Top Tips for House-Hunting in 2020
By: Lotti Morton
Tags: Housing, Student Life, Renting, Leeds

LUU joined up with LBSU and Unipol to give you some essential top tips for house-hunting this year

House-hunting is a stressful process during normal years, let alone in 2020! At LUU, we want to reassure you that there is no rush to find a house and encourage you to take some time to house hunt properly, when you are ready.

We have more houses than students in Leeds so there are always houses left late in the summer. There are always empty rooms available to let throughout the year so don’t be pressured by the myth that you’ll be left with nothing if you leave it later. Don’t allow letting agents pressure you into signing before you are ready. Things like ‘this house will go if you don’t sign it now’ or ‘we have 5 more viewings today’ are used to pressure you into rushing into a decision.

I waited until May to sign for my house this year as I was so uncertain about what was going to happen! Many of my graduate friends were waiting to secure a job before committing to a tenancy agreement and found great houses in the areas they wanted in August and September. Life is so unpredictable right now, I’d strongly encourage you to wait and see how things pan out before committing to a house too early. If you do, you are committing to paying for that house in Leeds under whatever circumstances we might be in by that time.

A really important thing to note is that it is really hard to get out of a tenancy agreement. Even in the pandemic, it has been incredibly difficult to be released from a housing contract. When you sign a tenancy agreement, it becomes legally binding and you or your guarantor have to pay for that room. The only real alternative is to find a substitute tenant which can be difficult — but it is possible! Many students do this by advertising on Facebook and Unipol’s student noticeboard. This is a really useful place to find or advertise a spare room, as well as find other students to house-hunt with if you are looking for a bigger group to live with.

This year, Unipol are offering their Peace of Mind Promise on their owned properties. This means that if you sign a property anytime between now and March 1st you will be able to withdraw from that contract. If you’re uncertain of your plans, this could be a good option for you.

Choosing Housemates

Choosing people to live with can be tough and conversations about it can feel really tricky and awkward. However, it’s really important that you’re honest as who you live with can have a huge impact on your uni experience.

Be clear about your priorities, including a budget. If you don’t have these conversations early on, they can cause friction later in the house-hunting process and lots of people find themselves dropping out or changing groups due to conflicting priorities. Talk about how much you are prepared to pay, things that you need in a house (such as parking) and what kind of set up would work best for your group before you start looking.

If you’re not sure you’ve met the right people yet don’t worry! It’s been so much harder to meet people this year and everyone is in the same boat. There is no harm in waiting to meet a few more people next term.

If you want some help in finding housemates, you can join our House Hunting Group here where we will be posting advice, tips, events and giving the opportunity for you to meet others who are looking for housemates. You can also contact Unipol as they are offering individual contracts in a bigger property. Check the Unipol student noticeboard to find other students also looking to form a group to live with too.

Choosing a Reliable Landlord

You can look up properties or landlords on Rate Your Landlord. Students leave honest reviews about their property and their experience in it that you can trust and use to inform your housing decisions. It’s also important to check whether the landlord or letting agency you are going to sign with is Unipol Code accredited. This means the property meets a set of benchmark standards relating to:

the physical condition of the accommodation

management of the property

the relationship between landlord and tenants.

In the spring of 2020, the unions ran a joint rent relief campaign for students to be released from their rental contracts. The campaign is now closed, but you can still view how landlords responded to their tenants during the first few months of the pandemic.

Viewings

Physical house viewings are much less likely to be taking place under current restrictions. Virtual viewings are great and much safer but it is worth checking the date of the recording and considering whether you would rather wait until (hopefully!) you could view these properties in person. Unipol’s Viewing Checklist includes all of the important things you need to consider in a new property. Ask lots of questions!

Practical Things to Think About