Flatmate Finding

There's a lot of pressure put on students to book accommodation for the next academic year a matter of months after they've moved into their first year property. This is an unnecessary stress, and quite frankly can end in tears, if months down the line you've fallen out with the people you signed a contract with, or you've found something better elsewhere, or you met new people....

You know what we're saying - it's not a race, don't rush!



Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Once you've put pen to paper and signed your contract in the private sector you are contractually bound, and legally obliged to pay rent for the property. There's plenty of student accommodation available in Sheffield, so don't feel pressured to sign a contract in case you 'miss out' - you won't!

Who to live with?

Many first year students continue to live with their current flatmates for their second year at university, usually in a privately rented shared house. Having said that, you shouldn’t feel pressured to live with your first-year flatmates for another year if you don’t think you’ll be happy. Lots of students choose to live with different groups of people after first year, so you wouldn’t be alone. Why not ask friends from your course, societies or sports clubs to see if they’re looking for a flatmate? 



Where to start looking?

Smart move can help. They have lots of accommodation available for individuals to apply to. You can use their online database to browse properties.

Smart Move

The Students’ Union Welfare Committee also run regular ‘housemate finder’ events for students looking for someone to live with. Follow them on Facebook for details of when the next event will take place.

Welfare Committee

You could also check websites like Gumtree, SpareRoom and RoomBuddies. 



What to ask?

Here are some questions worth asking potential flatmates to increase your chances of living together harmoniously in the long term: Are you tidy? Do you like cleaning? Do you have guests over regularly? When will you usually be home? Do you have any pets? Do you smoke? Do you like to share? What are your hobbies/interests? 



Flatmate etiquette guidelines:

- Establish some ground rules from the get go. 

- Pay your dues, nobody likes a freeloader. 

- Clean up after yourself, as soon as possible. 

- Don’t use/eat/drink/borrow anything that doesn’t belong to you, unless you’ve asked first.

- Avoid passive aggressive post-its. If you have something to say, talk to your flatmate politely and respectfully. 

- Check it’s OK before hosting a party, and invite your flatmates too. 

-Respect others’ personal space, not everyone wants to be sociable 24/7. 

Finally, have you thought of living in Halls and becoming a Residence Life Mentor?