The search for accommodation after the first year at university can be challenging. In this guest blog, current student Tommy Scourfield gives an honest account of the problems he experienced and what he would do differently.
My experience with getting my student housing for second year has been simply frustrating. I began searching for a house halfway through October of first term and I had signed a contract by the end of October. The house my friends and I chose was perfect, amazing location and a substantial kitchen and living room. We were initially thrilled to have signed, but then we realised our huge mistake.
Firstly, we assumed as Exeter was one of the most expensive places for student housing that our deal was reasonable, however, into the new year we found out from many friends that they had similar houses in very good locations for a surprisingly cheaper amount.
This was hugely disappointing as we rushed into something out of fear of the best value houses being gone early in the first term, which we later found out was truly not the case. This was very upsetting for a few of my fellow housemates next year as they will have to find a part time job to afford the rent.
The only plus side was that the agency we had signed through seemed very supportive, but once again they have been far from it. We had problems with some of the utility arrangements, which meant I couldn’t choose my own provider. Multiple phone calls and emails about this lead nowhere until only a few days before my tenancy was due to start, when I finally had it figured it out. I then had to set up the council tax exemption, which is not as easy and problem free as stated in the pre-arrivals checklist.
Finally, I needed a parking permit which was also apparently available 30 days prior via the website but that involved a few phone calls to figure out.
Lessons learnt
The main message I would give to first year students looking for accommodation next year is stay calm and wait, I know too many people who have lovely houses that waited longer than I did. Also, make sure to ask lots of questions to the person showing you around and to the agency to understand the next steps. Overall, don’t rush into things ignore the noise around you and just find your friends and keep an eye out but don’t put pen to paper as quickly as I did!
Help is here
There are lots of resources and advice teams at the University to help avoid some of the common difficulties that students face in their search for somewhere to live after first year. Visit the Move Smart website to find out more >