Student House Hunting

If you're a student, especially in the United Kingdom, you'll know that searching for a house at uni can be an absolute headache. It was three years ago that I had my first ever house hunt. I was a second year student in university, and my friends and I got together to try and find a decent roof to put over our heads for the coming months. We weren't aware at that point just how bad student living could get.

If you've never had a student house hunt, then you may not be aware of the obstacles one must overcome to find a good enough place to live. Student accommodation is notorious for having less than acceptable hygiene levels and even less acceptable house faults. I myself have never lived in a student house that didn't experience a leak, power outage or a broken oven. These are completely standard, believe it or not! And it gets worse.

During one of my first ever house viewings in 2017, my friends and I ascended to the attic, where the last bedroom was, and were surprised to see a sex toy lying on the floor, completely uncovered and completely obvious. We were fairly certain that even the estate agent knew about it, but of course chose to act like they were none the wiser. We thought it was absolutely hilarious, because you'd just never see something so bizarre during a regular property viewing. We also walked into absolute bomb sites, where food, plates and wrappers were strewn across the house like it was nobody's business, despite the current tenants knowing in advance that we were coming.

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to view a few houses and flats for our next tenancy, and were truly shocked at how gross it could get. We walked into one house and saw that half of the wall by the entrance was completely swollen, like something was trying to break through! The estate agent told us that, even though they'd ask the landlord to sort this issue, he'd simply covered it in some tiles, like that made it look any less horrible. He assured us that it would 'be fixed soon', but a student letting agent's promise is often as reliable as a marzipan fireguard.

We ended our viewings knowing that none of the properties were any good, which is often the case when you're a student. It's a common assumption that landlords see students as weak, lazy and unwise. Therefore, some are completely careless towards the conditions of their properties. If it's still standing, it's fine, right? Now, it's not to be said that all landlords with student properties are like this. I have dealt with landlords that are keen to keep things in good shape, and keen to keep the tenant-landlord relationship remains above water. And these people are the true diamonds in the rough. They are the unspoken heroes of the student letting market.

Of course, a good landlord shouldn't be a luxury. All landlords should take pride in their properties and give respect to the tenants that live in them. But I just think that it's often a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'. In other words, if it's not a direct or immediate problem, then it's not a problem. Given some of the rental fees a student must pay to live in a half-decent house or flat, you'd really think that a little more consideration would be given by the property owners. But no, there's no need for that, apparently.

I am still on the hunt for my next place. Luckily, the next 18 months will be my last as a student, and then I can begin to consult some slightly more professional real estate agencies. You see, many of the more well known local letting agencies in many cities do not accept students, and do not let properties according to the academic calendar (e.g. June 2019 to July 2020, or September 2019 to July 2020). This means that we are limited to who we can go to for help in finding a property. As a result, we must crawl our way back to the student letting agencies, and accept their smelly embrace.

It is our hope that we find something good enough soon, so that we can be certain of a place to live next year. It is often tempting to just 'wait 'til something better comes along', but then you have no guarantee that you'll have anywhere to live in your university city. Worse yet, some estate agents like to pressure you into signing, telling you that 'properties are going quickly', or 'we've got quite a few people interested in this one.' Of course, you can't blame them. It's simply a business strategy. But as desperate students who are in fear of not finding a place, these off-hand comments can be deal closers.

My advice as a well-experienced student property hunter would be to consider all options. No, there aren't only one or two houses left, and this isn't the only house for you. If it really seems like it's not up to standard, or the agents are unfairly pressuring you into signing a contract, walk away. There are other places, plenty, in fact. Remember that you are deserving of a clean, functioning place to live, and no one is allowed to take that right away from you. Happy hunting, fellow students!