The great house hunt

The prospect of finding somewhere to live off-campus in your second year of university can be overwhelming. Oli shares his top tips to help.

This post is not about my placement as a student paramedic, but in fact is about something that most first-year students, including myself, have been through this year – the hunt for a place to live in second year!

In all honesty, the process of finding a house has been one of the more stressful things I’ve had to do this year – so here are some (possibly) helpful tips for when it comes to your turn to find somewhere to live with.

1. Decide who you're going to live with

Remember, you will possibly be living with these people for the next two years. At one point, there were seven of us looking for a house together; however, we came to the conclusion that this could be too much of a good thing.

2. Decide on a budget

Work out what people are willing to pay before arranging viewings for houses that are out of your price range.

3. Start looking early

Good properties do go quickly, so get lots of viewings into the diary as soon as you know what size/location you want your house to be.

4. Don't go for the first house you find...

It's a good idea to look at a few houses before making a decision.

5. ...But don't wait forever for the 'perfect house'

Holding out for your ideal house means you can miss out on some equally suitable properties that don't quite meet your criteria of number of en-suites or size of garden.

6. Check the tenancy dates

Many student houses are let from late September. This greatly reduces the housing options for those of us studying year-round courses like Paramedic Science or Nursing, because we need tenancies that start in mid-July.

7. Check that the landlord allows students

Obvious really, when you think about it.

Despite making a few of these mistakes early on, we did manage to find a house, which we move in to next week. I will be living with three other student paramedics, and cannot wait to be living with like-minded people (who understand that you need to sleep after a 12-hour night shift!).

Oliver studies Paramedic Science at ARU in Cambridge. Find out more about this and other degree courses at one of our Open Days.