So when I decided to go to university, one of the things that had a bigger impact than I thought would be living in rented student accommodation. I live close enough to the university to be commuting from home however I really wanted the "full university experience" by living in halls in my first year. I nearly ended up living in halls for my second year until a course mate asked me if I wanted to live in a shared house with her and a few other people, which is what I did and now going into my third year I decided to live with my boyfriend. Now the transition from living in halls to private accommodation wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, the main difference most people have is that you have to pay for your own bills and do the research into bill providers yourselves.
I was lucky as our 2nd hear house was all bills included, whereas the house me and my boyfriend are going into this year isn't. It sounds daunting to be calling up energy companies and getting quotes but it isn't as bad as expected. Everything I have learnt from living in my 2nd year student house I will be able to tell you and me and Jack have sorted out our bills so I can tell you about that. I will let you know how living with Jack goes in about a years time when the tenancy ends but for now here are my top tips for living in student accommodation.
-Label all of your own personal items. This includes and furniture, kitchen items and anything you will be keeping in the communal areas. There will be nothing worse than getting into fights over pots and pans, especially if you do end up using each other's stuff then at least be respectful and if you know you're using someone else's plate for example, treat it as you would treat your own stuff. And if it gets broken buy another one. But make sure you know what is yours before you move in and keep a record of if somewhere.
-Expect fights. Before I moved to uni my main aim was the gain a group of close girl friends and when I was moving in with 4, other girls I knew is wasnt going to be plain sailing. There'll be fights over silly little things such as someone not washing their dishes, but you need to be white lid back when you're living with your friends. If you hold grudges over a broken plate then nothing will be solved. But the warning is you could go into a house being the best of friends and come out being enemies. The key to not fighting is just to be respectful of your flatmates; if you make a mess, clean it; if you break something, replace it; if you have a problem with someone, tell them. There's no point in letting something stew for so long and bitching to another flat mate won't help at all. Remember you have to live with these people for a year and you don't want an unpleasant time.
-Make rotas. For everything! Milk, cleaning anything you can think of. When someone ends up doing all the work or always pays for communal items its not very fair. So as soon as you move in figure out a cleaning rota and any rotas for communal food such as milk or butter etc and stick to it.
-Read your tenancy. And make sure you understand it, if you don't ask your letting agent/landlord about anything. Especially for when you are arriving and leaving the property, make sure all the rules have been followed and that you stick to the guidelines so you don't get and additional charges or fines. I've heard horror stories about groups of friends who have fallen out because they were in a house share and one person left their room a mess when it was time to move out and all the tenants got charged for it. That's one of the main differences between being in halls and a shared property, the tenancy is shared so you are all liable for any damage that happens. Which brings me to my next point...
-Take photos. Take photos as soon as you move in, especially of any damage which you should report immediately as well as when you move out. This is because if you are accused of damage which you haven't done and want to appeal for your money back, you have the evidence to do so. It can also be a reference for when you leave the property so everything is back in its original place if you rearrange any furniture.
-House meeting for bills. In my last house I had the luxury of being able to get an 'all inclusive' offer where I didn't have to pay for any bills. This year however we decided to go for a property where we had to sort out the bills ourselves. Sounds terrifying but we wanted the experience of being able to do that as students rather than later in life where we wouldn't have a clue. It is important that everyone pays their way for bills and the way you do that is up to yourselves, whether yous set up a joint bank account or owe a spokesperson money every month. The best way to sort the bills is to have a house meeting, that way everyone is helping out and everyone has an idea of what's going on. You will probably have a spokesperson for the house and who the bills will be addressed to, but if you are that person you need to make sure everyone else in the house is pulling their weight. Keep a record of all the money they owe you and make sure you get it. Also keep a record of every bill that comes through and make housemates aware of how much it is, stick it on the fridge if you have to. The more everyone has an understanding of the bills the better.
Disclaimer: I hope this helps you when you are moving into a house share, some of the points I made do apply when living in halls. I know I haven't covered alot of things but based on experience these are probably the best bits of advice I can give, but if you have any other questions regarding your living situation at university then just ask me in the comments below, or Tweet me @Elisa_A__
Elisa :-) x
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