Student housing
in Nottingham
 |
|
Student accommodation's
reputation precedes itself.
Report by Francesca Boyd, Platform
The notorious image:
Poorly maintained bed-sits, dodgy landlords and neighbours or noisy
university student halls.
The partying is non stop and the fines placed by resident managers
are shall we say, mountainous and somewhat selectively placed.
For example, students in halls have been fined for placing an empty
box in a kitchen, which may be considered as verging on the ridiculous.
Although many students' experience with housing may not exactly be
a ‘bed of roses’, many find the experience to be one of
the most fun aspects fleeing the nest and coming to university.
With the
onset of the housing list there is a pressure for students to "get
in there" first and not end up scraping the bottom of the barrel
when it comes to second year accommodation.
People in search of a new housemate have been leaving leaflets all
over the place, landlords have been hanging around the campus trying
to spark interest in their student properties, letting agents have
been advertising for weeks and the buzz around the halls has been
"get your end in now or you’ll be settling for messy seconds".
If you fear that you’ll end up living in a tent somewhere in
a field next year, read on because the following advice could hopefully
be right up your street.
| Handy
hints when house hunting: |
- Get
a receipt for any moneys paid.
- Check
contracts and agreements before you sign, take your time
before signing a contract because they are legally binding.
- Once
you’ve moved in, tell the landlord if you spot anything
that needs repairing.
- Make
sure you take gas and electricity meter readings when you
move in.
- Get
you contents insured student houses are an easy target.
- If
there are no smoke detectors ask your landlord to buy some,
they aren’t expensive and could save your life.
- If
a full inventory of furniture is not available, make one
yourself and agree it with your landlord.
*Information taken
from "A guide by student advice, The Nottingham Trent University
union of students. |
| Things
to do and things to don't |
|
Do
make sure you use a landlord from the student accommodation
accreditation scheme because they will meet the following
security standards:
*** 3
star: The provision of alarms, security lights and provisional
locks and
bolts
** 2 star: The provision of security lights and provisional
locks and bolts
* 1 star: The provision of additional locks and bolts
Do postcode your property and note the serial number too,
because if goods are seized and cannot be proved to be stolen
they will go back to the person they are seized from.
Do ask how long the contract is for.
Do calculate the rent over the whole contract period
to get the best deal.
Do ask how much notice you need to give if you leave.
Do always ask for a receipt – especially for cash
Do
make sure the landlord gives you a copy of the contract and
up to date gas safety certificate (renewable annually) at
the time you move in.
Do get a copy of the current gas safety certificate.
Don't be pressured in to signing up for a property
on the spot unless you are sure.
Don't wait till the very last minute to find somewhere
to live.
|
Now read about
where you could live and
how much you should expect
to pay. Also read about some experiences
of other Nottingham students. |
