Students warned to wait before renting off-campus accommodation

National Union of Students (NUS) has urged students to be hesitant when renting accommodation before Christmas, as their report indicates the dangers of making a decision too early.

NUS’ Homes Fit for Study research conducted earlier this year found that problems are created for students who are drawn into contracts long in advance before moving in.

Some students who have in their haste signed joint contracts have been forced to pay rent that has not been paid by other students.

Many students have encountered problems as they are legally obliged to meet the rent for their property, despite the fact that circumstances may have changed.

Situations where friendship groups have shifted and some students have dropped out have caused issues for students who are committed to covering the rent for that property.

The NUS have urged students to wait and think before renting a property.

Colum McGuire, NUS vice president for welfare, said: “There is no proof that students will lose out on a decent house if they wait to rent.”

The report has also led to concerns that letting agents are using increasingly aggressive marketing tactics to push students into renting early.

In some cases, letting agencies have even paid students to give them ‘shout-outs’ in lectures.

Research conducted indicated that 20 percent of students felt under pressure by private agencies to sign a contract, with only a third of students satisfied with the accommodation they received.

Alister Drennan, fourth-year Literature student, commented: “Although some people happily choose to live in Canley, Kenilworth or Coventry, the prime real estate most students are after is in Leamington.

“Unfortunately, Tara & Co is the only private booking agency which caters for students, so unless you go down the Warwick Accommodation route, it’s their way or the highway when it comes to their no-so-affordable rents and deposit prices.

“I’ve been lucky in that both flats I’ve lived in have been really nice, though I have friends who have not been so fortunate, with poor quality housing and an unsatisfactory landlord to match.”

NUS revealed that students are under huge amounts of pressure to rent a property before Christmas, despite the fact that many will not be moving in until the following September.

The towns and cities where students feel most rushed by agents are actually often those where there is a surplus of housing which leads to increased desperation on the part of landlords.

In these cases, NUS maintained that students would get a better deal if they held out untill later in the year.

Annmarie McQueen, third-year Literature and Creative Writing student, said: “My friend and I signed the contract for our flat  in March last year which by most  standards is very late.

“We could’ve signed off in January but we wanted more time to shop around and find something better, which we got in the end.

“ There’s no shortage of student houses in Leamington and it’s much better to be completely certain about your housing arrangements than signing  a contract  on a house you’re not sure about just because you feel pressured into it.”

Research showed that 40 percent of students were worried that there would be no house for them to move into if they did not rent quickly.

A further 36 percent of students feared that the best houses would be taken if they did not make a decision on renting property early.

The Boar discovered that in some cases this pressure has led to students choosing their flat mates without giving it careful consideration.

French and History finalist, James Leahy  commented : “I think it was definitely too early, I remember it was already being discussed by late November/early December of first year and I certainly felt that I did not know many people well enough to be able to decide if I would want to live with them by that stage.

“This did make things very difficult as two of my friends fell out very badly at the end of first year so I ended up living with a group strangers, which was not ideal.”

Alister Drennan continued: “What struck me most when it came to choosing a house in first year was sheer speed with which I had to choose people so early on.

“I specifically remember returning back to Warwick from reading week and discovering that most people had already buddied up. Getting a group of housemates together was honestly like trying to land a deal in a cutthroat business. It was ludicrous.”

In addition The Boar found that in many cases when talking to first-years, there remained a large amount of anxiety to rent early for fear that accommodation would run out.

Oliver Buckley- Mellor, first-year History student added: “You’re hugely pressured by time, you have to get a property for next year which has to be within a tolerable distance from campus. The fear of all the best housing going in a couple days effectively becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Josh Schulze, first-year Film and Literature student said: “There were loads of rumors about having to find a house early or live in places like Coventry if you didn’t choose a house before a certain point.”

The pressure has led many students to be worried when choosing their potential flat mates, as well as creating considerable tension within friendship groups.

Mr Schulze added: “It still feels way too soon to be making such an important decision. I’ve only known these people for two months and I’m picking those I want to live with.”

Krishan Pugh, first-year History student commented: “It definitely caused some tension in the flat – there are twelve of us.

“Naturally it came to people having to decide who were their closest friends which I got the impression did not please everyone and led to some feeling left out.”