What To Expect In A Student House

  Oct 26, 2021       No Comments   

The change when moving from student accommodation into a student house can be both exciting and slightly overwhelming. The experience of living in a student house is very different to the experience of living in student accommodation with plenty of key points to consider. Thankfully for you, many students across many universities are in the exact same boat when it comes to choosing a student property to live in. Our top tip – you have a choice when it comes to who you live with, so choose wisely!

Prem-Lets offers a number of student properties across Newcastle in the most popular student areas, Jesmond, Heaton and Sandyford. We work to make sure that your experience of living in a student house is as positive as possible.

Living In A Student House

After spending a year in university halls and living in a big block of flats or whatever student housing you may have lived in, stepping into a student house can be quite a culture shock. From paying rent, dealing with the local council and managing a student budget, living in a student house is a very different part of student life to university halls with so many things to be wary of.

What Is it Like Living In A Student House?

So, what is it like living in a student house? From arguments about who gets the best room, to who’s dirty dishes have been left in the sink, there will be a whole new range of hurdles to tackle. Many students across many universities will face the same issues when moving into a new house with their friends. There are many things that will need to be checked, such as the strict rules of the tenancy agreement to working fire alarms and keeping your communal area tidy. And that’s before you get into the tv license! Here are some of the main issues that most students face when living in student accommodation:

Different From Student Accommodation

Moving into a student house is a different experience to living in student accommodation.

If you had the luxury of an ensuite bathroom for yourself in first year, you’re unlikely to get that in a student house, so you’ll have to get used to sharing. You’ll also have the issue of dealing with room allocation, and there’s always someone that ends up with the box room (this could cause some arguments…).

University halls tend to have security present and CCTV, you won’t have any of this once you’ve moved into your second year house. No more security, CCTV, or doors that automatically shut behind you! Which gives you a whole new level of independence. Leaving a door unlocked or window open suddenly becomes a much bigger area of worry.

Dealing With A Landlord

Unlike in student accommodation, in a second year house you’ll be dealing with a landlord, and student landlords are renowned for taking advantage. Known for ignoring calls and taking forever to fix the smallest of problems, you want to make sure you choose to go with the right one. Here at Prem-Lets we attend to repairs quickly and efficiently, so this isn’t something you’ll need to worry about! We aim to attend to repairs within 24 hours. It’s vital that you take detailed pictures of any damages as soon as you move in, and make sure to read your tenancy agreement properly, as it will help you fight your case if landlords try to charge you for damage or dirt that was already there.

You need to be careful and wary of nightmare landlords, so make sure you do your research on all the housing companies in the area. When you go round properties for viewings try to speak to existing tenants to find out what they’re really like – lots of landlords can do a good sales pitch but struggle to follow through.

If you want a landlord who will attend to any issues and not try to rip you off at the end of your tenancy, then Prem-Lets is the company for you!

Sorting Out Bills

One of the main responsibilities when moving into a student house is that you’ll now need to sort your own bills, unless you’re lucky and bag yourself an all bills included package. After a year of paying an ‘all bills included’ fee for your halls, you may now need to figure out your own bills. It’s safe to say that you’ll quickly learn to turn off the lights and limit the use of the central heating.

Prem-Lets aim to make your experience of living in a student house as easy and enjoyable as possible. That’s why we offer flexible rent packages, for example, utility bills, cleaning and television can all be included in your rent. This can be tailor made to make life easier for you and help to budget more easily.

Getting On With Neighbours

Another aspect of living in a student house is that you’ll be surrounded by neighbours, and unlike in halls, they may not all be students. You’ll need to take this into consideration, as it will work in your favour if you get along with them. You don’t want to be getting noise complaints from people that you preferably want to get along with! It may be beneficial to go round and introduce yourself once you’ve moved in and establish communication with them.

Travelling To And From Campus

When choosing your student house you want to take into account how far away it is from your campus and where you will be mainly based at University. If it’s far you’ll need to ensure there are good travel links nearby.

Your student halls may have been located on campus, meaning you never had to worry about how long it would take you to get to university for your lecture or seminar. Unlike student halls, student houses are scattered throughout the surrounding areas, and some will be further away than others meaning you will definitely need to assess how far away from your campus you could be living.

Interested In Our Properties?

At Prem-Lets, we have a large number of properties available across Newcastle’s most popular student areas, including Jesmond, Sandyford and Heaton! Contact us for more information.