House Hunting 2009

Every city with students has a different time and method for finding student accommodation. It is estimated that in Nottingham over 30,000 students will live in privately rented accommodation and most will be second and subsequent year students (returning students) like you.

In Nottingham the start date to house hunting for next year’s houses (those available from 1st July 2009) is 24 January 2009. This is the first date that Unipol shows its registered owners’ properties to you. However due to the large surplus of good quality accommodation it is not necessary that you rush out on this day to secure your house.

Take your time and look at a good selection of properties. Use the tips contained herein to give your group the advantage and best chance of getting the best house for you. Students using the Unipol service last year had access to over 15,000 bed spaces, so you can be sure you’ll be able to make comparisons and find the best deal for you.

Unipol is more than a letting agent, it is the focal point for advice and support for students looking for private rented accommodation. With the support of your student union and your university, rest assured that at Unipol you will be able to make the right decisions at the right time not pushed in to making hasty ones that you will regret later.

The Website: www.unipol.org.uk/nottingham

Last year:

• over 171,000 property searches were made on the website
• over 30,000 unique users used the website

The Unipol DASH Code 

The vast majority of landlords on the Unipol website are member of the Unipol DASH Code. These landlords voluntarily sign up to abide by a number of conditions that exceed current legal requirements, so you get more protection covering more areas. Although we hope that by renting from a Code of Standards owner you will have a trouble-free house hunting experience.

You can check whether a landlord has registered to be a Code of Standards owner for 2009/10 shortly by clicking here.

Returning Students House Hunting Events 2009

Every year many students don’t fall naturally in to groups or are returning from gap years and are therefore left to house hunt on their own. Although this is now a lot easier, due to many more owners offering individual lets and the Unipol website displaying these in an easy to find way, it can still be daunting.

There are benefits to living in a shared house with other students. There is a wider choice of properties, and it can be cheaper. Unipol will be hosting a number of house hunting events to help students find housemates. These are held in the Unipol office, and are a relaxed and informal way to find potential housemates. Details of these events will be announced on the website nearer the time.

Student to Student Notice Board and Single Lets

If you cannot attend a house hunting event or would prefer to house hunt alone Unipol can help you. As there is a surplus in accommodation in Nottingham many owners are happy to sign students for individual lets rather than requiring you to be in a group to sign for a joint contract. The owners advert will state “will let individually” if this is possible.

In addition you can use the Student to Student Notice Board on the Unipol website (Click on the 'Noticeboard' button). This is an online forum where you can post messages to look for housemates or respond to existing messages. To use the boards you need to register. Any messages posted are checked by a member of Unipol staff before they appear on the website.

Returning Students

Some house hunting tips:

• Do not let the start date panic you into renting something you do not want. There is a surplus of accommodation in Nottingham and good quality accommodation is available throughout the year.
• Do not rent before the start date unless you are staying with your existing landlord.

Key Dates:

From November 2008 onwards you will be given information on how to find suitable accommodation for the following year.

In December 2008 Unipol will provide you with a House Hunting Guide with all the up to date information you will need. The Student Unions do house hunting talks or provide you with more information/advice.

In January 2009 Unipol produces a tabloid detailing a selection of Unipol DASH Code landlords.

Use this time to:

• work out who you want to live with;
• explore areas of Nottingham to decide where you want to live;
• work out how much you can afford ( don’t forget gas, electricity etc.);
• discuss what you want in the property;
• look into the legal aspects of renting – what are your landlords responsibilities and what are yours.

Housing Myths and Rumors

Every year some students fall foul of various housing myths and rumours such as:

• There is a housing shortage – This is simply not true. In Nottingham there is a surplus of good quality accommodation. Students who leave there house hunting until the summer before they return to University still secure good houses.
• All the best places go first – Often students that sign up for houses too early are actually signing for properties left over from the previous year! Wait for the official house hunting start date when over 9,000 bed spaces are released on to the Unipol website for students to view.
• Everyone pays sign up fees – Many owners do not ask students to pay admin or sign up fees, if you don’t want to pay choose an owner who doesn’t charge them. Unipol will not expect you to pay for setting up a contract. Ask what you are paying for.