SOMEHOW you have convinced someone to give you a place at a university. What ever and wherever you are studying, you now need a place of your own, somewhere to sober up between lectures. It would be nice if it had heating, lighting and running water. But freshers can’t be choosers. Or can they? Agnes Gautier, research and policy officer at the National Union of Students, says: “Students now have more choice than ever. Luxurious developments in the private sector, such as en suite rooms, are raising standards and prices.”
If Mr Blair has his way, 50 per cent of 18-30-year-olds will soon be students. Most will move away from home. Yet last year 100,000 freshers could not get a place in halls. Tabitha Birchall, corporate affairs director of Unite, the UK’s biggest private student accommodation provider, says: “Cash-strapped universities should invest in education, not accommodation. We fill the gap.”
From Aberdeen to Plymouth, each of Unite’s 31,000 rooms is en suite. From £54 a week you also get a shared living room and kitchen. Utilities are included but broadband is £5 extra weekly. You need a TV licence, as you do in any accommodation.
Birchall says: “We have properties for all budgets but our most expensive options go first.” Shiny new studio flats in central London, including Chelsea, come with a fully equipped chrome kitchen, living room with plasma screen TV and a rooftop garden. They cost £140 a week.
Gautier says: “It is good to raise standards but costs rise too. University halls cost, on average, £2,000 to £3,000 a year. Private halls can be as much as £5,000. There are other concerns. You can get lonely in your own en suite. It is not a proper university experience; you need to mix more.”
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A Unite survey showed that 20 per cent of freshers go into halls (80 per cent of which go into university halls). This remains the most popular option. About 10 per cent stay with parents or family — not conducive to experimentation with the opposite sex, drugs or rock’n’roll. But it is cheaper.
A similar number actually own homes, courtesy of mummy and daddy, renting out rooms to fellow students. This is profitable but the role of landlord is not pleasant. It is OK to cast your vote on a Big Brother eviction night but could you really evict a friend? Most, about half, end up in rented private accommodation, usually a shared house.
As a fresher in Edinburgh, I received a list of university-approved properties. For £42 a week, I rented a room in a mews. The crazy, snooping landlady and aggressive cat came free. I was not allowed to use the telephone in those days before mobiles (that dates me), my mail was censored and visitors forbidden after dark.
Finally she burst into my room, surprising me in flagrante delicto. Later that night I was on the street with my belongings — minus deposit.
Gautier says: “Not getting your deposit back remains the number one complaint. The tenancy deposit scheme will protect students but it is late coming into place. Make sure that you get a receipt. Also take pictures with a dated newspaper in shot when moving in and out so that they cannot claim for non-existent damage or breakages.”
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All private accommodation in England and Wales more than three stories high and housing more than five tenants is covered by the Housing Act 2004. Unsuitable properties can now be closed and rogue landlords fined. Interestingly, universities successfully lobbied to be exempt, claiming that they are already responsible enough. There are similar rules in Scotland.
Disillusioned with Edinburgh, I moved into halls at Lancaster University. The bed was hard and the walls were breezeblock but it was mine and there was no landlady. I shared a kitchen and a bathroom with five others. Mercifully, weekly cleaning of all communal areas was included in our rent. Living this way forced me to interact with the people around me.
Gautier adds: “Your first year is all about making friends. Basically, you meet the housemates you will share with next year, argue over who finished the milk and row about loud, bad music.”
Freshers can be choosers. You just have to live with whatever choice you make.