The Ultimate Student Guide to the Perfect Move
Moving to University is extremely hard. It’s often a person’s first time away from home. It is tricky to know what to pack, how to find a home, how to get your stuff there. It’s all incredibly new, and frightening. You have to meet new people, establish yourself, perhaps look for a part-time job. You need to do whatever will make the process, and life in general, easier on you. Use this guide to help you simplify and reduce the stress of moving home.
What to Pack for University
As a fresher you can sometimes struggle to know what to take to university! From there, assess the rest of your things and decide what you can’t live without. Most students take too much to university, and you’d be surprised at how little you can live with. Consider that if you go home on breaks, you will be at University for 3-6 month periods at a time. Study up on minimalism. You can trim down your wardrobe with a series of seasonally appropriate capsule wardrobes, and apply the same principles to your hobbies, entertainment systems and kitchen equipment.
Find the Best Student Landlord
Every town with a university has a plethora of student landlords, and some are better than others. Some of the larger estate agents can be oversubscribed. They tend to offer standardised, reasonable quality properties but can be difficult to get hold of if there are any problems. Individual landlords vary enormously in quality – they can be fantastic, and offer a personal service. But if not, tenants have very little recourse. When exploring student houses to let, consider smaller estate agents. They combine the best of both – small enough to be friendly and helpful, large enough to have the resources for oversight.
How to Ask the Right Questions
It’s not always easy your first time living by yourself to be assertive or know what to ask your landlord. There are also things that you might assume are essentials that won’t be considered the norm by your landlord. (One rental I looked at as a student didn’t have internet access or a freezer).
The most important thing is, don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself or ask questions. Like a job interview or a date, this is a two-way street, and both parties need to be happy with the rental situation. Probably the key question is to ask how much the bills cost (or choose an all-inclusive rental), and factor them into your budget. And ask where the local shop is!
Find the Perfect House for You
Not every property is going to be right for you. Some of this is about your preferences – do you want outside space? Need a parking space? Crave a large kitchen, or a cosy living room? Can you really put up with staying in the box room? That garden looks incredible, but what about the huge family on one side and the keen football players on the other?
Don’t hold out for the ideal property, but do know your personal deal breakers. There are compromises that seem like a good idea at the time but will be a lot less tolerable six months in.
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