It can be hard searching for housing, especially as this is something new for many of us students. What do you even look for? Where do you find housing? What if you need a flatmate? Not to worry, I’m Aanya and I’ve got you covered!
Flatmate finder
Having trouble finding people to live with? Fear not, the Flatmate finder events are great to find like-minded people that you can live with next year! Have a look at upcoming events and get your free tickets.
Move Smart webpage
The Move Smart page on our website is an excellent resource especially as a starting point and a place to go if you’re unsure about certain aspects of housing. There’s blogs and timelines to help you stay on track and my favourite part about it is the ‘Jargon Buster’ which is like a glossary for common contract terms as contracts aren’t the easiest thing in the world to read and understand.
Guide to PBSAs
PBSAs are purpose-built student accommodations and there’s so many in Exeter. As of November 2023, a guide was made to include basic information of some of these such as contract length, rent and even student likes and dislikes. Having that section on what students wish could be different and what they liked can help you get a better sense of the place – compared to what the landlord who could be biased might be saying. Plus having this all neatly laid out in a table helps you to compare between accommodations to find the best one for you! You can even create your own table with the options you are considering.
Factors to consider
Before you start looking for housing it is a good idea to make a list of factors that you will find most important in your future house. I recommend meeting with your future house/flat mates and discussing things like whether you would prefer a house or an apartment, your budget, and how far away from campus you would like the house/apartment to be.
This will help you filter and narrow out the numerous search results that pop up when you search for housing online, getting you closer to your idea future home!
Here is a list of factors I would suggest you take into consideration:
- Budget – how much per week are you willing to pay? Think about contract lengths and deposits too.
- Location – how far from campus? Are there transport links nearby? Are there local shops nearby? What is the area like?
- Deposit – typically you might have to pay a ‘holding deposit’ once you’re quite certain about a house and after you would pay another deposit – check what is covered by this deposit
- Bills – some housing have all bills included whereas others don’t so see what you prefer
- Characteristics of the house – Do you really want a big garden or a big kitchen perhaps? Do you want en-suite rooms?
- Other things to consider – do you have a car and want a parking space/permit in your future house?
What to do next
After this initial discussion and meeting with your friends, I would then separate off and perhaps make a group chat or some place to add potential houses that meet your criteria. Book viewings for all of these because some houses look amazing in photos but awful in person – especially look out for any signs of mould or damage! Also, ask the landlord any questions that you even feel slightly unsure of – e.g. how often they tend to take money out of deposits? Or whether things like Wi-Fi are already set up or not? If there are tenants in the building while you do the viewing, ask them how they feel about the place too and whether there’s anything they don’t like about it to truly get a feel for what it is like. I would also recommend asking how much the bills tend to be if bills aren’t already included.
Good luck with your housing seTips for your housing search with Move Smartarch and remember it might feel like all the good houses have been snapped up, but there is plenty of accommodation available in Exeter and I’m sure you’ll find the right place for you.