What’s the most important thing to students deciding where to live?
Nearby bars, clubs, shops and takeaways? Being close to a town or city centre? Living near to lots of other students?
According to Accommodation for Students’ annual survey, more than 90 per cent of students say that being close to university is the deciding factor in where they choose to live.
Transport is another big factor, with 70 per cent of students looking for accommodation in an area with good transport links.
As for the bars and clubs, and being near to other students, less than 50 per cent of students said that these things mattered to them.
When it comes to the property itself, students aren’t picky. The amount of space, the décor and the furniture aren’t that important, the price and the condition of the property itself are key.
But landlords shouldn’t get too excited if they have a house that ticks all these boxes.
If students don’t have access to a fast broadband connection the landlord can forget it.
Nearly 90 per cent of students said that fast broadband speeds were essential.
When it comes to paying for things like broadband, gas and electricity, 31 per cent of students felt it was essential to have bills included in their rent and a further 40 per cent felt it was quite important.
It comes as no surprise that London is the most expensive area for student accommodation, followed by Leeds and York.
Accommodation for Students is a search engine for student accommodation, student houses, student flats, student pads and private halls in the UK. Every year they speak to 1,000 students to put together this survey.