Relocation, Relocation

First years, it’s almost time to burst the utopian Warwick bubble and start thinking about living somewhere which isn’t eternally warm and equipped with a cheerful cleaner called Maureen (Rootes). Now is the time to start house hunting if you want somewhere decent to live next year…

I bet you thought first term would be characterised by late-night kitchen debates and short-lived obsessions with obscure societies such as Warwick Detectives and the Hummus society (both of which actually exist). Instead by Week 8 you’re budgeting, banking and networking in order to secure your dream house.

You therefore need to move faster than your first year contemporaries lustfully leaping for their free slice of pizza from the Domino’s stand at the Fresher’s Fair. After Christmas, there will be plenty of properties left, but not the best ones.

So, where to start? I mean, what the heck is a calendar month? Is the house stumbling distance from Smack? And where do you even start looking? Warwick students have a choice between living in the bleak streets of Coventry or lacklustre Leamington Spa. Most choose the latter in an attempt to mirror the community spirit of living in halls. Leamington isn’t particularly exciting but then again, what kind of student activity takes place in Kenilworth?

Once you’ve decided on the location, you talk logistics. The more socially inept library-lovers may be left behind as the easily-excited students begin tweeting pictures of ten-bed terraces to their newly decided flatmates. The bonds of tribalism will emerge, so expect mounting tension and hushed kitchen conversations. Tears, tantrums and full blown arguments have erupted amongst many people I know. But be firm and don’t stay silent if you’re about to be trapped in a semi-detached house with a fridge-raider or a social recluse.

I remember last year someone showed us into what we thought was a really nice property, but then informed us that the landlord failed to replace a broken bed and address the mould problem downstairs; we didn’t put a deposit down. Listen to the current tenants; a good land-lord is the difference between a miserable or a magical student experience, but know when to disregard the Leamington myths. No, South Leam isn’t crawling with heroin addicts. Yes, you will have to get up a bit earlier for a 9am bus from North Leam.

Last year we looked at about 15 properties before deciding on a five bed house on Radford Road for £285 a month including bills which is pretty cheap. To be paying around the £400 mark, you should expect a crib Jay-Z would be proud of.

However, keep in mind that once you sign the contract, you need to start putting together some cash for the deposit that is due before you move in. Some estate agents also charge a one-off fee of around £50 per tenant to reserve a property, which can also increase financial pressure. Also, nearly all landlords in Leamington offer contracts of eleven or twelve months, despite the fact that the students will only be occupying the house for around eight months of the year.

Despite the initial bewilderment, house-hunting is an exciting time for any student. Just remember to keep selective criteria and know when to rule out a property. Ten minutes or more from the nearest Spoons and you could be having problems…