Searching for houses to share with friends in Kingston.

During my first year at student accommodation in Kingston I began to think about renting a house to share with my friends for our second year! I didn’t know when to start looking for places or how many people I should be looking to live with! Hopefully this gives you an insight into how to prepare for your arrangements in second year.

Don’t be rushed into thinking you have to find friends to live with straight away as sometimes you can make better friends later on or are pressured to live with people and sign a contract when you might change your mind after. I started looking for a house with 5 of my friends and then changed my mind in January to live with a different set of friends. We did struggle to find a house but eventually we did and it’s perfect! If you are worried about waiting too late, there are always options and houses being put on the market to rent later on. We found our house in May when everyone doubted us!

I would say to relax for your first few months at Uni. Don’t think about who you want to live with as I promise you, you will have time!!! Houses tend to come out after Christmas- especially if you are looking for a house with 6 people as these go fast. Even though they start at Christmas- many more come out over the next months after, up until the start of the next University year.

I started by googling ‘4-bedroom student places to rent in Kingston’ or in Surbiton. This search prompted websites such as Zoopla, Right move and other student-based property sites. Make sure that houses or flats you find are for students or shared living. Things to look out for when looking for a house are if bills are included or not, parking if needed, the area (walking distance to Uni or shops?), contract dates and length.

First year student accommodation with the University tends to end at the end of June. If you are looking to move straight into accommodation, then try to find contracts that start in June for a year.

I hope this has helped you to know when the best time to start looking for a house is and to not put pressure on yourself to stick with friends you might not want to live with in a years' time!

If you have any other tips then please leave them below!

Yasmin (BA design marketing)