This is part of a series of guidance about finding accommodation provided for students.

Viewing Accommodation

Before you even go out looking for a house, you should try to get a reasonable idea of what you’re looking for. Students who are going to be looking in groups should make sure they all have similar ideas about what you are looking for.

Know What you Want

Whilst every group will have different criteria they will judge a house against, there are some common points you should consider:

Budget – how much can you afford to spend on rent?
Room sizes – some types of properties offer equal sized rooms, others have some smaller rooms. Do you all want large rooms, or would someone be happy to take a smaller room? If the rooms are unequal in size, would you come to an arrangement amongst yourselves on the split of the rent?
Facilities – What are the ‘must have’ items to be provided with your house? Computer network to share broadband? Microwave? Tumble drier? Dishwasher?
Transport – Do any of the tenants have cars they will need to park? Do you want to be near a bus route?
Services – Think of any services you want to have on hand. Supermarkets are great for your main shop, but a local store can still be handy if you run out of milk. Are pubs and bars important to have nearby, or are you happy to go to town if you fancy a night out?
Areas – What locations are you interested in? This will probably be dictated by some of the points above.

House-hunting by committee can be a trying experience, so you should talk through these sorts of things before you start to look. If you can’t agree on them now, what are the chances you will be able to get on living in a house together for a year? So add “Housemates” to the list of things you need to consider carefully before you get anywhere near a house.

Safety Whilst Househunting

Once you’ve worked out what sort of properties you will be looking at, you will need to make plans to actually view some; step one is to think about how you will do this safely.

Make appointments to see properties in advance and let someone know where you’re going.
Never go out and knock on doors of houses on the off-chance. As well as being unsafe, this will disturb the current occupants, when the house may not even be a student house.
Try to look at properties in groups . Not only is this safer, it will also be easier to make a decision on a property if everyone has seen it.
Try to arrange viewings during the day . You will also be able to see the property better, and may notice some defects that wouldn’t be visible after dark.
Carry an attack alarm.

Viewing Other Properties

When you call a landlord or letting agent to arrange a viewing on a property, they may be able to offer to show you other similar properties that may meet your requirements. If they do you should be particularly careful that the property they are offering you is up to the same standard. In particular, if you’ve looked for an Accredited property (which we strongly advise you to), be careful that you’re not offered a non-Accredited one.

Get to Know the Area

Once you’ve found a house that you’re interested in, it might be an idea to visit the area at night, to get a feel for what the area is like – after all, you’ll probably be living there for a year, and whether it’s returning from a late night studying session at the library, or a few drinks at the pub, you’re going to have to go through the area at night at some point. Again, take care when doing this – don’t go on your own, and carry an attack alarm.

Summary

Know what you want and need as a group, and equally important, what you can compromise on.
Practice safe house-hunting. Never go door-knocking.
Beware of being offered an inferior alternative when considering other properties offered by landlords.
Get to know the area – safely.