I've just graduated from the University of York (Yay!!). I've decided to read an MSc chemical process engineering at UCL (University College London) before trying to enter the chemical industry as a graduate engineer. I want to specialise in engineering to develop my macro-world scientific skills which aren't really nurtured that well when studying the chemistry of atoms and molecules.
Not being native to London, I didn't know where is good for students / what kind of rents to expect, etc. There are many different variables in the equation and it was difficult to know where to start. I've had help from friends and condensed some of the knowledge that I've gleaned from my searching to help you guys get a place that's right for you. A good way to start along to road to renting is to place an ad about yourself and your requirements on various housing websites. This will allow people to view you flatmate profile and what you're looking for. You can match yourself with others looking for the same thing and find a house together or apply to a property and try and form a group to rent that way. This way, you can find people who will be suited to living with you and you get a better chance of finding housemates you can get along with.
Location
Location is the number one thing to consider when starting to think about hunting for property to rent. You need to consider where you're going to live in terms of how much the rent will be there, where your home is relative to your place of work (or study) and, less importantly, where all the local amenities are. Once you have an idea of the area you'd like to live in, you can do searches for houses (or in my case flatshares) in the areas you want. This will make your searches more efficient so you can find the right place faster.
Price
Rent pcm (per calendar month) is the important factor to consider when looking at price. With bills included can make the prospect less attractive but bear in mind how much extra you would have to pay if bills were separate and how much those bills could be. By having the utilities bundled in with the rent of the property, you get may get a better deal. This comes from paying for utilities and the energy you use at a regular rate instead of a crippling bill post-christmas. Prices will vary from place to place and properties in the centre will cost to rent than those at the periphery.
Housemates
If you're particular about your housemates, state it in your application to housing websites. Tell them if you're a smoker and need to be with others or if you're interested in being part of a single gender household. The website will try and advertise you to people of your interest. The websites will also apply filters to their listings to assist you in paring down your options. Alternatively, if you just want a place for yourself, filters can be applied there too to help you find what you're looking for with a minimum of fuss.
Extra Features
As above, if you're in need of specific features in a property, such as parking or a garden, let this be known too and you should get more targetted search results and more specific replies to any ads you place on housing websites.
