Match Made in Housing Heaven: Finding Your Perfect Home and Housemates

For many, university is an exciting chapter in your life! From making new friends, juggling coursework, and moving into a new house, it’s also a very busy period, so finding a stress-free place to live (with stress-free housemates!) is essential.

Know what you want:

Before you start searching for your perfect place, you need to know what that looks like for you. Perhaps you prefer certain room layouts, or you know you need some outdoor space to soak up every ounce of sunshine. Nailing down a list of needs and wants is the best way to start your search.

Things you should think about:

• Budget: how much do you want to spend per month? Don’t forget to factor in bills too (unless you’re going for a handy all-bills-included option like our houses are!)
• Location: how early are you willing to wake up for a 9 am lecture? All things to consider when factoring in how long your commute will be! Generally, opting for accommodation that lies in the sweet spot between convenient access to your university whilst still being close to city amenities is ideal (but everyone has different needs!)
• Amenities: what are some things you need (or want) to have access to in your home? Do you know you want modern kitchen appliances or perhaps access to a garden? Having a clear understanding of what ticks your boxes will help you narrow down your search.
• Space: how much space do you need? Do you want a larger bedroom but don’t think you’ll use the communal areas as much? Are you someone who loves hosting and having friends round? Figure out how you want to use your house, and what that looks like for your spatial priorities!

Early bird gets the worm!

Start your search early! Student housing gets snapped up quickly, so once you’ve confirmed your university place you should begin the hunt. If you’re a fresher planning ahead for second year, aim to be house hunting by the end of your first term to give yourself the most choice for housing options.

The elephant in the room: Housemates

Finding the right housemates can be a daunting task. Sometimes, your best mates aren’t necessarily the same people you want to share a house with (and that’s okay!). Part of the university experience is finding yourself interacting with numerous circles of friends, and your future housemates are part of that equation.

If you want to find your housemates before looking for a place to stay, you can start by looking up whether your university has an online forum or social media page to help connect students searching for housemates. Alternatively, if you’re already at university, start by asking around your friends (or even current flatmates, assuming you get along with them!). Alternatively, you can always ask your university for support and they’ll have resources to point you in the right direction.

If searching for housemates prior to securing your house isn’t for you, you can always sign up on your own for a houseshare. Luckily at Joint, we offer separate contracts from your other housemates, so you’ll have your own deposit and tenancy agreement with us. Meaning, if any of your housemates do wind up leaving uni, you won’t be at risk for covering their portion of rent whilst a replacement is found. This also means all our houses are open to individual applications, but you’re welcome to view and book as a group too (with some of our houses going up to 8 rooms, there’s plenty of room!) We even have organised social events to help you get to know your housemates, and have plenty of other tips on housemate harmony in our handy blog!

Understanding your contract

Speaking of contracts, before you finalise any agreements, make sure you understand what your rights and obligations are. It may seem daunting, but iron out any questions or concerns you have ahead of time, so you know exactly what you’re agreeing to. Finding housing through an ethical lettings agency will make this process easier and more transparent, so keep this in mind when you begin your housing search.

Your time at university should be exciting and enjoyable, so making sure your home is as stress-free as possible is key to this! At Joint, we strive to make the housing bits and bobs as easy as possible, so you can spend more time focusing on the more enjoyable things about uni! If this sounds like it aligns with your housing needs and wants, check out a list of our available rooms here!