Choosing the right flatmates is essential. Get it right with this guide so online learning is more bearable with a solid house share.
Moving out from the family home and renting on our own is a big decision. It is important to choose the right people to live with, especially during your studies. If you’re more of an introvert, then you might decide to live alone, however, most students will opt to house share with their mates. Living with friends is also often cheaper, meaning you can save some sweet cash for socialising. So, what’s a surefire way of picking the right housemates for you, to make sure your year at uni is epic? Here’s how:
1. First things first, find your housemates
You can’t select your housemates if you haven’t got many choices. Here’s the ultimate list of where to look for housemates, especially if you find yourself looking for new people to live with in your second, third or fourth year.
2. Decide how many people you want to live with
Do you want to flatshare with one other person, or would you rather live in a massive eight-bed student house where there will always be someone to chat to, eat your beans on toast with and watch endless episodes of Fresh Meat?
3. Meet everyone first
Host a Zoom call so you can figure out if your potential new housemates are definitely your type of people. Ask them questions about what they’re looking for in the new student house to make sure you’re on common ground. If you’re the type of person who wants to chill on the weekends with a movie and a pizza, but your future flatmates want to throw house parties and crank Alexa up to 100, then you’re probably not a good match.
4. Set up house rules
Setting up ground rules is key. Yes, we know it’s awkward being that person, but you’ll thank us in the long-term. But, don’t have unrealistic expectations. Of course, you’re all students so someone is bound to break the rules… so prepare yourself for the worst with this
guide.
5. Pick ‘n’ mix
If you’re studying a subject with a year in industry or a year abroad *fingers crossed*, then it’s ideal to live with people from your course, societies and friends of friends. You’ll hopefully have someone to live with after your year away if you’ve got housemates doing courses of different durations. You’ll also gain new perspectives by having a diverse household to hang out with, or some release from chatting about microbes all day. Phew.
6. Start looking early
You’ll be surprised to know that most students start looking for their next accommodation only two to four months after starting their course. That means now - you should try to have your plans sorted by February. Leave it any later than this, and you’ll struggle to find something good. Make sure to scope out the area before settling on a particular location, and get to grips with the best and worst student agents, too.
7. Budget
Everyone has a different budget when it comes to renting, as everyone gets a different amount of student loan, help from their parents and income from part-time jobs. So, it’s important to check in with your future housemates on their preferences of location and price before wasting time looking at unsuitable digs.
If you’ve got any more tips on how to pick the perfect flatmates, how to tell your current flatmates you’re moving out, or how to negotiate the washing up rota, then join our panel of student writers today.
