Your kid who has finished their first year at university: do they have to bring all their stuff home?

[Doorkeeper]

DS has just finished his first year at university. He was in university accommodation, and - as seems to be standard - he's renting a house with some other students for year two.

The house they've put a deposit on and signed a contract with had said they could store their stuff there over the summer, but has now reneged on that because they are renovating - and it wasn't in the contract. The university says they have no space at all for students to store stuff.

How do they expect this to work? I don't have a car. He's accumulated a duvet and other bedding, crockery, pots and pans, a toaster, etc. He can't bring it back on the train!

It seems nuts for students to ferry massive amounts of household items back and forth every year. What do your kids do?

I think the best option is to store locally. If all the stuff comes home, it has to go back up again, so double the effort/expense.

A lot of student stuff is low value, so perhaps it is better to buy new in September, especially if there is an ethical way of disposing of the old stuff.

It is a lesson to your DC about having too many possessions. It's likely that his real flat will already have a toaster.

We have used www.sendmybag.com/ a number of times and found them excellent and very reasonable

Go to anyvan.com and see if he can get a reasonable quote to bring the stuff back

It's hardly a stupid system. It's what happens when you move out of somewhere. He could have rented a house immediately after Halls ended but presumably doesn't want to pay rent over the summer!

@gemandjule

We have used www.sendmybag.com/ a number of times and found them excellent and very reasonable

Yes DD and upon first use if op contacts them they will give Unicode discount. DD used them all time saved lugging heavy suitcase back and forth when home during holidays. It who used to move her stuff back home when finished for good

My D1 is in the same situation, moving into a house next year but their tenancy doesn't start until September. There's only very limited storage in college and international students are given priority for this. We're picking her up, but she may have to put some stuff into storage - eg this company charges by the box, can pick up, store and deliver lovespace.co.uk/student-storage/oxford/

Normally they have to clear everything out of their rooms at the end of every term, but as the rooms couldn't be used for conferences etc this year they were allowed to leave stuff.

Thank you, thank you everyone, for all the suggestions and links to courier companies! That is fantastically helpful.

^Get him to price up the following options and pick one.
A) dispose of the heaviest/bulkiest/cheapest items in an environmentally sound way and repurchase in autumn
B) courier a large bag home and back again
C) you come up with a large rucksack or two and help him bring everything back (and again in autumn)
D) he makes two trips (and again in autumn)
E) he finds a storage company with a half price student deal for 8 weeks over the summer (most of them do this)^

This ^

and everything OrangeSharked (I think it was) said - he is an adult between tenancies, so needs to price up all the options and decide on hassle vs cost as to what he is going to do.

Dd has left stuff like household and kitchen items, spare bedding, large books etc in short term storage (cost about £120) rest came home in two cases by train.

How did he get all his stuff there? Can you not do the same trip in reverse?

Big Yellow storage locker.

There are often specialist stirage companies for student stuff in uni towns that are cheaper (but more basic) than proper storage unit companies. They take boxes and store them in more of a warehouse situation than in individual locked spaces.