the girl who was moving in had to drop out last minute due to medical issues. After a panicked search on Facebook groups, we eventually found a fourth housemate - again, it might seem like it will never work out, but these things have a habit of getting there in the end 😊

But back to the point of this section. SEARCH EARLY! Houses will go fast, so try and aim to have it sorted by December. Not only does this mean you can forget about it for the year, but it means you will have a larger range of houses to look at, so you are more likely to find one you love, instead of one that is falling down and covered in damp.

2 - Research

Have a group chat of your chosen housemates so you have somewhere to send all the different houses you find. A quick Google search will find you local student housing agencies, or estate agents that advertise student properties for landlords.

Try and have group meetings to work out what you are looking for in a house: from price; to number of bathrooms; to amenities (although this will come as you look at houses); to amount of storage; and start booking all your house viewings. To save time, try and dedicate a day to just house viewings, and also be open to being shown other properties by an agency (that's how I found my house!).

As with Open Days, be sure to do lots of research about the house before you go. This means you can ask questions that you can't find out anywhere else, so as to make the most of your viewing.

Don't completely judge the images of the house, as they may be old or not fully represent the house: whilst the room sizes won't change, the actual decor of individual rooms will, once you've moved in and made it a home. I know I dismissed my house online because the images of the room didn't make it look appealing. That being said, one sure-fire way I found to judge a house was by it's...

3- ...Kitchen!

You may be laughing and thinking I'm completely crazy, but honestly I feel like a kitchen will tell you a lot about a house. My beauty of a house had the best kitchen we looked at, so if that doesn't convince you of this handy tip, I don't know what will! But in all seriousness, a kitchen will tell you the general standard of the house, how much the landlord has invested into it as a whole, and how well they take care of it. A newish kitchen, tells you they take care of it, an old kitchen tells you they might not. Obviously this might be proven wrong when you view the house, but it's a good way to rate them online.

4 - Think about the Area

One thing to think about when looking into houses is where they are located. Are they central, far from campus, close to campus (distance from campus may affect the price). Is the area safe or a bit dodgy (something you may only get a sense of when you visit)? What are transport links like (i.e. is a bus stop near by if you're going to have to use it a lot)? If you know the answers to these questions before you look, this will help you reduce your area of search so you have less houses to trawl through.

5 - University Accreditation

Many universities now offer accreditation systems when it comes to student housing. Mine does, and it gave us peace of mind when we chose the agency we're with, that the university approved of them. This may also be where houses listed by independent landlords, and approved by the uni are listed, so you may find a gem that isn't listed elsewhere!

Your university may also offer advice regarding contracts, organising rent etc, so be sure to find out what's on offer to help you in your house renting journey. This is most likely your first time doing this, so don't be afraid to ask for help to be sure you get it right.

This brings me nicely onto my next point...

6- READ THE CONTRACT PROPERLY

Make sure you aren't going to be pulled into any dodgy deals if things go wrong, such as your guarantor has to pay for anyone who cannot pay their rent, not just you. Yes it may be in complex jargon, so be sure to ask questions about anything you are unsure of at the contract signing. Don't be afraid to say no if you are unsure about the contract, it's better to turn away from the house now than lose thousands of pounds to the small print.

7 - Ratings System

This was something my housemate had us do and it was amazing! At the end of every house viewing, we would mark the house out of ten. This way we could see later on which one we had all thought was the best - you will see many houses, and forget what they were like, so this is a great way keep note of what you thought of them.

8 - Ask around

If you have friends in upper years, such as from societies, ask where are good areas to live, and good agencies to go with. You never know, you might be able to grab the house of your third year friend who is about to move out! Local knowledge is key 😉

Equally, if the current tenants are in when you look around, don't be afraid to ask what the landlord is like. You may need to hang back to ask once the person showing you around has moved onto another room, but this way you can find out how good the landlord is at dealing with any issues that arise. You don't want to have a great house, but a landlord that won't fix things for ages (if at all) - this is simply extra stress you do not need on top of your studies!

Equally, if there is no bills package or bills are not included, ask how much they pay in bills to work out the house's extra costs.

9 - Don't be afraid to ask any and all questions: you have to live there for a year!

Leading on from this, ask the person showing you around everything you need to know. From a break down of the costs and the procedure for if things go wrong, to if you have a gardener (and if not, do you get a lawnmower - cause I know people who don't have either) and what type of heating you have, don't be afraid to ask every and every question under the sun. If you have to organise the bills, find out the energy efficiency rating; if they're included, then ask if there's a limit on the bills package before you have to pay extra, and how many people have had to pay extra in the past, if that's the case. If they don't know, then, unless it's a very technical question, this is a warning sign about the landlord. I know of one agency where the lady showing us around was not very good, and then months later I saw a post warning against using them. Of course, it might have been her first day, but it's something to think about.

10 - Check the little things.

Try all the taps to check the water pressure. How easy is the oven to turn on - is the gas hob easy to ignite? What are the sockets like - old or new? Sit on the sofas and beds of comfort. You will likely be looking around when it's cold - is the house warm (i.e. is the heating good cause there is nothing worse than a cold house. If it's off, ask a current tenant what the heating is like if they are in). Again, you have to live there for a year, so don't feel silly checking for things, or have a more confident friend check if you don't want to. Just make sure to ask permission before you start testing everything out, especially if a tenant is in the room and you want to test their bed.




I hope this guide to finding your perfect student house was helpful. If you have anymore questions about hunting for university housing, then leave them below and I will try and answer them as best as I can.

June xx

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I can't tell a lie: I love an Open Day I do. I visited 7 different universities during my A-Levels, and was so disappointed when my travels around the country came to an end. Add to that three applicant days, a choir audition and, more recently, two postgraduate open days, and you're looking at an open day pro. Along with the fact that I ended up choosing a university that I LOVE, I thought it's only right that I write a guide to open days to help you get the most out of them.

1) Research before you go!

I can't stress this enough - you will get so much more out of an open day if you have researched the University before you go. This is because you will be able to ask questions which you can't find the answers to online or in prospectuses, making travelling there so much more worth it.

Researching beforehand also allows you to plan your day to a tee. This means you know exactly where you are going, what's on, and which accommodation you want to visit, ensuring you don't miss anything you want to see, and you work your way around the university in the most efficient way.

2) Go to all the talks and stands

This ties in to your research, but make use of all the talks and stands available. The stands are great for answering any questions about specific accommodation that you weren't able to visit; qualms about finance; and general queries about your course that the talks didn't answer. Similarly, the talks are such a good introduction to the course you are enquiring about. If you aren't sure which course you want to do, maybe consider going to talks about the different subjects you are interested in, to find out more about them. You don't have to go to an open day with a particular course in mind: in fact, I know of someone who went to a talk on a different subject to the one they were inquiring about and ended up studying that subject instead!

3) Don't judge taster lectures - to an extent...

Talking of talks, some universities will offer taster lectures on their open days, and most will offer them as part of their applicant days. Whilst these are a great insight into university life, and give you a feel for their teaching style, don't judge your whole opinion of the university on them. I know that I did, and looking back I can see that that was a mistake. For one, they can put their most charismatic lecturer on display to make you love the uni, but not all the lecturers there will be charismatic. Equally, the lecture may be boring, but not all you lectures will be boring at uni. One lecturer does not represent the whole course. The main thing is to work out whether you'll be taught by them enough for it to matter, and take it from there :)

4) Take All the Pictures

They are such a good reminder of the day, helping you remember what the campus, facilities and accommodation looked like, when you are reviewing your visits months later. Furthermore, they are great for comparing different unis, as well as for taking pictures of slides when you forget a pen and paper. Talking of which...

5) ...Bring a pen and paper to take notes - you are going to be given so much information!

Seriously, even bring a spare pen - you'll forget most of the information otherwise. Having a pen and paper to hand is also a great way to make notes of questions you want to ask. Oh, and don't forget to bring a bag to take the copious amounts of leaflets you will pick up, home with you.

6) Pick up all the freebies ;) Cause you can never have too many pens!

Nuff said.

7) There is no such thing as a stupid question

You are there to find out about where you could be living for the next three years, and the people from the university are there to help you make your choice by answering questions. Don't risk putting your £9,250 into the wrong uni, by being too scared to ask a question that is not as stupid as you think it is. If you're really worried, ask whoever is with you to ask for you, or email the relevant person after the open day (which goes for things you forget to ask too!).

8) Tour the area, not just the campus - you are gunna live there for three years after all 

After an Open Day, I would nearly always go out for a meal in the city, or at least go for a wander around the town. What you can forget when looking around universities, is that you are not only moving into the university accommodation, but most likely the accommodation in the city too (if you have to move out after first year). You will also be doing things within the town, such as the weekly food shop, clothes shopping, sight-seeing, clubbing etc. Ask yourself whether you can see yourself living in the city. Is it big or small enough for you? Does it provide everything you need, and is it easy to get to? What's transport like (including for travelling home)? Is it safe? I know that a 'turn off' for one uni was that the surrounding town had very little to offer, because it was so small.

9) Look at the library! 

You may not like to accept this fact, but the library will become your second home whilst at uni. Therefore, be sure to take a tour around, to see what the facilities are like. How many study spaces do they have (once you stop living on campus you will need a place to study in between class, and smaller libraries will get full fast, leaving you with nowhere to study)? How many books do they have (including online resources such as ebooks and journals)? What other facilities do they offer - group study rooms? Printers - do you have to pay for printing?

You may dismiss the library as a factor in making your university choice, but one campus had a teeny library, which just was not gunna be enough for studying history.

10) Talk to current students more than the lecturers!

They will know the course and uni experience better than anyone. There are normally ambassadors at the relevant course stands; giving campus tours; and giving talks. Whilst they are there to promote the uni, they are the best insight you will have about studying there. Ask them about the societies on offer (which will probably make up a large part of your uni experience, so do find out what sort of things you would like to join!); what the student culture is like; find out about the city and off campus accommodation; the work load; how they've found the student support system (I didn't even think about looking into this side of it, but have ended up needing it, so do find out about this, whether it be medical, counselling or therapy services). Whatever you want to know about university life, they are THE people to ask, even more than the lecturers.




I hope you have found this article useful! University open days are honestly so much fun, and such a good way to find out about the course, the university and the student culture. I know that they have completely turned my opinion of universities on their head, and have stopped me making the wrong decision when it came to firming my offers. Whether it be the size of the library, the city, the student culture, or the size of the hill it's set upon, these are all university 'turn-offs' that I would have never got from a shiny prospectus.

If you have any more questions about university open days, do leave them below and I will try to answer them as best as I can 😄

June xx

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