The question of when to start looking for accommodation confronts students every year and you’ll tend to get a different answer whoever you speak to. This is because there is no one correct way to go about your search for accommodation, and everyone moves at a different pace. The team at www.accommodationforstudents.com suggest you start looking when you are ready to.
November to January are the peak months for viewings and the plus side to getting started early is that you will have the most choice and range of options available to you. If you choose to leave it until later on in the year, you will still be able to find a place to live but you won’t have as much choice. It’s possible that you may have to compromise on some of your criteria, such as location or number of bathrooms.
It's also key to consider that some cities have more student accommodation available than others. If you live in a city with plenty of student accommodation on offer, then you can certainly be more relaxed in your approach to finding a place to live. Still, the amount of available accommodation can vary from year to year, so it is definitely worth checking the situation in your city early on. We have a team of helpful advisors who can talk you through this, just call our Freephone and number on 0800 078 9659 to find out what the situation is like in your city.
New to university?
If you are a new applicant to university, you will usually be offered a place in halls of residence along with your application to the university and this will be finalised once you have confirmed your offer. If you are a late applicant or gain your place through the clearing process it is still expected that you will be offered university accommodation. However, it is likely you may face disappointment as you may not get into the halls you wanted and instead be offered one of the less popular options. Students that have been through this process really recommend that you spend some time checking out what alternatives are available to you on www.accommodationforstudents.com.
1st Year +
When it is time to move on from halls and into shared housing, the early birds will often start looking for accommodation as soon as October or November. Advice from students is that securing the best properties at the best price does require a speedy start, though it can be risky to rush into your accommodation search if you are still quite new to university. If you feel you don’t know your flatmates or friends well enough to sign for a house with them, we suggest holding off until at least January or February, that way you can still find a brilliant place to live but you’ll have more time to get to know your potential housemates better before you commit to spending the next year with them.
When you have decided that you are ready to look for accommodation, you’ll want to make your search as efficient as possible. Check out our time saving tips on our student guide here .
