Choosing a student rental property can be challenging, especially if it’s your first time living away from home. Check out the following explanation on things that are well worth considering when choosing a rental property.
1.Separate washing machine and dryer
There has been an increase in the quality of 2-in-1 washers and dryers. However, they typically don’t cut the mustard when drying your clothes, especially compared to individual dryers. This leaves you to suffer an extremely long drying process or to hang your washing around the house.
Both options aren’t good for you or the house you’re renting. A washer dryer that has to spend 4 hours attempting to dry your wash will suck up a considerable amount of energy, compared to a standard dryer. While hanging washing around your rental property isn’t too uncommon, it can lead to dampness.
A dedicated dryer is the most efficient way to process your washing. In a house of 4 or more people, you’ll want to get your washing done as quickly as possible.
2. Fridge Space
In properties that have multiple people in, also known as an HMO (house of multiple occupancy), you’re going to need enough space to store all your perishable foods. It’s an easy thing to overlook when you’re house hunting.
Ideally, you’ll want 1 fridge/freezer per 2-3 people. So in a house of 3, one fridge is fine. Any more people than that and you’ll be wanting more space. It may sound a trivial thing to consider but when your bread is constantly next to your housemate’s open chicken tray, you’ll wish you went for a place that had more fridge space.
3. Leisure space
Leisure space can be anywhere in the house. What is important is that there is a communal area where you’re free to lounge and relax that is outside your room. While this is something that a lot of people might overlook, a space that is everyone’s to hang out is great for housemate chemistry.
Even if you don’t know who your new housemates will be while you’re property hunting, having this sort of space where people can come and go as they please is a must. You don’t want to be on top of each other all the time.
4. Fairly sized rooms
This is a fairly subjective statement. But when it comes to room sizes there is a lot of room for discrepancy, if you’ll pardon the pun. How rent and room correlates depends on the local rental market.
For example, if you’re renting in Cardiff, the properties are simply a flat fee for the household, and renters are expected to share the rent equally. Other areas divide rent up by room size. So a bigger room, possibly with an en suite, would cost the person who wanted it more than a smaller room without the added bathroom.
Whatever the dynamic, it’s best to try and ensure that everything is fair. There is always going to be a little imbalance between room sizes. If you’re struggling to divide it up fairly, picking names out of a hat is one method of fair allocation.
5. Location
Again, this is another essential that may be obvious to some but where your property is located has a huge impact on your everyday life.
A couple of things that one might consider essential are good public transport access, a food store within walking distance, nearby parks or recreation grounds, a selection of local shops, and being near to your education buildings. A professional property management company should be able to highlight what’s good in the local area.
6. Bathroom Options
This point is non-negotiable. If you’re living in a house of more than three people, you’ll need more than one bathroom. With a busy house and everyone on busy schedules, it would be easy to assume that there won’t be much bathroom traffic. Wrong!
It is unbelievably easy for there to be a queue for the bathroom in the mornings before the day starts or in the evening before a big night out. Therefore, you should aim to have multiple bathrooms for multiple people, ideally all with a shower and toilet.
7. Broadband Speed
While this isn’t essential, it’s something worth checking out before you decide on an area. With a student household, you’re all likely to all be pretty tech-friendly. Therefore, doing a little research into the area by using a broadband checker can avoid the issue of being stuck with awful WiFi.
8. Study Spaces
As a student house, you’ll have some work to get on with. Some people enjoy going to dedicated study spaces which is great if they’re nearby. But some individuals don’t enjoy the bustle of a library.
This is why you’ll want to ensure that a property you’re renting has appropriate spaces that you can study in your own way. A desk might be sufficient but it’s important to have an area that is your own so you can be productive whenever you wish. Some high-quality student rental properties come with an office-type area that could’ve been a small bedroom. These are fairly rare but a lovely luxury.
This article was written by Zac on behalf of Seraph Property Management.
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