A NEW checklist will help prepare students considering private accommodation.
Leading estate and letting agents, PropertyWide.co.uk, have put together the checklist to make sure students don’t sign a contract before realising there’s something wrong with the property.
The checklist (left) encourages students to look into the important safety aspects of houses that they may otherwise overlook, such as gas safety and escape routes. It also covers breaking down the costs of living there as well as making sure that important features, such as taps and toilets work properly.
This comes after a survey conducted by Property Wide, in March of last year, to find out what students know about private accommodation. The shocking results show that 85% of the 5000 undergraduate students asked, were completely unsure where to start when applying.
A staggering 80% said that they had had to look to parents or older friends and relatives for guidance.
The checklist reflects some of the key areas highlighted by the survey. The inclusion of Gas certificates and HMOs to the checklist, as well as checking taps and the property’s structure, come after three quarters of the students said they would forget to check these.
Another important aspect to students has been the cost of a deposit and rent, with 76% highlighting this as a concern.
More than half of the undergrads believed that monthly rent would be over £800 a month. The average cost of rent in Bangor is actually £690 with student accommodation often less.
“I’ve lived in private accommodation in Bangor for the past two years and have found it much cheaper than halls, I pay just £250 per month for rent. As long as you check that you are getting everything that you pay for then private accommodation is definitely the better option for students” said Scott Burrows, a Bangor University student.
Bangor Students’ Union spend a lot of time ensuring students make the right choices when it comes to accommodation and can be contacted on 01248 388019 for any advice.
www.propertywide.co.uk is a part of the Countrywide Group and specialises in student accommodation throughout the UK.
For a copy of the checklist email: editor@seren.bangor.ac.uk
