Tips for Choosing Accommodation in the Second Year......

[goinggetstough]

Many posters have commented on how their DCs are starting to look for accommodation for next year, so I thought it might be useful if those of us who have older DCs could pass on some tips.

I know that as students they are adults and many think that students should be totally independent and that it is almost rite of passage to live in a mouldy flat etc. if however, you are like me and had a DD who had never had to choose a flat with friends before but needed a few pointers, then maybe we can all compile a thread of tips.....

1. Be wary of a newly painted bathroom. In my DD's experience a number of Landlords paint bathrooms before the new students look round to hid the mould. She and her friends fell for this one.

1. Do ask the current students about how much they have paid for bills etc if they are not included.

1. The current tenants do get slightly fed up of new students coming round to view their house for the following year. So my DC found that if you asked a direct question they would answer, but they wouldn't necessarily volunteer extra information about the pros and cons (especially) of the house as they wanted the contract to be signed ASAP, so that there would be no more viewing disturbing them.

As Slowloris said look out for "jointly and severably liable" on the Guarantor form to sign and try to avoid.

Check this very thoroughly that you will not be liable for all of the rent for the house. On my DS form it did say the amount we would be liable for and it was just his share of the rent so was OK

Don't live in the investment property owned by a friend's parents which turns out to be a long way from the university and any student facilities. Also don't have them go ballistic and write you offensive letters when you get fed up with this and decide not to stay for the second of the two years originally 'agreed'.

Don't set up joint accounts for bills, or set up to be jointly liable it creates a credit link. Draw bills out of a hat- gas, telephone, water etc and have in a single name. You pay your bill by the deadline and ask everyone else for their share.

DD set up a 'house' bank account. Not sure how many people she had as signatories. There was no overdraft facility on it. All paid into it on a monthly standing order. They calculated the monthly figure with a bit of 'spare' so that there was some left over at the end of the year, which was credited back when all final bills had been settled (much better than trying to find shortfalls when people disappear after exams. If you calculate the STO on winter bills then there should be surplus come summer).
I think the joint account stretched to communal things like loo rolls. Saves the "but I bought them last time" arguments or the hassle of trying to chase up debts of £1.72. They might seem insignificant but they can add up and cause unnecessary strife in the house(because it's always the same person shelling out and always the same person not paying back)

Like senua my DC had a joint house account. There were two signatories and it worked very well as they too paid a certain amount by standing order. So it is not something I would advise them to avoid.