How to Turn Your Student House in Selly Oak into a Student Home

Moving away from home to study at university is a big change for many people. It’s important to look for the special touches that can help make your student house feel just like home. This will make your time at university less stressful and can help you enjoy living in your Selly Oak student house. Getting this right can be a game changer for you to lead a happy and successful lifestyle whilst you are studying at university.

We understand the importance of being comfortable in your living environment. That’s why all of our properties have double glazing and gas central heating, and come with white goods such as a washing machine and fridge/freezer. Having these essentials provided in your student house will help to make you feel right at home. Some of our properties include en-suite bathrooms and open plan living areas for added comfort and convenience.

Sometimes we can do without the stress of paying utility bills, which is why some of our properties come with bills included with the rent. This helps to reduce the hassle when renting with us. In addition, all our properties are located within walking distance of the University of Birmingham and the useful amenities on Selly Oak’s Bristol Road. This means you can enjoy short walks to and from lectures and easier grocery shopping.

We aim to provide a homely feel to our Unihousing student houses. By using colour and lighting correctly in each room and using quality décor and furnishings, this helps to create a space where you can feel relaxed, at home, and studious. This space is going to be your home for the academic year, so it’s important that it fits your definition of home.

How Lighting Can Create a Homely Environment

It is amazing how creative use of light can transform a room. Most places will only have one central light to illuminate your room which is usually in the form of a typical ceiling mounted light. This can make the room feel small and often colder than the room actually is. Our student homes use spotlights which create a more modern and open environment helping the rooms to feel more spacious, light and airy.

You may wish to add a personal touch to your room by using coloured fairy lights. This is such an easy, cost effective way of making your room feel cosier and more enjoyable to be in. Desk lamps are an essential when you are studying to help you see what you’re doing, and make you feel more studious. Lamps can also add a nice little bit of extra light to your room if you have it on during the evenings too.

However, you don’t have to entirely depend on artificial light. Try and have your curtains open with natural light coming in as much as you can. Studies have shown people are more productive when working in natural light, so keep that in mind when you’re studying. You can maximise natural daylight by using free standing mirrors and any mirrors that may already be provided.

Using Colour to Express Yourself

Using colours to express yourself can really help make your student house in Selly Oak feel like a home. Our student homes use a neutral tone to the paint work and all floors have laminate wooden flooring. This means you can use your own taste in colour to brighten things up the way you like it. You can add accents of colour by using the before-mentioned coloured fairy lights, as well as cushions, rugs, photo frames, and of course your choice of bedding.

Adding a touch of nature can also be a good way to make your student accommodation feel more homely. Plants are always great for student rooms, they add a lovely colour and help make the air feel fresher. If you’re worried about keeping the plant alive, you could invest in some artificial plants for the same affect.

Enhance Your Room Using Photos

While some may view this as cliché, especially in this digital age, using photo frames to display photos of your friends and family is a wonderful method of making your student house feel more homely. Most of our Selly Oak student lets come with a pinboard ready to use to display your photos and happy memories. If this is too old-fashioned for you, you could invest in a digital photo frame to display a selection of photos.

Make Your House Smell Like Home

Another great way to add that homely touch is by using fragrance. You can buy plug-in fragrances, sprays or potpourri. Please be aware however, that candles are often not allowed in student accommodation. A good alternative is a diffuser, which can provide a large number of scents and fragrances to help make your house smell like home.

Live with People You Enjoy Being Around

Choosing your housemates is an important decision, as you’ll be spending a whole year around them. You should make sure that the people you’re living with are tidy, responsible, and respectful about boundaries and your space. Of course, you should choose people who you know you’ll enjoy being around as well.

Living with people who refuse to clean, are noisy at unsociable hours, or help themselves to your leftovers in the fridge without permission can create a stressful environment. Just because you are friends with someone doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be a good housemate. Once you’ve got a group of people to rent with, you should look at the following things to help smooth over the house search:

Agree on a Budget

No matter how nice the place is, staying inside a realistic price bracket is fundamental when choosing your student accommodation with Unihousing. Some of our Selly Oak properties are inclusive of utility bills, however, for those properties that are not inclusive, we recommend establishing and agreeing to keep to a budget for those utility bills. Don’t forget you will also need to budget for food and any other daily or weekly expenses you have.

Have a Look for Yourself

Perhaps the most important part of house hunting is to see the property for yourself, and preferably during daylight hours. This will give you the best idea as to whether you can see yourself living there. By seeing it in person, and not just through images on the Internet, it’ll also give you a chance to ask the current tenants about the house/landlord and any issues they’ve faced.

Brush Up on the Legal Bits

Contracts:
Taking on a Unihousing property means signing a contract. You have rights as a tenant, which you can speak to the Student’s Advice Centre at university about, before you sign all the documents. The tenancy contract is a legally binding document, because of that we recommend you don’t sign it until you have been to view the property and are sure you want to live there. If you are renting with friends, it is advisable to come to an agreement around finding another tenant if you have to move out before the contract terminates.

Rent:
Your contract with Unihousing will specify how much the rent is, when it should be paid and if utility bills are included or payable separate. It may also include any instances where you will be charged extra fees for replacing lost keys, late payment of rent or calling out the landlord for problems caused by the tenants.

Tenant’s obligations:
This section normally takes up a large part of the tenancy contract. Unihousing contracts will define what you are responsible for when it comes to the home you’re about to sign for. As a tenant, your responsibilities typically include general maintenance, keeping the property clean and tidy, behaving in a respectful manner towards neighbours and how the property is to be handed back at the end of the tenancy. Read these clauses carefully and ensure you fully understand them before signing the contract.

Landlord’s obligations:
In the contract it should state what the landlord is responsible for. This will normally include any major house repairs and maintenance, and ensuring the safety of gas, electric and fire at the property. According to Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a landlord should give 24 hours’ notice before entering the premises, unless it is an emergency. Most of Unihousing’s properties come fully furnished and with all appliances. If any of the appliances become faulty or there is an issue with furniture such as beds, you can raise the issue with our dedicated maintenance team.

Deposits:
Typically, your contract should acknowledge receipt of the deposit, which should be similar in price to a month’s rent, and how it will be returned to you at the end of your tenancy. If the contract doesn’t say anything about this, then get your landlord or letting agent to amend the contract or provide you with a written receipt.

Visit our website to find your student home for the next academic year.