While it may not appear to be the case for those approaching the subject for the first time, students on the lookout for accommodation these days have never had it easier. The reason being that along with more student accommodation options in general, the rise and rise of the online student housing agency have made things an absolute breeze. Right now, finding student accommodation in Newcastle for example, is as easy as making a few clicks online and essentially having a professional do most of the work on your behalf.
At the same time, of course, there will always be those who for whatever the reason decide not to go with the agency approach but to instead find their own accommodation manually. And while it’s not to say that there is necessarily anything wrong with doing this, those taking this approach will nonetheless lose out on a series of benefits that can only be gained by using student housing agencies.
Consider the following examples with regard to how student housing agencies can lighten the load and make the process both easy and rewarding:
1 – More Choice
First of all, those who seek student accommodation by way of an agent will find themselves with a much greater catalogue of properties to choose from than those searching manually. The reason being that now more than ever, landlords are choosing to advertise their properties exclusively through agents and do not list them at all anywhere else. Just as is the case for the student, housing agencies makes things much easier for landlords so it really just makes sense for them to use agencies and use them exclusively. As it’s simply common sense to say that more choice means a better chance of finding the perfect property, common sense also dictates that the agency is the better way to go.
2 – Verified Properties
Not only do accommodation agencies list a larger catalogue of properties but in the cases of the very best agencies on the market all properties listed will have to some extent been vetted and verified. The problem when booking manually is that you only really have the word of the landlords to go on and have to trust your own judgment when it comes to deciding on the merits of any given place. By contrast, when you book through an agency there is every chance that they, or at least their customers, will have checked and verified the property extensively and can therefore give recommendations for or against accordingly. So if you would prefer not to find yourself stuck with a property you wish you’d never bothered with, the agency is again the better way to go.
3 – Uncomplicated Contracts
Contracts exist for a reason, but in some cases are made deliberately complicated in order to bamboozle and mislead tenants. There are so many landlords who pen the most ridiculously long and complicated contracts simply to cover their own backs against every eventuality, quite possibly at the expense of the tenants. There’s really no excuse or reason for this kind of behaviour these days, which is why those who book via an agency will usually be presented with a contract that is concise, simple and easy to understand. The simple fact of the matter is that if you don’t understand every single word of the contract from beginning to end, you really don’t know what you are signing up for.
4 – Sensible and Affordable Deposits
If over recent months and years you have heard any scare stories about landlords demanding ridiculous deposits that no normal person could afford, the sad news is most would probably be true. For student accommodation in particular, it is not uncommon for landlords to demand several months’ rent in advance along with heavy deposits to cover damages and losses. That is of course unless you arrange your accommodation through an agent as this way you are usually guaranteed a deposit that you can actually afford. Chances are there will be an advance payment required and deposits are part and parcel of the deal, but they should never be so high that they are unaffordable of the students at whom the properties are aimed.
5 – Better Rent Rates
Last but not least, one of the most important benefits of all that comes with looking for accommodation through a housing agency is the promise of the very best rents on the market. Or at least the fairest rents as it is uncommon for any agency to accept a property that is up for a rental price that is in any way too high or unjustified.