While there are lots of things to arrange when moving into a shared house, it’s important that there is great broadband for students.
There are lots of packages on offer from broadband providers and here’s a quick rundown of the things you’ll need to consider.
The download speed
The students will need to consider what they are going to use the Internet for and how many are sharing the property.
Essentially, the more people who are sharing a broadband connection then the faster your downloading speed will need to be.
It may be that a fibre-optic broadband package will be necessary if you’re doing more than just light browsing. Most students will be sending emails and browsing the web as well as submitting assignments to their tutors.
There may also be a need to download games, stream music and watch iPlayer or Netflix on a regular basis.
Your student download limit
This brings us on to the fact that some student broadband packages will have a cap on the amount of data that can be downloaded every month.
It’s best to opt for unlimited downloads, that’s a broadband package that isn’t capped, because you run the risk that the Internet will be simply switched off or you will need to pay extra, expensive fees for downloads above the cap amount.
No shared student property wants to have the Internet switched off so unlimited downloads are recommended.
Student broadband contract length
Another important issue for students sharing their home is the length of contract for their broadband package.
A lot will depend on how long you will be living in the property and many Internet providers will offer a contract that will run for 12 or 18 months. However, you may only be in the property for nine or 10 months.
This means you will need to source a specific student broadband contract so you are not paying for the months you do not live in the property.
Broadband traffic management
Some providers will also offer broadband traffic management which is another way of promising the best speeds even at peak periods of use.
For example, you may see a dip in broadband speeds in the evenings if you are playing games but there are providers who will maintain the speeds such as Glide.
Student broadband prices
Because the student broadband market is so competitive there are some great deals on offer, particularly if you are on a tight budget.
The more expensive packages will have higher download limits and faster speeds but there’s also the potential to have other stuff added as well such as a TV bundle so you get access to cinema and sports packages.
These will push up the prices even further when the students in the shared property will be on a limited income.
Also, the Glide offering will not only deliver consistent fast broadband speeds even when the Internet gets busy but there’s also a 24/7 customer support service available to deal with any issues that students in the property may come across.
Utility bill UK
It may also help that the bill splitting service from Glide will also offer the student broadband deal as part of its utility bill UK service.
This means that the students living in a shared property will get a bill every month for their electricity, gas and water as well as the broadband connection and they are responsible for paying it. This is a big help for many students who need to budget on a monthly basis.
It’s this issue of sharing the bills as well as the rent that can be a source for disagreement and falling out in a shared student property but by preparing effectively before the students move into their home means that by contacting the Glide team not only will they have their utilities and broadband connected in time but they will know what these bills are going to cost while they live there.
Also, because each person is billed individually they are not responsible for the non-payment of bills of others living there.
Connection to utility providers
For those who are looking to share a student property, Glide can also offer connection to utility providers and offer great deals for the gas and electricity so sourcing and then connecting to a great utility provider is made much easier.
Again, there is the issue of some utility providers offering a contract for a year when students may only need their utilities for nine or 10 months and specific student contracts can be hard to find but the offering from Glide does bring peace of mind.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there’s a lot to consider for those students who are searching for a property to share, agreeing who they will live with and then establishing some ground rules over what happens when they live together.
These rules should also take into account other’s feelings and needs such as not having the heating set too high or too low since this will have an impact on the heating bill and if you don’t source a quality student broadband deal then you need to deal with issues should one of the students be hogging the bandwidth so they can play online games to the detriment of those who want to carry out research or submit an assignment to a tutor.
For more help and advice about the provision of utilities in a shared student house, including getting great broadband for students, then speak with the friendly Glide team today.