Private residential halls for students or private house?

For any university student comes the question about whether they should live in private residential halls for students or opt instead for a private student house?

This dilemma is faced by students as they enter their second year of studies and most will opt to live in private student accommodation though the growing popularity of private halls also needs to be examined.

Most students live in university-provided halls of residence for their first year of studies which helps them settle in and make new friends and also have an enjoyable time living in halls.

There’s no doubt that moving into a shared student house with these new-found friends is a tempting opportunity and living in a house and paying rent is going to be a first for most students and a step up from their university provided accommodation.

Moving into a student house

The biggest attraction for moving into a student house is that you get to choose who you will live with; while living in student halls means you get to meet a range of different people it’s normal that you will not like everyone there.

However, there are some downsides to moving into a rented student house and that is if the friends fall out before or during their tenancy which could lead to some problems in paying rent or in finding a replacement tenant.

Also, not all student accommodation is located on or near the campus and it may mean having to take a 30-minute bus journey to reach lectures. Most student houses will be located close to the University and there will be lots of other students nearby too.

Sharing a property also means cutting down on expenditure and sharing bills as well as sharing meals and food too.

Good case for private residential halls for students to be considered

However, there’s also a very good case for private residential halls for students to be considered and these are mainly located close to the campus or in the city centre. They are also generally modern purpose-built buildings or recent conversions providing modern well-designed rooms.

They may be slightly dearer than sharing a student house but the halls provide a small studio with ensuite and kitchenette, in most cases, as well as a double bed while other residential halls for students provide larger studio apartments and some cater for two people who want to share.

The private halls also have communal areas so the residents can mingle with others and also share areas such as cinemas, games rooms, libraries and in one case a 10 pin bowling alley! Obviously, private student homes do not provide these facilities.

Private halls for students also provide around the clock security and a manned reception desk so there’s always someone to deal with problems or queries; that’s not always the case with a shared student property where the landlord may be reluctant to pay for repairs regardless of how important or necessary they may be.

Essentially, for those who choose to live in private residential halls for students, they will find a quality home that they can live in for two years of studies, or more, and enjoy their privacy while having access to shared areas to build friendships and enjoy pastimes.