OK - you have done most of your first term, moved out of home to campus but realise you will soon have had enough of living in a room in a block with rules about putting up pictures and fines for not cleaning the kitchen and are looking forward to a less boarding school, more independent environment in the real world. Or maybe you have had your first year off campus and are looking for a house nearer campus or with a more accessible landlord

You will have to travel from the house to campus. A lot. In the cold. Sometimes early and urgently to meet deadlines. Sometimes late at night. So live somewhere safe and nearby. If you save travel every day for a year, think how much that time or extra sleep is worth to you. If you can walk to the supermarket that's a big plus.

We like the Thief Lane area as it is a few minutes from campus and right by the supermarket, but on the way to town and near the bus. It is also a nice mixed area with students and locals, mostly semi's and wide roads with residents parking.

Communal areas matter. No longer do you inhabit just your room - if tenants all lived in their rooms they wouldn't have any fun at all. So go for communal space not just bedroom size. Kitchens/sitting rooms and whichever is the largest bedroom on the floor is where you are going to spend your time. Think about whether you want a large room or a small room which may be cosier and cheaper. If an occupied house is very clean and tidy with immaculate new furniture consider how well you will be able to look after it, how often you will be inspected and how at risk is your deposit. Getting charged for breaking an appliance or redecorating will make the rent look a lot less affordable!

Look at outside space. York is warm in the summer and the garden is good for barbecues and even revision. In January you may not care but come the summer a garden is much nicer than a yard. A driveway is a plus, not just if you have a car, but also if you or your visitors have bikes that you would rather not leave in the house.

Think about what makes a good landlord. Key is attitude, experience and ability to deal with issues. You should get a feel for this from the current tenants and from asking questions. An experienced landlord should have seen everything before and respond quickly and calmly to issues. You don't want a new landlord who is going to be unrealistic about student life or blame you or charge you. If you or your visitors mess up are they going to blame you and demand money or help you to sort it out? What happens about late rent? Do you get charged?

The best landlords will act as a resource to help you over the year. The worst will view you as a return on investment so will try to avoid costs or pass them on to you at every opportunity. Ask the current tenants about theirs.

We think there are two very distinct approaches to managing a student house, leading to two very different experiences. Have a look at our What Makes Us Different page and see what you think.

 How many houses are they looking after? Will your problems be a priority for them? We stopped at ten because we think any more would compromise our ability to respond promptly to problems.

How hard is it to secure the house? How about collecting keys - do they make it easy for you or for themselves? What does that suggest about when you become a tenant?

 Things will break. Will the landlord respond? How quickly? Will they want to help? Who will actually do the work - a qualified person, a handyman or  the landlord themselves. Do costs usually get passed on to tenants? What timescales does the landlord expect for repairs? Who has to approve the repair? Typically the voluntary codes of practice (ie best practice) expected 3 days for urgent repairs and 28 days for most repairs. 

Ask about charges for small things eg changing tenants.

Is there a booking fee? If there is an admin charge for minor issues then you might reasonably wonder whether the landlord is on your side or just after some extra income at every opportunity. How will this ethos translate into their approach to the rest of the tenancy?

It is entirely likely that you will break some things and make marks on walls and carpets. It is entirely likely that the landlord would be able to justify keeping some of your deposit, if they are inclined to. If the house has paid several thousand pounds of deposit then a retention can make the house rent look a lot less affordable. Try and get a feel for how enthusiastic the landlord is going to be about retaining the deposit. Ask when they have retained deposits last year, how often and what for. We had an agent tell us that if we put up pictures then we would have to pay to redecorate. Nouse (23 Jan 2018)  reported that 44% of York students lost their deposits altogether in 2014. Hopefully things have improved since then...  If the landlord or agent has a habit of keeping deposits you should factor this in at the beginning. 

There shouldn't be any fees. Surely admin for contracts and changes should be included? When bills are included are they capped or can you actually heat the house? Is WiFi unlimited and is it fast enough?

Do you have to have a guarantor? How about a holding deposit?