A couple of questions from a new international student.

Hi, I'm from America and will be starting this year. I selected Kent as my firm and I'm very excited!

However, I was wondering where the best place would be to look for a flat off-campus. My boyfriend and I have been in an LDR for quite some time, and we've decided to get a place together in the Canterbury area. He's from West Sussex, and has never been to the area, and as I've never been to England period, we're kind of in the dark about everything. I've been browsing these forums for a few days, but it's a lot to take in at once.

Before you ask, I'd rather not do dorms. I've had anxiety issues all my life, and I know that dorms will only exacerbate it. I also saw that there are these things called "house shares" that you have, which I'm not interested in either unless there's a maximum of two other people in the house. I know I'm sounding difficult, and I really don't want to be, it's just how I function.

So my questions are all relating to off-campus housing. What neighbourhoods should we look in? What should our budget be for a studio/1 bedroom flat? What website(s) should we use? Is it too late to look for a flat? If not, when would it be too late? And lastly, if we need to get a third person to rent out a house or bungalow, where should we look for one of those?

Also, if there's anything else I should know as a new student, whether it's about England, the town, the university, etc, I'd love to know! Thanks in advance :3