Whichever year of university you are going into, moving to a new house is always an exciting but slightly chaotic and stressful experience. Some student landlords can be notoriously cunning; therefore it is important to check and record evidence of the condition that you find the house in. Before you settle in, it is also a good idea to create a suitable method of managing finances with your housemates to avoid arguments further down the line.
1. Check for bed bugs
Before you snuggle up for your first night in your new bedroom, check under the mattress for bed bugs. Bed bugs look like little black dots and often appear when multiple people use a mattress, especially if conditions are damp. It is far better to discover them by peeping under your mattress than by waking up to a number of itchy bites in the morning.
2. Take photos of damage and make any maintenance requests
From blue tack stains on the walls, to broken cupboard doors, at the end of the tenancy your landlord will likely take any opportunity to fine you for damages in the house. Ensure you take photos of any damage that is present when you move into your house so that you can prove you didn’t cause the scuffs when you move out. While scouting out the house, text your landlord with any maintenance requests you have if anything needs fixing.
See also: How To Get To Know Your University Flatmates
3. Set up bills
If your housing contract doesn’t have bills included, before you move into your house you will need to arrange your WiFi, water and heating bills. Usually, this is as simple as making a few calls to the providers that the previous tenants used to renew the contract for another year. Monzo is a handy app for balancing payments between housemates.
4. Download Splitwise
Splitwise is a really useful app to download to equally distribute shared payments within your house between each resident. Whether you buy a bin for the kitchen or a communal bottle of milk, pop it on Splitwise to divide the cost and reduce the amount of people you have to transfer money to.
5. Decorate
After organising all that moving-house admin, it’s time to relax and decorate your room. Order some photo prints from FreePrints, buy some fairy lights and house plants and dance around your room to your favourite playlist while you decorate. Once you have finished, christen your new house with a takeaway and movie night.
Read next: The Pros And Cons Of Living In A Student Flat At University
