Finding your next home

After a year in halls, a lot of students will want to move out in to private rented accommodation. See below some advice on the steps to take.

Every year we see students rush to sign agreements with flat mates or course friends, and while the majority of the time they work out okay, there are always scenarios when the decision has been made too soon. It's crucial that you remember there is a large supply of student accommodation in Liverpool so do not rush in to any decisions or agreements. There are always plenty of rooms available and they will continue to come up as others plans change.

Liverpool Student Homes

LSH is a University-funded service for students in private accommodation, providing free housing advice to all students. LSH will also organise Housing Talks and Housemate mixers and, again, we will advertise these on all of the channels listed above. LSH also have a Landlord Accreditation scheme, you can find out more about this (and other services they offer) here.

Other key things to remember

• You don't have to leave halls. We have Dover Court specifically for second / third year students - You can find out more about Dover Court here. You can also apply to become a Residential Adviser, details of which you can find here.
• Don't be pressured into securing accommodation too early. Don't be influenced by rumours that there will be no accommodation left. The earlier you sign for your accommodation, the more chance you have of experiencing problems. By the summer you could have fallen out with your prospective co-tenants but have a signed agreement that you can’t cancel. 
• Remember that landlords who register properties with LSH must sign up to the LSH Standards, which offer you a high degree of protection and a complaints procedure in case anything goes wrong. 
• Remember that almost all the large private Halls will have vacancies for next year. All the main Halls are registered with LSH and so residents are protected by the LSH Standards, even if they book with them directly. If you are unsure whether a Hall is registered with LSH, check their website.
• Do not settle for poor quality accommodation. If there is any aspect of a property that you are not happy with, walk away and keep looking until you find the right one. You can get advice and guidance about contracts from LSH – don't sign anything if you are unsure about it.

LSH also offer free confidential housing rights advice, and your property doesn’t need to be LSH registered to access this service. You can contact them at advice2u@liverpool.ac.uk. 

Watch the information video from LSH below.