Second Year Accomodation

[bevelino]

Anyone’s dc looking for accommodation for second year? I have 2 dds in first year at Bristol university and they are already seriously looking at houses for second year. An email from the university accommodation office has been sent to all parents/guardians advising the search for second year housing starts early and be supportive etc.

It seems really early for dds to be worrying about next year’s housing as they are unsure friendships. Anyone else had this?

My ds is in halls in London. UCL advise first year students should look for second year housing in June/July.

Is this correct? DS said no one is even thinking about it yet.

Floss floss, as a London landlord I would say that is right.

There may be some student accommodation marketed via the University or SU earlier. However most will go via estate agents, and they come up when previous tenant gives 2 months notice, and students compete with working people.

Be organised. Graduates starting work arrive August/September so the rental market then is manic.

(DS was lucky as he was friendly with people in the year above so was able to take over a room in a flat 10 mins walk from college.)

It is all ridiculously early these days. DH and I were gobsmacked when DC1 started uni a few years ago and was sorting out y2 accommodation before Christmas.
Back when dinosaurs roamed the land and the pair of us were at uni it was well after Easter before anyone thought about next years accommodation.

My DD had her friends lined up before Christmas and looked upon arrival back in Bristol in early January. More flats come onto the market in January. The friends only included one girl from her year 1 cluster flat of 6 bedrooms. Four girls wanted a flat on The Triangle and DD didnt want to be there (and wasn’t invited to be). The two of them joined four boys from their hall and they rented a flat in Clifton. You will pay more for this area so you need to find like minded students. Nothing nice will be under £100 a week. Rental starts on 1 July so you do pay for the summer. It’s usually 50 or 52 weeks.

My DDs flat was owned by a professional landlord and he had a handyman/maintenance man living in one of the flats. He was on call and everything was fixed super quickly. Not that much went wrong. The landlord owned four houses and they had a communal garden, a bike store, outside cooking area etc.

Some of her friends paid less and had pretty poor houses. As with everything in life, something decent has its price and it depends what you are prepared to put up with and, crucially, what DCs friends are prepared to put up with/pay. Some people won’t pay an extra £2 a week - the price of a cup of coffee - for something a bit better. Some flats are “party flats” and these will be pretty tatty. DCs need to decide if they will take an uncared for flat/house or whether they want a dishwasher, two bathrooms, nice garden, a convenient location and a landlord you can trust to maintain the place! I would talk to your DC about being discerning if that’s an important consideration. Are your DC prepared to put up with wall paper peeling off, manky furnishings and one bedroom in the basement with no window? Often they draw lots for room allocation but a larger room pays a bit more than the smallest room if there’s a big difference in size. The students divided up the jobs and bills. “Settling up”
Spreadsheet was done by a civil engineering student. Someone needs to be the lead student!

Dds are surprised by some of the not very nice houses they have seen in Bristol. They are looking in Redland/ Cotham area. I have told them not to panic and that it might be after Christmas before they find somewhere.

My daughter (1st year at Exeter) has already sorted out her accommodation for next year. It seems such a shame to have to do it so early when they have known people for a few weeks. They were pipped to the post by another group on the first place they wanted, so she was very anxious about the second.

We've paid a £200 letting agent fee, and there's a deposit of £500 to pay before Christmas. Just hoping her new friends are going to be sensible enough to look after the place.

DD1 is in first yr at Sheffield and hasust signed up this week for a house for next year. I'm quite impressed at her organisational skills tbh. Whilst i apprecaite it'a still relatively ealy days for friendship groups she does seem to have clicked with her hall flat mates plus a couple of others and they've found a house for 7. £200 deposit and July to July contract at £80 a week (which by my calculations works out at less than her hall fees of £4500 for 42 weeks).

It depends what’s included in the hall fees, Prince! Private flats have bills attached! It won’t be much different in the end although you do get the house in the holidays when DC are not there! Not sure that’s a saving though.

Redland and Cotham have many good student lets. Bristol will be more expensive than Sheffield - you only have to look at the price of property to see that.

It’s often useful to have a quick chat with a student in the flat (if they are in) when DC view. Ask them about repairs and what the landlord and agent are like. Ask about damp and general questions about actually living there.

Also some DC are happy for others to do the legwork and then moan. If certain properties are really off limits (basement bedrooms, cold and damp, no shower etc) then DC must go and look for themselves. Sometimes friends choose anything when better is out there.

Where DD rented in Bristol is not currently being advertised. They definitely came on at the beginning of next term to coincide with loan payment! I wouldn’t panic just yet in Bristol but be quick to pounce next term. DD was first of 3 viewings back to back. All
the students would have taken the flat! Fourth year flat wasn’t so good but again was in a great location and bigger. When you look at what you can get for the money, the students need to have a discussion about paying more to get better or stick to the budget if they are happy with poor condition! Boys seem to tolerate crappy houses better than girls! Hence the beer soaked carpet described above. That screams party house! Maybe not now - but it has been.

Bubbles, I am not sure your DDs information about the Bristol lettings market is up to date.

Since she left:

1. The high-speed rail links opened there was a massive hike in house prices in Bristol
2. The Government has launched a major assault on landlords. As well as losing the ability to off-set interest on borrowing against tax - which acts as a major brake on investing in property, landlords will have lost the 10% wear and tear allowance for furnished properties.
3. The Government has just extended HMO licensing so flats like DDs, qwith four sharers will now have to be licensed. Local Authorities, and I think Bristol is one, are imposing still tighter licensing regulations. Recently we spent close on £3000 getting a 3 year licence for a four bed property in London. The property was in good shape so it was almost all soent on fees and inspections. The estate agent claims we are about the only LLs who chose to do that over selling or renting to a family.

In short few landlords are investing, either in new property or in refurbing existing property. DD's flat in one of only two student houses left on their street. It is likely that a decade ago they would have all been student houses. It is unlikely that their house will remain for more than a year or two, which is why the carpet is so old.

Whilst

1. University fees have risen significantly, and loans for living expenses have not kept pace with inflation. Those whose parents cannot afford to top up are really stretched. It is not a choice of coffees out or a nicer flat. (DD would have paid more, but completely got that her flatmates could not.)

1. Bristol University (and UWE) have expanded significantly since your daughter left, and have plans for further expansion. So more demand for a smaller number of properties. The choices are to pay more or to live further out, with some previously rather edgy parts now becoming student heartlands.

From everything your have said your daughter was super organised and did massively well. But she was also very lucky to be at University in an easier era, plus she was taking the sort of degree which would have allowed her to take a part time job, if her parents could not afford to top up her loan.

In short, they will find somewhere, but they need to be organised and it can be expensive unless like DD, you find a flat where the landlord seems to have given up investing in the property, presumably because he is waiting for the market to strengthen before selling.

When scanning my 1981 diary recently I compared my rent (not Bristol) in university accommodation today in the same block and after allowing for inflation on the Bank of england inflation calculator the rent is 3x that it was for exactly the same place and that is university owned accommodation.

What would the rent be if you compared a flat in London now with 1981, Xenia? Isn’t it the case that property in desirable cities has increased in price and rents have followed? It doesn’t really matter who owns the property because the universities need the income and they price at market rates.

DD wasn’t at Bristol 10 years ago either. No: streets were not all student accommodation in the halcyon days when she was there. I do not know where you got that info from, needmore, as your DD has only been there for just over a year. It’s just plain wrong. It has always been tricky to get decent student accommodation in Bristol, even a few years ago. However my DD did rent for two years and had a good handle on location and problem houses. I am simply passing on the pitfalls and “joys” of student house hunting. Frequently parents are very unhappy at the standard of accommodation their DC sign up for. From what I can see, rents have been surprisingly static in Bristol if your DD is only paying £400 a month.

DD did not have a part time job. Contrary to popular belief, doing two MFL and being chair of her society and organising a ball plus her music comittments took time! Neither did any of her friends have jobs whilst at Bristol.

Few students live in the dodgy areas of Bristol and go to the University of Bristol. It’s just too far. Savings in rent equal fares. Plus socialising opportunities are less if you are miles away from most friends. The areas for UWE students are cheaper though but again for Bristol University students they are not convenient.

It’s a case of deciding what you can afford, what travelling you might be prepared to do and whether you can put up with a “party”
House where the landlord doesn’t do much maintenance. All university cities have student housing that’s poor. It’s not a Bristol thing.

One of mine is paying 490 a month in Bristol this year.

(My 1981 example as not London. It is interesting comparing pricse when I go through my diaries eg we bought a camcorder one year and it cost much more than now. I needed to replace mmy Amstrad PCW with a PC and laser printer and screen and they were about 3 or 4x the price of those items now allowing for inflation so some things have gone down in price over the years (not much).

Do you have to move out of University accommodation in the second and third year?

When I was at Uni many of my friends and I lived in halls or residences for all three years.

Yes, in most places (although I think oxbridge is an exception). This is because of the huge growth in student numbers and not enough university halls. In mym day (1980s) we could move back in year 3 (which I think is possible for some if they tak on hall duties but not that many want to because they want to stay with their friends and probably feel a bit more grown up renting). I chose to move back in year 3 as I had shared with strangers in year 2 (they were perfectly nice but not my particular friends) and I found my self catering halls in year 3 right by the university worked best for me in the last year. None of my 5 children have gone back in year 3 into halls of residence.

Some Universities do have a lot of accomodation. University of Essex students seem to be able to stay in University accommodation for all 3 years, which is good as the Uni is out of the town . My comments are based on the children of 2 work colleagues- one current student and one recent graduate and I have seen all of the building going on on campus and nearby before anyone shouts. However at an open day we were told by a student that living out would be cheaper but he had not appreciated that he had to rent for 52 weeks and pay bills when someone asked him......

I'm concerned about the joint tenancy agreement. DS and 5 friends have just found somewhere but I cannot be the only person who is concerned about an arrangement like this? They can't possibly know each other well enough at this point to deem them trustworthy and financially stable?

I don't want DS to sign anything just yet - am I being over cautious

You are not the only one and in fact I had a business client last year asking me about it and I told him it was least riskiest instead to pay all the year's rent in advance which is what he did. My children would not let me do that so their father guaranteed the rent and I paid the rent - their father probably got the better deal there as it is unlikely all 6 people in the house and their 5 parent guarantors would all renege on the payments leaving the one guarantor not bankrupt liable for a year's rent on the whole house (worst case scenario)

Can anyone tell me what the going rate is for a decent house in Bristol?
Dd & friends are in the process of looking at the moment.
I remember my sister living in fantastic palatial student accommodation in Clifton years ago. A far cry from my rather grotty student terraced house in Liverpool 7.

DS going to look at a potential house share tomorrow with people he hasn't yet met but were advertising for a sixth person on one of the student online forums. They're meeting for coffee first (I suspect they're kind of interviewing him!) and we've told him to not be hasty and sign nothing without speaking to us first!
His priority for housemates is that they're relatively quiet and keep communal areas clean and tidy. He's not a typical 19 year old!

The Guarantor agreement that I have just signed, is very specifically on my DD and her share of the property and rent responsibility only. It is clearly stated in the document, I was very keen to ensure that this would be the case, there was no way I would have accepted being a Guarantor for the entire house, very important that Parents check this as I have heard of some agreements where they try and sneak in that clause.

teta, one of my sons currently pays £490 a month (year 2) for his share of a house in Redland. He will be in Clifton in the last year but I don't know the rent yet - I think a bit more from what he said yesterday but not a huge amount more. Neither of my twins' houses this year are in any sense palatial! (I sent one back today with some mould spray remover I had in mmy stocks at home).

Theperfect, that's great. It is what I had hoped for but neither had that last year so I refused to guarantee it (but their father did and no one has reneged and he is guarantee again for year 3 and I am again for year 3 paying all my child's share of the rent). I don't like these guarantees when youd on't just guarantee your child's rent but everyone else's in the house - 6 x the rent etc. It is unreasonable in my view.

I agree. However it does "only" apply if the student does not pay AND their guarantors refuse to pay. My biggest fear with setting things up so early in the year is that someone might drop out of Uni , and that could be a huge problem. If there is ashortage of student accommodation it mught be OK to find a replacement. One of my DC had someone who decided to take a year out after signing up, but there was someone they knew who had been commuting from home and found it was more difficult than he thought, so was happy ( desparate) to move in. I don't know how often that occurs.

My DD signed for a place in Exeter a couple of weeks ago. She found it quite stressful but is relieved now that it’s sorted.

Older DS is also at Exeter and he paid a deposit on week 5 of the first term as he wanted something in prime location and also he had his friends from Y1 so it was quite and easy decision.

Although Exeter is notoriously early for these things.

I think joining students you don’t know who already have a house sorted is a bit dodgy. Most students try and rent with friends even if they are new friends!

I know this will be criticised, but DD knew the background of her flatmates. Just through conversation (not grilling them) and she knew they wouldn’t drop out as they were committed to their degrees and they all had sufficient money for the rent. She’s a great networker but this is good info if your DCs can get it. They were also fairly discerning about what they would put up with. Knowing that helps too because the rent they are prepared to pay needs to be agreed in advance. Students who have full
on courses tend not to get the time to look so have to trust others to make the call and good accommodation really does get snapped up.

Rents are a bit more in Clifton and are around £120 a week to circa £145 a week. Redland and Cotham are a bit cheaper. £490 a month is mid division for Redland. A better house would be more. £400 a month is rock bottom but sometimes there are bargains.

As others have said, there isn’t 2nd or 3rd year accommodation. Plenty of universities haven’t offered this for years. My 2 DSis didn’t get this at UCL or Sheffield in the 1980s. Having said that, most students want to branch out and getting your own place is a rite of passage where rules are not enforced. We guaranteed our own DD and no others in Bristol.

I know it’s a long time in the future, but get a professional clean when they leave. It doesn’t cost much per student but no arguments with the landlord!

Well it appears that DS has signed up,and paid a deposit already 😮 hopefully the paperwork will be in order and I will be guarantor for his bit only