A Student’s Perspective of Renting
According to Statista during the 2021/2022 academic year, there were approximately 2.2 million full-time and sandwich students in the United Kingdom (UK), with almost 347,680 occupying provider-maintained property. This tells us that the student market is vibrant and extremely strong.
I am a university student having completed my second year in Criminology & Law. I write this blog from the perspective of a tenant, focusing on student accommodation. This perspective is crucial for those who rent out student housing. My insights are based on my personal experience, which may differ from other students' experiences.
Student Lettings
Student Lettings – What a student should look for, from a student’s perspective
The first thing you must establish before looking for a place to live for second and third year, is finding a solid group of friends that you will enjoy living with. You do not have to be best friends but at least get on well enough so you can commit to living together for the next couple of years.
When looking for housing, you need to start early as possible! This is because there are a larger range of properties available earlier in the year than there is later on.
To put this into perspective, when I started University in September, I was already looking for houses in the previous November. Dependent on the size of your group will denote which type of property you will require. For example, my group were six in total so this meant we needed to look for 6 bedroom houses as fast as possible.
Key Government Guidance for the Letting Agents & Property Professionals
Over the last 3 months, Government has issued so much guidance to assist individuals, students, businesses and industry to correctly navigate Post-Lockdown changes. It is extremely important to understand that many aspects are mandatory, this means that they must be adhered to by law.
For example, wearing a mask or face covering is a legal requirement; the opening of nail bars and salons and beauty salons, tattoo parlours, indoor gyms and sports courts and facilities, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, is prohibited and therefore, currently illegal.
Student lettings have raised a lot of concern over the last 3 months and the impact on student accommodation and students has been quite drastic. The guidance gives an indication how to manage lets where belongings have been left behind by students, general guidance on contracts and accommodation.