How do I find a house? Who should I live with? Where’s the best places to live? How and when do I sort out bills? Am I going to be able to afford the rent? – DON’T PANIC! These are the questions that go through the heads of every first-time-renter. It’s completely normal to be worried or concerned about renting and hopefully this blog will put things into perspective.
When should I start looking for a house?
You should have a good idea of who you’re going to live with by the end of 3rd/beginning of 4th week Michaelmas term. You then start looking at houses that suit the number of tenants you’ll be living with in week 5 – though some people start earlier and some start later.
Where should I look?
To be honest, most of the affordable student accommodation is at least a 10-minute walk outside the centre. The three main places students pick to live are:
1. Cowley/Iffley
Most students choose to live here because there are some good restaurants, cafes, shops and easy access into the city (walking and cycling). There are also some issues with Cowley; rent is quite expensive (between £120 and £160 per week), there’s a higher crime rate than other parts of Oxford and you have to be quick when looking for a nice house as you are also competing with Oxford Brookes students for accommodation.
2. Jericho
Jericho is a quainter part of Oxford. Situated near Somerville College, Port Meadow and the Radcliffe Observatory, Jericho is approximately a 10-15minute walk away from the centre. The only issue with Jericho is that houses are swiped up very quickly and rent is known to be expensive compared to the likes of Cowley.
3. Abingdon Road
Not as familiar with students but holds the record for having the best rents (between £90-£120). Houses down Abingdon Road have a rep for being larger and nicer than houses in Cowley and their rent is lower due to the fact it isn’t considered a “student-hotspot”. The issues with Abingdon road are that you need to get a bike and cafes, restaurants and shops are few and far between.
How do I start looking?
Literally type in ‘renting student houses in Oxford’ on Google and that should lead you on your way. Also check out the local estate agents and see what they’re offering. I used ‘College and County’ but there are also many other good ones. When you see houses that fit the bill, you have to organise to view the property through the estate agents (normally done by filling in an online form or by calling them up).
I’ve found a house, what do I do next?
Get in contact with the estate agents and let them know you’re interested. How you proceed will depend on the policies of the estate agents. Through ‘College and County’, I had to write a short summary about who we were and why we’d make good tenants in the house. A few days later, the landlord accepted our application and we were sent through the paperwork (via email) to complete.
What does the paperwork entail?
This paperwork is pretty crucial and normally has a TIME LIMIT for completion (48 hours in my case). In this paperwork you have to fill in all your details, pay a holding fee (approximately £100), then get yourself a guarantor.
Guarantor?!!… Abbie, what is a Guarantor?
Someone who is there as a sort of ‘back-up’ if you can’t pay your bills. This, normally, has to be someone who owns property in the UK/is a UK taxpayer and earns over a certain amount. A guarantor can be a parent, a friend’s parent, a close friend or an older sibling (anyone who meets the afore mentioned criteria). If you can’t get yourself a guarantor – don’t worry. Procedures will just work slightly different with you. Rather than paying the bills monthly, you’ll pay them all in one go when your tenancy starts!
I have a guarantor, I’ve filled out the paperwork and I’ve paid my holding fee…. Now what?
Now you wait till all the details are processed. Once complete, you’ll receive confirmation that the house is yours for the next tenancy year – YAY! But that’s not all… My household and I were set a date for when the house deposit had to be paid. Other students had to pay their deposit before Michaelmas term ended. For us, we had to pay the deposit (approx £550) and the first months rent (with holding fee deducted ~£350) before January 31st.
What… I have to pay approx £900 outright?
Regretfully, yes! (some estate agents may ask for the deposit and first months rent at different times) However, in nearly all circumstances, this will be the most you will ever pay out at any one time. If you think that you will struggle with this, get in contact with the estate agents who may be able to arrange something. Conversely, every college has a hardship fund which you can apply for if you need to do so.
Okay, I’ve just made a huge dent in my bank account – what’s next?
Well friend, now you can kick back and relax for a few months. Over the following months you’ll have to:
1) Set up a standing order to pay the landlord the monthly bills
2) Start considering bills
3) Make a list of things you need to do when you get to the house e.g. collect the inventory, apply for a student council tax exemption etc
How do I go about setting up bills?
Well, there’s multiple ways you can do it! One way is by going through a company which does it all for you and then sends you a set price each month. A good example is ‘Split the Bills’ – normally more expensive than setting it up by yourself but a lot less hassle. Alternatively, you can set them up individually (water and sewerage, electricity, gas, Wi-Fi and TV licence (Optional)) when you get to the house by checking the metres and contacting different companies.
There’s probably a lot of information here to digest but hopefully that makes things clearer. Don’t stress about living out and, in all honesty, I love the freedom of it. Feel free to drop us a message if you have any concerns.
Happy house hunting, love from Abbie.
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