What you need to know before you start looking for somewhere to live

Renting as a group

Q: Would I be better off renting as part of a group?

A: Most students do this – agree to rent a whole house between them and sign a joint contract.  It is generally much easier and cheaper to find accommodation if you’re part of a group and, in fact, this is how most owners offer their properties.  You should, however, be aware of the implications of signing a joint contract before you commit yourself.

Q: If I opt to live in a shared house, flat or tenement, what’s the best number to share with?

A:  Choosing how many to share with is important.  Properties for between three and six are best.  Houses for two and for seven or more are in short supply.

If you're in a large group and there are no houses big enough on offer, it's worth thinking about splitting into two groups and looking for two houses close to each other.

Q:  Are there any particular pitfalls to living in a shared house?

A:  It's important when hunting for a shared house to be clear about your own "wants" and "don't wants" and others' needs.  If you're not, difficulties can emerge during the tenancy - most are fixed-term tenancies which mean it is difficult to get out of your contract and leave the property before that fixed term is up.

Generally, there are no golden rules that make for a good house share. There is a theory that mixed (male and female houses) work better than single-sex households and that one woman sharing a house with several males tends not to be a good arrangement.  This theory holds good for many cases, but by no means all.

If you decide that you do not, after all, want to live with the people you agreed to share with, say so before signing a contract. It will spare you real problems in the long run.

Women students should weigh up all the implications of living in an otherwise all-male house.  You may feel perfectly at ease with the group but there may be times when you are alone at night with just one of them - will you still feel comfortable then?

Q:  Should I live with friends?

A: If you agree to share with people you do not know at all you will be taking a limited risk - but often these house shares are as successful as those between friends, because the level of formality in agreeing sharing arrangements between people who do not know each other makes for a smooth sharing arrangement over the year, whereas disagreements between friends can be avoided and remain dormant within the sharing arrangement until there is some crisis when the house is being occupied. Reducing the risks: Security

Q:  What about sharing with my partner?

A:  Some students (particularly second and later year students) decide to live with a partner in which case a large bedsit, a self-contained flat or a small house would be the best choice. Self contained flats form about 8% of student occupancy and although they are the most expensive form of accommodation, if two people are paying the rent they can actually be cheaper, or no more expensive, than renting a room in a shared house.

In signing any fixed term agreement it is important to take a realistic view about the nature of your relationship with your partner and the legal commitment you will be making in sharing a flat - will your relationship last longer than your contract?

Q:  What about smoking and smokers?

A:  One of the more common causes of friction in houses relates to smokers and non-smokers. There are some people who really cannot stand the smell of smoke in a house (and there may even be medical conditions that this can trigger) so it is important to consider this issue before you form a group to rent a house. If you are sharing with friends you will know about this issue and the problems can probably be resolved  (allowing smoking in individual rooms but not in the communal areas for example).

If you are renting from a University or College the problem is more complex because you do not know who you might be sharing with. Most application forms allow you to express a preference about smoking but many students are not entirely honest about being smokers when they are filling in their forms, or they start smoking between when they filled the form in and when they arrive at the room.