Accommodation Advice for Students – The Ultimate Guide to Help You Settle into University or College Life

Welcome to loads of incredibly valuable tips from Tracy Adams, Clarity Property Management’s Property Manager, who knows a thing or two about the practicalities of moving into a new property.

Why not print off this list and stick it on the fridge in your new shared kitchen? We think this is one of the most useful blogs we’ve ever written.

Are you a new student, leaving home for the first time to set up home in Brighton?

Firstly, welcome to one of the best cities in the whole of the UK. You’ll love it here. Not only are you (hopefully) going to enjoy your studies, Brighton & Hove will, we think, offer an amazing social life. It boasts wonderful open spaces, pubs and bars, theatres, places to enjoy every type of music – and of course, there’s the beach. OK, it’s a bit stony, but armed with some sturdy sandals and sun cream, memories of a coastal picnic with your friends on a warm Sunday afternoon will stay with you for ever.

And, you have a new home to move into. Exciting. You’re going to be living with your  friends, people you already know, or perhaps even strangers.

As Property Manager at Clarity, I’m aware that getting to grips with a new environment can be a bit daunting.

Scary, even.

The comforts of home that may have been provided for you are about to be replaced by well, the comforts of another home – but this time, keeping it comfortable, clean and safe will mostly be up to you and your friends.

Don’t worry. From experience, I know everything will be fine, but there’s a transition to go through towards self-reliance, and you’re just about to go through it. These are the main things that you need to know.

To start:

1. Your “Welcome to Your New Home” Hamper – from Us!

Yes, we’re spoiling you with this one. Open the box to find lots of incredibly handy things to kick-start your tenancy. These include:

Various dishwasher products, if indeed the property has one, for example dishwasher cleaner, salt and rinse aid. Do read the instructions and DO use them. These lengthen the life of your appliance and importantly, will reduce call outs.

You’ll also find a washing machine cleaner (same purpose), and a mould and mildew remover as a reminder that you need to keep the walls free of mould, and that you must keep the property well-ventilated in order to keep damp at bay.

What else? Ah yes – ant deterrent powder – no guessing what this is for. Not a nice subject, but the avoidance as much as possible of pests (all pests) will be your responsibility. Use the ant powder in the garden to prevent them from coming into the property.

You’ll also have light bulbs to start you off; but again, the replacement of these will be up to you and your housemates. NB: buying and managing lightbulbs could help reduce any issues with your deposit when you leave.

Loo roll. Because we care. However, a word of warning: don’t put toilet wipes or baby wipes down the loo, as these will clog up the system and could cause really expensive repairs.

Teabags and biscuits, washing up liquid and gloves, sponges etc. Unpacked? Time for a restorative cuppa.

You’ll also find some of our promotional items, such as facemasks and mugs.

2. Turn on your fridge and freezer.

It takes a while for these items to reach their required temperature, so make sure this is one of the first things you do. You and your new housemates will be accountable for keeping the fridge clean and for de-frosting the freezer (this latter task should be done every 6 months or so if it’s an older model).

Talking of keeping clean: there will be a hoover in the property, which we’d recommend using at least once a week to keep the carpets clean. Plus, a regular swoosh – which is a technical term – of the kitchen floor, with a good cleaning product – will keep everything spic and span.

A chores rota could be a good idea, maybe?

3. Find out where the water stop cock is.

And, how to turn it off. If you’re not sure what this is, Google it.

Your internal stopcock shuts off the water within the whole of the property immediately – essential if water is coming in. It means that repairs can be made to pipes, and disasters averted.

4. Utilities and Bills next.

You’ll be advised who the provider of gas and electricity is (in the name of the landlord) and you will need to supply a meter reading on the day you move in – and when you leave.

These sites may help, though. This one’s for electricity:

https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/help-and-advice/who-is-my-supplier/

And this is for gas:

https://www.findmysupplier.energy/webapp/index.html

You may change providers, but you’ll need to set up your own account with all the tenants’ names on in order to do this. Generally, bills are sent quarterly, however some tenants prefer monthly or via a pre-paid meter.

The same will apply to your:

• Water
• Internet/Wi Fi
• TV Licence

To make life easier, you and your housemates may want to contact a company called Unihomes as this is a multi-utility business that draws everything together for students in house or flat shares. Have a look here:

https://www.unihomes.co.uk/blog/5-reasons-why-accommodation-with-bills-included-is-making-student-lives-easier

If you choose this option, don’t forget to mention Clarity Property Management when you contact them.

A word about bills etc: do try to get organised as much as you can. Keep paperwork in separate folders and always make sure that everything is up to date payments-wise. If it’s easier to allocate a “lead” tenant as the “bills person” that could work well, assuming that he or she is willing to take this on.

5. Contents Insurance

Whilst your landlord will take on buildings insurance, you will be responsible for ensuring that your worldly goods are adequately covered by an insurance policy. Accidents can and do happen, and insurance is likely to be much more affordable than you think.

6. Council Tax

There’s good news here:  if all of you are full-time students, you don’t have to pay council tax. Don’t let this one slide, though: you’ll need to register your details with the council tax office to make sure that all residents are exempt.

Search “council tax office Brighton” to find the right place to contact.

7. Trip Switches

In a nutshell, if the lights go out, in the vast majority of cases you do not need an emergency electrician.  So, first off – breathe, this is not a disaster.

It’s likely that there’s too much current going through the distribution board in the property, so that the circuit gets broken.

These boards are either grey or white and should be easy to locate. You’ll notice that the switch that’s tripped is in a downward position, so unplug your appliances, and  flick the switch upwards. Power should be restored.

You could try turning things on one at a time, as there may be an electric guilty party that’s causing the outage.

This isn’t easy to describe, so YouTube should be your best friend in this situation.

8. Regarding drains

Make sure that you clean these out regularly as leaves can block them and cause no end of headaches.

9. Property Inspections

A representative from Clarity will inspect your property every six months. Please rest assured that this isn’t to catch you out or make judgements in anyway; we’re on your side. Carrying out a series of checks will highlight any maintenance or repair issues that we can sort out on your behalf.

10. Is it Really an Emergency?

There’s no easy way to say this, but what you consider an emergency may not actually be one.  Have a look here to see what we mean – there’s some useful advice on this page:

https://www.astonvaughan.co.uk/tenants/what-to-do-in-an-emergency/

Take and send a photo of the problem to repairs@astonvaughan.co.uk, or give us a call on 01273 253 000. Leave a message out of hours and follow the guidance you hear. We’ll get someone to you within a defined timeframe based on the urgency of what’s gone wrong.

If There’s One Piece of Advice We Can Give You…

It’s this: Google offers a wealth of knowledge on practically everything, including a shedload of “how to” tips on looking after a property on a day-to-day basis. Do try Googling before contacting us – for one thing, the answer could be exactly what you need within half a second

So, there  you are. A comprehensive guide for students moving into their first property. This is a rite of passage to take you from one stage of your life to another, and of course there will be adjustments.

Above all, enjoy it! Going to college or university is an outstanding experience, and one that you’ll never forget.