Southampton attracts thousands of students to its universities each year due to their first class educational and training facilities. In addition to the educational facilities on offer, Southampton offers exceptional shopping and nightlife to cater for all tastes. It also provides the additional bonus of being located only one hour away from the heart of London. Southampton offers all of these attractive features whilst also remaining an affordable option for students as it was recently voted the second most affordable student city in the UK in the NatWest Student Living Index 2015.
If you have made the big decision to make Southampton your home for the duration of your studies then one of the most important factors that will directly impact on your experience of student life is the quality of your student accommodation.
For most students, accommodation in their first year at university is an easy choice as most universities will provide guaranteed accommodation. This guarantee is especially useful to those unfamiliar with Southampton as it allows you to get to know the city before branching out on your own to find suitable accommodation for the remainder of your studies.
Once you are ready to start looking for your perfect student accommodation, you should firstly consider what kind of flat you are looking for. If you have already decided on which flat-mates you want to live with over the next academic year then this will make it easier for you to specify your accommodation needs.
There are many letting agents specialising in student accommodation in Southampton so it is worth putting a bit of effort into finding the right company for you. You should see if you can find other students who are currently renting accommodation from them. By asking current renters about their experience you are getting the most up-to-date information about the agency. This information will help you decide if the company provides a good fit for both yourself and your flat-mates. Make sure that you write down a list of the things that are most important to you, including their history of providing good quality property repairs and maintenance. Their previous behaviour is a good gauge in working out if they can provide the right sort of accommodation for you.
For those of you who are looking to find suitable flat-share accommodation on your own, there are lots of letting agents in Southampton who specialise in providing flat-share options for single students. Many of these agents will look to house you with like-minded individuals and will ensure that you are fully happy with your other tenants before signing you up to your rental agreement. You may also want to look into the possibility of single occupancy or professional flat-share options which can often include upgraded packages with services such as weekly cleaning provision and bills included in your monthly rent.
Whatever option you choose to go for, you can be confident that the local housing market in Southampton is geared up to provide a wide range of different accommodation options to meet your specific student housing needs.