What To Ask When Viewing Student Houses

Renting as a student isn’t particularly difficult, but it’s important to know what you’ll need to ask when viewing student houses.

Living in a student house is all part of the magical university experience. 

It’s a time to bond with your housemates and get even closer, replicate Come Dine With Me without setting off the smoke alarm, and pull all-nighter movie marathons with pints of wine. 

A.K.A. the good ol’ days. 

But, like most things in adulthood, there can be nasty little surprises that you didn’t expect when renting as a student and looking for student accommodation. And our recent Freshers report revealed that 52.9% of you are worried about sharing with strangers. So add renting troubles to the equation and it can all feel a bit much. Luckily for you, we’ve been there, done that, and got the t-shirt to prove it. 

Go into this hunt for student houses with the idea that this is your home for however long, and you’ll want it to be up to scratch or you’ll grow to hate it and want to leave. Worst of all, it could impact your studies! If you don’t have a good enough home environment, you’ll start to see negative effects spill into your academic and social life.

We’ve got advice on what to look for when viewing a student house and what questions to ask; it’s better to be prepared than blindsided. 

Pssst… if you’re feeling homesick, you’re not alone. Here’s how to deal with homesickness when moving to university. 

In this guide:

• What to look for when viewing a house
• Questions to ask when viewing a house
• What happens after viewing a property to rent

What to look for when viewing a house

Viewing student houses is exciting but can be overwhelming, leading you to forget to keep an eye out for particular things. We’ve put together a list of what to look for when viewing a house to help make sure you’re getting the best student accommodation for you. 

1. Damp

Damp is a common problem for many properties, but especially student houses. Damp can look and smell gross (leading to mould), can cause health problems, and ruin your stuff. It can also make the entire house feel cold, which is not fun during the winter. 

Signs of damp to look out for include:

• Flaking paint/wallpaper
• Black patches of mould (particularly in corners)
• Musky smell

By all means, it’s possible to move into a house with damp issues, but just let your landlord know you want it sorted and keep on top of your rights if they don’t help. 

You will also have to take measures yourself to prevent damp from occurring once you find a student house. Learning how to dry clothes indoors without a dryer will help reduce damp caused by laundry.

2. Pests

When you arrive at the student house you’re viewing, keep an eye out for any unwanted pests/infestations. While it might be due to the current tenants’ living, i.e. overflowing bins or food left out, it could be something the landlord hasn’t sorted out. 

If there’s no obvious mess that’s attracting the pests, it could be because of the house itself. Rats, pigeons, fruit flies, flying ants, even slugs and cockroaches — these pests can come through gaps in the house or just through poorly-built areas. 

If you spy traps around the house then that’s another sign there’s pests, or if you see droppings. 

3. Security & Safety

Crime can be higher in student towns and cities due to the number of younger people in the area and student houses being targets for burglars. When viewing houses, keep in mind the security of the place and don’t be afraid to ask the landlord if they’re able to add/improve any locks/access points, etc. 

Make sure locks on windows and doors are working properly and make note to check if there are working fire/smoke alarms and extinguishers available. 

4. Water

Water is basically gold — cooking, washing, drinking; students need it and it needs to be easily accessible. 

If you’re viewing student houses for several people, the water supply has got to withstand the constant usage of taps, toilets, and showers. Check for possible leaks/sign of damp, and flush the toilet to make sure it’s working. Turn the taps on in the kitchen and bathroom/s to ensure the pressure is adequate.

5. Neighbourhood & Location

A nice house isn’t so nice if it’s miles and miles away from your university campus, needing a horse and carriage to get there thanks to no bus routes. 

Location is crucial. You need to strike a balance between the student house being close enough to your campus, while also close enough to other amenities like shopping, pubs, and doctors. 

You’ll also want to think about the neighbourhood. A lot of student houses are very much ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ because it can be a tight race against other groups, however, you don’t want to be living in a sketchy neighbourhood that will have you fearing for your life. 

6. White goods & appliances

You’re students, so you won’t be forking out hundreds to stock up your kitchen with white goods like a fridge or washing machine. 

Hopefully the student houses you’re viewing have white goods included, and if so, you need to check that they’re in good, working condition — or ask the landlord to upgrade/fix them.

Look for loose cables and broken sockets that can pose a fire risk, and make sure the number of appliances can cater for the number of students in the house. For example, one fridge-freezer is not going to be the most comfortable if there’s 6 of you in the house. 

To prevent over-packing (student rooms aren’t always the biggest), check out the must-have uni essentials list. You definitely don’t need to be packing everything and the kitchen sink (hopefully the house has a sink). 

Questions to ask when viewing a house

Viewing student houses should be fun, but you need to make sure your judgement isn’t clouded by pretty aesthetics, the biggest room, or getting the cheapest rent possible. 

When attending a house viewing, it’s good practice to come with some questions to ask to help make your decisions easier. 

Some questions you can ask the landlord, others can be answered by the current tenants for a more accurate view of the living quarters. 

Questions to ask current tenants

• What are the neighbours like?
• How is the WiFi?
• Do you feel safe/secure here?
• Is the university easily accessed from the house? What is the car parking situation for the property?
• Do you like living here?
• Any negatives about living here?
• Is the landlord/agent on top of things/how’s their communication?

Questions to ask landlord/letting agent

• Are bills included in the rent? If not, what are the bills that need to be sorted out?
• Will X,Y,Z be fixed/replaced?
• Have you got many more viewings for this property?
• Is there a deposit that needs to be paid, and how much? Is the deposit protected?
• Is there a sample tenancy agreement to see?
• Are there any discounts for renting over summer/outside of the school terms?
• Does the student house come furnished or unfurnished?
• How long is the contract? Are there exit fees involved? 

Once you’ve moved into your student house, it’s a good idea to get student contents insurance to help protect your belongings from damage while in student housing. 

What happens after viewing a property to rent

Found a property you don’t entirely hate and all your housemates are on board with it? Brilliant! Right, next steps.

If you want to make an offer on the student house, tell the landlord/agent that you’re interested in it and what the next steps are. If you want to negotiate the price, you can try, but if the house has many other potential tenants, it can become a bit of a bidding war and the house might end up out of your budget. 

Some student houses will be priced as a whole, and you can split the rent and bills with your housemates i.e. 4 ways. Or they can sometimes be priced by room (inclusive of communal areas of course, and bills). This is easier as it can mean you all pay from your separate bank accounts and everyone is accountable for their own payment. Splitting it and having it come from one person’s account means relying on everyone else being able to pay them on time (which might not always go to plan). 

In fact, according to our 2024 Freshers’ Report, 56.5% of soon-to-be university students are not feeling confident about the idea of managing student household bills. We totally get it, there can be multiple bills, all at different costs, and with different companies, it’s no wonder students find it daunting.

Once you’ve made an offer, the landlord could ask for a holding fee, to say it’s yours while you’re signing the contracts, etc. 

We’ve put together a handy student housing 101 guide to help you find the perfect place to live. It covers topics like how to find student housing and what to look for in more detail. 

Help save on your student bills with our Student Beans home & utilities student discounts.