Finding a student house shouldn’t be the painful task it can be. Scouring rental sites for decent houses is confusing, agreeing with your mates on which house you all like the look of is impossible, and there’s only so many tabs you can have open before you give up and say ‘Let’s just do it tomorrow’.
When you do finally agree on a house (yay!) you’ve now got the bills to sort. From the slog of dealing with energy companies to being nagged for (or worse, being the nagger) every single month for the payment: it’s a chore.
You can tell us every single horror story when it comes to student housing, and we’ve probably heard it; this is why we do what we do. We remove the hassle of finding a house, and even sort the bills for you guys too. UniHomes acts as a comparison site for all student flats and houses, putting the homes from the best letting agents across Sheffield all into one place. With bills included in every single one. How easy is that?
It’s literally a no brainer, so while you leave us to handle the hassle of student accommodation – we’ve put together a list of the bits that are down to you…
Be sure of who you want to live with, and your group size
Don’t jump into signing for a house with people you have doubts about; if you’re not 100%, it’s probably not meant to be. Living with someone is completely different to seeing them every now and then, and there’s a big difference between good mates and good housemates. Living in a bigger house is usually cheaper, with rent and bills being divided by more of you, so it’s worth taking that into account. But remember, the more people, the more mess. Pick wisely.
Find the best area
You don’t want to be trekking across the country to get to your lectures every morning, so save some money on the bus fare and look in a decent area. On UniHomes, you can use the map view to see which houses are close to uni (and the pub). This way, you can enjoy more
of a lie in and less taxi fares home from a night out.
Compare houses and book the viewings
While searching on UniHomes you can create shortlists of your favourite houses and even share them with your group chat directly through UniHomes, handy if you’re finding it difficult to all sit down and look together! Once you’ve decided on your favourites, you can book multiple viewings all in one go – directly from the shortlist. Easy, right?
Be prepared to sign for a house straight away
Before you go to view a property it’s good to do your research. Once you’re there inspect it fully and check it’s exactly what you need. With the demand for student housing so high, there’s a chance you might walk straight from the viewing to the letting agents to sign for the house immediately, but you should never feel pressured to sign for a house either. If you’re unsure, take your time to think about it and even if the house goes, they’ll always be somewhere else.
Check your contract
Before signing, triple check the contract. Check the dates of the tenancy, the price and information about the furnishings. The contract will probably be a joint tenancy agreement, meaning housemates are all collectively responsible for rent, so if you have any doubt someone might not pay up, then it might be best to have a back-up plan.
Your bills
Like we said, booking through UniHomes means your bills are all sorted for you. We’ll make sure that your utilities are all up and running for when you move in, so you don’t have to worry about a TV license, changing energy suppliers, or being chased for bills every month. How good’s that?
With all that done, all you have to do now is find some decent fairly lights for your walls and suss out the local. You’re welcome.
Looking for a student home with bills included? Check out unihomes.co.uk
