How to find somewhere to live?

BWZN93

Try and avoid letting agents too if possible as they are useless and cost a fortune! The local paper can also be of some help for the private ads, although there arent many aimed at students.

HTH

Jo xx

jobbingmusician

Also why not use this board and do a post on the local moneysaving board for (brain dead - was it Stafford?) asking if anyone knows anywhere for rent

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue wrote:

But I think if I asked my son if he'd started thinking about next year's accommodation he'd be :rotfl::rotfl: My advice to him was to try to find a rich friend to share with next year, but I don't think he's taken me up on it yet!

Well, how wrong can a mother be? I was reading his blog (it's the best way of finding out what he's getting up to!) and discovered that he's just signed up for a house for next year with three girls. :eek: Far more organised than I'd expected, although I suspect it's a case of someone making him an offer because they want to keep the rent down!

Kruger

Leave it till later in the year like June!, when the landlords get desperate and knock the rent down, I'm in my 4th year at Leeds, and I once fell for the letting agent hype after moving out of halls, that all the houses go by the end of January, my house is ok and quite tidy, getting it in June made a difference of £7.50 a week, knocked them down to £50 a week, which is very cheap for a house in the studentville of Headingley, and the letting agent must still be making a couple of quid.

As has already been said, no need to rush into it.

muddled_midget

I'd advise talking to people in the years above, if not about the house they're actually living in then their experiences of the landlords and agencies they have used in the past, and the methods they found that got their landlords to do something (very enlightening and always good to know when it comes to time to get your deposit back!)

suekjw

Firstly, hi!!! Havent 'spoken' for ages.

I actually live between Stafford and Wolverhampton. If I were you, I'd ask around the estate agents in Penkridge as I'm sure a couple do lettings too. Its a large village on the A449 between Stafford and Wolverhampton, on the bus route into Stafford, has a Railway station and there are usually a few houses available for rent around there - its a nice area, there are some good pubs too!

Sue

Kruger

Forgot to add above, try and find a private landlord, as usually they are cheaper and tend to have more of an interest in their houses. this also has carries some risks, but letting agents are just expensive mesenger boys.

ditzymuppet

As a final year student I'd recommend:

Talking to friends in the year above to find out what their landlords have been like and whether they'd recommend them. If your friends are in their final year, have a look round their houses and get talking to their landlord

Go through the University... the local letting agencies around here are really out to get you! They specialise in stitching us students up big time :rolleyes: The Uni will check and make sure that the houses are suitable, i.e have gas certificates, desks, tables, bedrooms, bathrooms etc... I'd recommend finding a private landlord through the uni housing dep't...

Don't worry if the housing list comes out late...don't panic! You have the whole summer to check it out...and if it's all getting a bit dire, then get the Uni to help you out! It's in their best interests to help you find a house... No house for you=no students for them!

Good luck

~ditzy x

MercilessKiller

Heya guys!

Just an update.. the uni released a massive database of registered houses. On the first day of the database been released it went from 400 available to 20 lol! but then another 400 were getting added every day and just disappearing!

My friends didnt seem to realise how urgent it was, so I made a decision to book about 10 appointments and drag them along with me! We found a place we liked.. read the contract, and signed the next day! fantastic!

We couldn't have left it longer as some suggested, as they have just all gone ridiculously quickly. I know others now without a house and struggling a LOT! The problem is that Stafford is obviously very limited. In leeds there's endless people moving in/out around and about! In stafford though it's a lot more limited, and once they're gone, it becomes very hard!

Thanks for ALL your advice

MercilessKiller

suekjw wrote:

Firstly, hi!!! Havent 'spoken' for ages.

I actually live between Stafford and Wolverhampton. If I were you, I'd ask around the estate agents in Penkridge as I'm sure a couple do lettings too. Its a large village on the A449 between Stafford and Wolverhampton, on the bus route into Stafford, has a Railway station and there are usually a few houses available for rent around there - its a nice area, there are some good pubs too!

Sue

Thanks for that but decided to go with registered property instead! Though if you have any problems with a computer I can happily come help haha!