The do's and don'ts of renting a house
by Cherry Pullinger                    

When you've been kicked out of halls and have to find your own place follow these tips to make sure nothing too much goes wrong!

Do...

• Agree on a small group of people to share a house with. Sharing with 8 of your mates seems like a good money saver but your house is going to start feeling like student halls and imagine the queue for the bathroom in the morning! If there are a large number of people in your friendship group, you can try splitting up and get houses near to eachother.

• Agree on a budget. Not everyone gets the same amount of student loan money so make sure you all discuss a reasonable amount to spend on rent per week excluding bills. The better the house, the more the rent is going to be so make sure to stick to your budget. If you fall in love with a house that’s over budget, do not back down!

• View houses as soon as possible. Contact a number of student housing companies through their websites or via telephone, tell them what you’re looking for and arrange viewings for a range of houses.

Don't...

• Pick the first house you see. Make sure you view a number of houses owned by different companies. View the houses more than once if you have to but be sure to expect a little wear and tear, after all these houses are lived in by students!

• Keep quiet if there is a problem! Never be afraid to raise issues in fear of offending your friends. This is your money and your next 2 years of University at stake.

• Sign anything without checking it over. Before you sign any contract you must read over the document thoroughly. It’s useful to get an adult to check over the details if you aren’t sure about anything.

These helpful tips will no doubt lead you to securing the best pad around. Now you can start arranging your house warming party!