The Student Letting Year in Lincoln: When to Look, When to Sign, When to Move

Student letting runs on the academic calendar, not the calendar year, and the rhythm is much the same every year. Knowing the rhythm takes most of the stress out of it, and stops you signing something in a panic that you regret by Easter.

Not long after the academic year starts, letting agents begin advertising houses for the following year, and the rumour mill starts insisting that everything good will be gone by Christmas. It will not. Lincoln has a large and well supplied student housing market, and decent houses are still available well into the new year. Use the autumn to sort the one thing that genuinely matters early: who you want to live with. Groups that know their numbers and their budget move quickly and confidently when the right house appears.

The weeks after Christmas are traditionally the busiest part of the letting year. The most sought after houses, usually those closest to campus, do go early, so if you have your heart set on a particular street, this is when to be looking. View properly, even when there is pressure: never sign for a house you have not seen in person, and be wary of anyone telling you that you must sign today. A legitimate landlord or agent will give you time to read the tenancy agreement and arrange guarantors.

Plenty of good houses are still available in spring, often with landlords more open to negotiation as the market settles. This is a good time for groups whose plans changed, for students who left the search late, and for anyone who wants to choose calmly rather than competitively. It is also when current tenants confirm their plans, which can bring a fresh wave of properties to the market.

Most student tenancies in Lincoln turn over in the summer, between the end of one academic year and the start of the next. Before you leave your old house: clean it properly, photograph every room, take final meter readings, return the keys as instructed and make sure the landlord has a forwarding address for your deposit. Before you move into the new one: do the same in reverse, checking the inventory and photographing everything on day one. Summer is also when deposits from the old house are returned, so chase yours if it does not appear within a reasonable time; the deposit protection scheme can help if there is a dispute.

If you are a first year, university accommodation offices run their own timetables and are the best first port of call. If you are an international student, allow extra time for right to rent checks and for arranging a UK based guarantor or a rent in advance alternative; our international students’ guide covers the options. And whatever year you are in, your university’s accommodation or advice service will check a tenancy agreement with you before you sign, free of charge. It is one of the most underused services on any campus.

• Choose your housemates before you choose your house.
• Never sign without viewing in person.
• Never pay money to secure a property you have not verified, and be wary of pressure tactics.
• Read the tenancy agreement, and use your university’s free contract checking service.
• Photograph everything at move in and move out.