Parents of Durham freshers 2025

[MillicentFaucet]

We've chatted on a different threads over the past few months so do any anxious/excited/slightly overwhelmed parents want to congregate here for Durham chat?
My DS will be starting an MEng next month and has been allocated to Cuths 🐯(but no confirmation of what type of accommodation he has yet).
He's slowly working his way through registration etc and fretting about the important things like what to wear for matriculation <sigh>
How's everyone else getting on?

Received, many thanks!

@W0tnow - we live in London and DD had all her lessons in the south. We booked her second test and Gateshead because it was impossible to get slots near us. When it comes time for your YP’s test - there is an App which shows all the test centres and their routes. We took our car up the day before DD’s test and she drove several practice runs the previous afternoon and the morning of the test and it made all the difference.

@Suffolker - i missed your Q2 (can’t comment on Q3): DD got her flat sorted quite early in her 1st term - that is a thing at Durham as well as at many unis (Exeter and Bath being the same, i believe; Edinburgh (elder DD is there) was a lot more relaxed - elder DD didn’t start looking until March).

However, a flatmate has recently dropped out of the yr 2 flat and a friend of a friend who was still looking has taken up the place. From being on the Durham parents Facebook messenger thread, it seems like there is still quite a lot of movement around yr 2 accommodation. So it’s easy to panic but no need to do so.

@MillicentFaucet - yes, i was also noting the rocketing petrol prices just as we have a third driver in the house!

Huge thanks again for keeping this thread going. I love returning to it.

Have a fabulous Easter!

Thank you@Dery that sounds reassuring!

It’s not certain how the new Rent bill will affect things in England, it may make the signing of contracts happen later.
There is no shortage of accommodation in Durham (unless you have a particularly awkward group size).
My daughter signed up fairly early. Got to the end of this term and decided she couldn’t share with her “group” anymore. Managed to get a swap for her space.
And now has seen a few places far more convenient for her activities, but is probably going to sign for somewhere a similar distance to the first one but a lot cheaper. And we know there will be places available in September/October.

There are also private halls that you can book from November ish if you don’t want the hassle of sorting out a group.
I’d be interested if the uni/ estate agents signed up to Durham code of conduct put out some comms in the Autumn re new renters bill.. this would also be helpful for current 2nd years in that they don’t need to decide in October if they want to remain in the house the following year…

With regard to agencies giving out info about changes, not in DS’s experience. He is a postgrad, signed up to one of the main agencies, who he has rented through before. They are currently refusing to tell him anything about how the changes might affect student rents in general or his next tenancy specifically. They are acting as though it’s all news to them and they couldn’t possibly comment. So he’s got a list of questions ready for May1st when it comes into effect. He’s not particularly bothered, but it’s mildly annoying him that they won’t discuss it at all, as if it’s not happening.

I’ve seen DD’s tenancy which was signed up in January, starting in July and which has a term of 365 days. Although it will automatically become a rolling tenancy it’s annoying that contracts are still implying fixed terms.

Also, the contract is clear that there is no gap between the old tenancy and theirs, that the previous tenant is obliged to clean the property and if not clean that does not make the property uninhabitable.

The landlord will clean if required, sometime in October, but if the students need to move in before then they should inform the agent who will try to prioritise their clean.

It’s unreasonable that landlords expect students to pay for the summer holidays but not schedule in gaps between tenancies to get properties ready for the new tenants. Instead they expect to use the summer period to carry out any works or repairs in expectation that students will not be occupying over the summer.

Dd enquired about an inventory and the agent informed her that they will have one done but are not obliged to provide the students with a copy.

I don’t think the landlord will be able to rely on an inventory that has not been mutually agreed if there is a dispute over deductions but I will also ask Dd to take her own pictures at move in.

How are we (and our DC) feeling about this term?
Even though the holiday was 5 weeks long DS didn't get around to submitting his final bit of 'homework' until lunchtime yesterday 🙄
We dropped him off at college at 6pm and he was planning "a quiet night" ready for 9am lecture this morning, not sure if that actually happened though lol

It was a similar story here @MillicentFaucet. We dropped DS off at around 5pm yesterday. Asked what he was doing with his evening and were told he’s finishing up an assignment that’s due in today 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was the easiest drop off so far. I think that’s because I know teaching/exams will all be over in 5 weeks. He’ll then split his time between home and Durham depending on what social events he has 😂

The first year has flown by even though the first couple of months felt like an eternity.

I completely agree with your final sentence @Skybluegreen this time last year it was all A level maths stress & prepping for his driving test*

*he's now known as The Stig because he spent Saturday afternoon driving his self-catered friends to & from Tesco for their big shop

It’s hard to believe it’s the last term already, isn’t it? We put DD on the train this weekend and as far as I know she’s been deep in revision and writing her final papers since she got back. It’s basically 4 hard weeks from now til she hands her final assignment in, and then just formals, the summer ball, and lots of anticipated trips to the seaside.

She’s had a great year so far and was so looking forward to seeing her friends when she left. The stressed girl we had here last year who was fretting over her Alevels seems quite long ago!

How wonderful for her (and you) @RayonSunrise I had a look at the college events calendar for June & there's loads of fun stuff happening.
Also the Durham Regatta is 13+14 June, even if rowing isn't your thing it's a chance for some last minute college rivalry.

@MillicentFaucet - great to see your post, and @RayonSunrise’s.

DD passed her driving test in February and has been seizing every opportunity to drive (against the backdrop of the brewing fuel crisis) and in fact drove all the way from London to Durham yesterday. However, since it's the family car, I was with her in order to bring the car back...

As you say - lots of work now and hopefully some wonderful celebratory activities in June. We had a hairy moment on the way back when it looked as if tickets for DD's June college celebration had sold out within 5 minutes of the link being circulated (made worse by my butter fingers when I was trying to make the booking for her). However, DD found out shortly afterwards that the link had crashed and tickets were still available so all was well after all.

Wishing everyone's YPs the best of luck for their summer term assignments and exams!

@Dery well done to your DD for driving from London to Durham, how did you find being a passenger? I would have been a nightmare, I struggle not to chip in with 'helpful' advice even though my DC passed their tests a year ago.
DS has his first exam on Friday morning then he's straight off to the races in Newcastle. I think it's a student event as he mentioned coaches leaving from outside Trev's?
And yes, good luck to all our DC in their exams and assessments 🍀

DS had just sent a pic of his study space - it's on one of the tables in the college bar garden. Good job they don't start serving 🍺 until 7pm

@MillicentFaucet - that sounds like a glorious space to study! Good for your DS and, as you say, handy they don't start serving until 7 pm by which time a pint will have been very well earned!

Before she passed her test, DD had taken to refusing to drive with just me in the car because she said I made her nervous with my suggestions and that I overreacted to everything. She would only drive if her father was in the car and I was relegated to the back seat! But in fact, it was a very smooth drive. For various reasons, she's done a lot of driving on the A3 and that's good preparation for motorway driving and I felt very relaxed except when we were joining the M25 but she handled it all very well. I was very impressed!

Wishing everyone a lovely long weekend!