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There’s nothing more exciting – or stressful – than moving into student accommodation. From choosing your flatmates and negotiating with landlords to finding the perfect pre-drinks location, there’s always lots to consider. If you want to ensure your first foray into renting is a success, take a look at these top tips now:

Check Everything Works

When you’re viewing potential properties, don’t just look at each room. Instead, you’ll want to check everything works properly, so run the taps and turn on the lights. Unscrupulous landlords often try to avoid completing repairs in student houses, so it pays to be vigilant.

Look for an HMO Tenancy

Most student properties are leased on an HMO basis, which means you and your flatmates will pay rent to the landlord individually. A house of multiple occupation (HMO) recognises the right of each tenant and prevents you from being liable for someone else’s rent, so it’s often the easiest way to rent a student property.

Get Extra Storage

Take a look at the average student tenancy and you’ll see that they run from September to May or June, rather than for a full 12 months. This reflects the academic year, but it does mean you’ll need to move out before the summer starts.

If you’re returning for another year at Uni, moving all of your possessions can be unnecessarily stressful and costly. With secure storage facilities, like Student Storage, you can keep everything close by, ready for the next term. What’s more – you can even opt to have your belongings collected from your student house, so lack of transport isn’t an issue.

Insist on a Break Clause

A break clause in your tenancy agreement gives you the right to end the tenancy early if you need to. Most break clauses allow tenants to end the agreement after six months, but this is subject to negotiation. You never know what the future might hold but insisting on a break clause gives you a little more flexibility and can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Choose the Right Location

When you’re searching for a student house, don’t focus solely on the features of a property. Although they’re important, your location matters more. If you need to get two buses or walk for 3km to get to a 9 am lecture, the chances of you attending go way down! By finding student housing close to campus, you can enjoy a speedy commute and make it to your lectures on time, no matter how overtired you are.

Find the Right Student Property

If you want to find the perfect house for you and your flatmates, it’s vital to start looking early. The property market in popular student towns might be thriving, but there is stiff competition when it comes to securing great accommodation close to campus. By getting your list of flatmates nailed down and searching for a student house as early as you can, you’ll have the best chance of securing a property that has a great range of features, a prime location and affordable rents.