Housemate Hunting: How to Choose Who to Live With at Uni

About the author: My name is Sophie Layton, and I’m an MA International Public & Political Communication and BSc Biology graduate from the University of Sheffield. I am currently the Managing Editor of WILD Magazine, Editor of Ed Fringe Review, and Newsletter Editor for the Essex International Jamboree, as well as former Arts & Theatre Editor of Forge Press. I am also the Digital Media Officer for the Student Publication Association. I am a keen thespian with the Sheffield University Theatre Company, with interests in culture, LGBTQ+ issues and political science.

Having settled into your first year at university, it won't be long before you have to start thinking about how to go about finding housemates for second year. Hushed whispers about who's living with who next year begin sooner than you think, and it can catch you off-guard if you’re not expecting it. But fear not, for finding your next housemates can be a lot more fun than you think, especially if you consider all of your options.

Howdy, neighbour!

Sometimes, the answers that you’re looking for appear right at your feet! Having just moved into your current university accommodation, you’re already surrounded by a small group of people who will likely be in the same position as you next year. Chances are they may even be having some of the same worries you are. If the first few weeks have gone well and you really like living with your flatmates, why not start here and get the conversation going?

By continuing to live with your current housemates in second year, not only do you know what they’re like to live with, but you’re more likely to do more with them throughout the year, including holidays! Having met my first year flatmates on my first day at university, I was still living with one of them three properties later, a full degree and two holidays behind us!

Degrees of friendship

As well as your flatmates, keep your course mates in mind as well. With a group of people all studying a similar subject to you, you may find timetables synchronising much more than going cross-courses ever could. As well as this, if you end up having classes together, you’ll already have someone to wander to lectures and procrastinate in the library with.

Whilst you may not know what they’re like to live with first-hand, having a shared subject and common interests is a great way to break the ice, and by figuring out early on that you’re moving in together in the summer, it’s a great way to get even closer throughout the academic year.

Activi-teams

Your first year flatmates are people you have come to be with by coincidence; your course mates by your similar academic pursuits. But if you want to find the people who are really on your level, the activities you get involved with could be the answer. Having come together through a mutual shared interest – whether this is theatre or medieval reenactment, Mario Kart or dancing – these groups are a fantastic place to find your next co-tenants.

Put a message in the society group chat or ask its committee members to spread the word. After living with my first year flatmates in various configurations for four years, this year I’m bunking with four people I met through a society, with our shared passions making us a great team for the upcoming year! If you've not yet joined a society (and are feeling a little overwhelmed by it all), read my blog post explaining what I wish I'd known about student societies before I'd joined!

Where else?

If you’ve still not found the people you want to live with next year, don’t panic! There’s still plenty of other options, including:

• Work: do you work somewhere with a lot of other students also doing part-time around their studies? Ask around.

• Housemate events: many students’ unions now run events where you can find potential housemates for second year and start to look for properties together.

• Social media: things travel fast on the Internet, so consider putting a call out on your story and ask people to spread the word.

• Other universities: if your city has multiple universities, don’t be afraid to branch out; diversity is the spice of life!

Remember, any combination of the above is always a great idea as well, especially if you’re struggling with numbers! If you and your flatmate both have one other person interested, join forces and look for a four, rather than two twos.

Compatibility testing

It’s all good and well finding people to live with, but have you actually thought about whether or not your new potential housemates for second year are the right fit? Different personalities, mismatched lifestyles, contrasting house habits… the risks are real, and you don’t want to find out too late that you’re not compatible with one another.

Before signing any tenancy agreements, consider going out as a group and getting to know one another a little better. There’s nothing worse than moving in together and then discovering that someone in your student house has a penchant for slamming the front door when they come in at 3am, hosting house parties and disrupting your sleep multiple times a week, or travelling home every weekend and leaving you by yourself in an empty house.

Still, it’s never a bad idea to have some kind of mix when it comes to personality traits – whilst it may be an introvert’s worst nightmare to live in a house full of extroverts, you also need to bear in mind that a student accommodation arrangement that solely consists of introverts could potentially get a bit too quiet and, well, lonely. Likewise, a house full of social butterflies can easily get too noisy, crowded, and messy. Getting that balance just right is key to achieving a little something we like to call ✨housemate harmony✨.

What about the house?

Once you’ve got your housemates together, now’s the time to go house-hunting! Get everyone together and start exploring. Using the UniHomes website, you can search through and book viewings for a variety of student properties (all with bills included), filtering via type, price and location. Not sure where to get started? Read our blog post explaining the different types of student accommodation options that are available to you.

House-hunting may be a daunting prospect, but by going in together, you’re setting yourselves up for a fantastic second year already!

Our UniHomes Content Ambassadors are current students across the UK who share tips about student life in their city to help you make the most of your time at uni. If you're interested in writing for our programme, click here for more details.

The views and opinions expressed in these blogs are those of the UniHomes Content Ambassadors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of UniHomes. UniHomes accepts no liability for the content of these Student Blogs.