Renting non student accomodation as student

V_Chic_Chick

WokandtheBooby wrote: »

I do have access to furnishings however most of those available that I have seen on zoopla and other renting sites they already have beds, washing machines, fridges etc despite being listed as unfurnished so depending on which I chose this might not be a problem.

With the credit issue, Ill have a credit check prior to pursuing this but having a pristine credit card repayment record should probably help with this?

It may very well be that those pictures were taken when previous tenants were living there, and that was their own furniture, which has now been / will be removed. Even in my furnished student house, there is quite a bit of furniture that belongs to us (the tenants) and which will be coming with us when we leave. That includes everything from bookshelves to desks to a double bed (!). Make very sure you get in writing what is included, and what is not, if you need it to be furnished.

If you did rent somewhere unfurnished, then you could go to furniture charity shops (Emmaus is a nationwide one, but often local charities have a specialist furniture shop) to buy some furniture. However, they won't sell second hand mattresses, and buying a lot of furniture that you perhaps aren't too keen on aesthetically speaking will wipe out many of the savings.

You should also be aware that if you have a six month fixed term, then there is nothing to stop them evicting you at the end of that term. If you were to start renting in September, then that would be the end of February; if you were to start in July, then it would be the end of December (when you really want to be at home with your family and revising, not moving house because you have to). Try and get a fixed term for a time that suits you.

I would caution against signing a fixed term through the summer. If you were to want to move back into the student sector in third year, then any such contract will probably start on July 1st. If that is the case, then you don't want to find yourself paying rent on two houses at once. If you did have to move at the beginning of the summer, then it would be much less disruptive than moving mid-way through the academic year.

Credit checks are funny things, and they can be interpreted differently by different companies. At 18 / 19 many people don't have any credit record, which can be a problem, but you say that you have been paying off your credit card every month in full, which is a start. Other things like phone contracts (in your name) will also show up.