Being a university student can be challenging and at the same time most interesting, especially if you are in your first year (commonly referred to as a fresher). One of the most challenging experience freshers face in the university is finding a suitable accommodation to rent. I’ve made up with top tips on renting a hostel apartment in your university .


The fact is that there are many available hostel accommodations on campus. However, considering a large number of a student being admitted into most universities, the hostel accommodation cannot go round, and most schools cannot guaranty apartments for all their student. Consequently, you might have to go outside the university campus to hunt for an off-campus apartment to rent.
Whether you are a fresher in your first year at the university, or a returning student who would love to move out of the hostels and live alone or you simply want to get the feel of the off-campus life, there are basic guidelines that you must follow if you desire to get a decent and affordable hostel apartment to rent in the university.

In this article, I have put together six basic tips that will guide you throughout your apartment hunting. Trust me; you will get settled in the best apartment in no time.



START EARLY.


Looking for a hostel accommodation is time demanding. If you don’t start on time, you might end up still looking while lectures commence in earnest. And by the time you finally get an accommodation, it might not be to your taste because all the good ones would have been taken.

A common mistake most students make is resuming the semester at the same time with other students who already have hostel accommodation. To ensure that you get the best hostel apartment, it is important that you start your hunt early, that way you get to secure a good apartment and settle in before the school activities kick off in full.





BACKGROUND WORKS.

This is probably my favorite tip, it involves asking fellow student general questions. This questions would help you determine: the different areas where there are hostel apartments to rent, the most convenient neighborhood to rent in, the prices of apartments in the area, the available utilities (in terms of water and light), the safety of the neighborhood, etc. asking questions would help you make a more informed decision when renting a hostel apartment in the university.

For instance, most agent would like to take advantage of freshers by increasing the price for rent for a particular apartment. However, if you have asked other students about the pricing system you would know the actual price, and be more informed while negotiating a price with the agent or landlord.



DO IT YOURSELF.



If you know the ropes of apartment hunting then you might find that searching for a hostel by yourself is more rewarding. For one, you get to cut out the cost of hiring an agent, and also you get to do business directly with the landlord (some agents can be fraudulent). Doing it yourself involves a whole lot of work. It involves: working around looking for houses to rent, telling people to help you in your search, paying close attention to notices on the walls and in strategic locations such as: ATMs, common rooms, notice boards, school gate, etc.
And added advantage to searching for the apartment by yourself is that you might get a final year student who is moving out of his apartment and is willing to sell most of his/her properties at a cheap rate. So, you simply rent the apartment and buy the properties.





HIRE AN AGENT.

If you are not so experienced with apartment hunting or you simply don’t have the time, then you should consider hiring a housing agent that will help with the apartment hunting. Most often than not, these agents would already have vacant houses ready for rent. In cases like that, have the agent show you some the available apartments so you can make a comparison and select the best.





CHOOSING LOCATION.

Renting a hostel in the right location would go a long way in helping you have a smooth stay at the university. While choosing a location to rent a hostel consider these factors:
• Availability of good roads, proximity to school, market, church, and other places of interest.
• The price of the apartments in the area. Some locations are known for high priced apartments while apartments in other locations are not so expensive.\
• Security.
• Distance from school.



PHYSICAL INSPECTION.

Before you pay for any hostel apartment make sure you inspect the room personally to ensure that all the facilities are intact and in good conditions. You do not want to pay for an apartment before realizing that the light has an issue. Most landlords and agent are very reluctant to refund money once they get paid. In fact you might not get a refund and would have to live with the bad facility.
Also before you pay for a rented hostel be sure to check with the landlord or agent that all the agreed conditions are in place. For instance, some hostels come with full payment of water and light bills included in the rental charge; others don’t.



Finally after making payment for the apartment, ask the landlord or agent to issue you a receipt. Some house owners would want to come back and evict you from the apartment (even after payment), and if you have no receipt to show, there is no way to prove that you have paid for the apartment.

Culled from : http://realestateko.com/6-tips-renting-hostel-apartment-university/

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