Housing

Starting Your Search

How to get started with finding housemates

They say that you don’t know somebody until you live with them… and they couldn’t be more right. So, it’s really important to make an informed decision when it comes to deciding who you’ll be living with next year.

Think about people’s habits, hobbies, routines and personalities. And remember, there is no set rule to say that you must live with the same people you’re living with now. If you're looking for a housemate you can check out the UoB Property Search Message Board where students often advertise rooms or search for housemates.

Think about how many people you’d like to live with, then only search for properties with the correct number of rooms. It may be tempting to get a bigger house, but if you have no one to fill the extra rooms you’ll have to pay more in rent.

Not found the answer you're looking for? Visit Shelter or Citizens Advice for all things housing.

Finding Your Perfect House

Once you’ve found your new housemates, it’s time to find the perfect property to suit your needs.

Things to think about when arranging a viewing:

Location

Condition

Bedrooms

Security

Safety

Budget

Bills

Rating

You can use the UoB Property Search Engine to view available houses posted by University-approved Landlords. All Landlords posting on this search tool are part of the Lettings Membership Scheme (LMS), so you can feel confident that they are legitimate.

You can then start arranging viewings for properties that you and your housemates like. It can be challenging to arrange a viewing with everyone present, so don’t forget to take photos and agree a list of questions to ask beforehand.

Viewing Checklist

Are bills included?
Is there a Gas Certificate?
What about the Energy Performance Certificate?
Is there a discount for renting during the summer?
What is the deposit and deposit scheme?
When does the deposit have to be paid?
How can we get our deposit back at the end of the tenancy?
Do you have an inventory list?
What furniture and appliances are included?
Is there a car park or bike storage available?
Do you have a sample tenancy agreement we could see?
Are there any agency/extra costs?

Agreeing a Budget

There are a few costs you will need to consider once you’ve agreed on your property:

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Deposit

More Info

A "tenancy deposit" means money that is held (by the landlord or someone else) to ensure that a tenant:

1.follows their responsibilities, or
2.pays for any damage or debt related to the tenancy.

Your "tenancy deposit" cannot usually be more than 5 weeks rent. To calculate your maximum "tenancy deposit", you can do the following sum: monthly rent x 12 ÷ 52 x 5.

Holding Fee

More Info

A holding deposit is money paid to a landlord or letting agent to reserve a property before signing a tenancy agreement. Only one holding deposit can be taken, and it cannot exceed the amount of one week's rent for the property.

If you need more information about these definitions, please contact Guild Advice.

Agency Fees

More Info

Most tenancy-related fees are banned; however, you may be charged in certain situations. For more information, visit Shelter’s website or contact Guild Advice.

Furniture

Your household bills should be set out in your contract, but you might want to pay for extras like WIFI and extra TV channels. You will also need to set yourselves up with a TV licence (this applies to all devices that you may be live streaming on whether you have a TV, computer, tablet, or mobile phone). Work out how you plan on sharing the cost of these things and who will be setting up the direct debit.

Remember everyone has different financial circumstances and it is important that you are honest from the start about what you can afford. There are houses available for all budgets, so ensure you are taking into consideration everyone’s personal budget.

Housing Events

Ready to start searching for next year’s housemates? Explore our upcoming events:

There are currently no events listed. Please check back later.

Housing Blogs

Everyone’s housing journey is different! Take a look at the below blogs to learn all about the renting experiences of different students at UoB:

Please check back later for more news.
 

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