When must I start looking for student accommodation?

Where you live at university has a huge impact on your student experience. After all, wherever you pick is going to be your home for an entire year. When it comes to your student accommodation, there are so many things to consider. Everyone will have different preferences and desires. Do you want to live alone or with housemates? Would you prefer a house, a flat, or a studio? Which neighbourhood would you like to live in? What sort of budget are you working with? To ensure that you have enough time to carefully weigh up all these priorities and find the right fit, it's important that you don't leave house-hunting too late.

So, if you're wondering when to start looking for student accommodation, we're here to help you. We've examined data from across the UK, looking specifically at 30 cities which reflect around 80% of the national demand and supply of beds for the student market. We've taken a look at when students are searching for their accommodation to give you a clearer sense of the property market, trends, and housing availability. That way, you can find a timeline that suits you.

When should I look for a house-share?

Percentage of HMO (3+ beds) accommodation searches for the 2022/2023 academic year | Source: StuRents.com

When to start looking for student accommodation depends heavily on the type of property you'd like to live in. If you're looking to rent with friends, you're most likely going to want to sign a shared house. In the property market, this is known as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). This just means that three or more people from different households are signing a tenancy together, and it's an extremely common choice of living arrangement for students.

According to our data, in the vast majority of cities, searches for HMOs peak in November for the following academic year. This might seem very early, particularly if you're a first-year student and are still trying to find the right housemates to live with in second year.

There's no need to panic.

Our data reveals that a relatively high proportion of students are still searching for house-shares at the beginning of Spring Term, in January and February. In fact, in Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London, January is the peak time for students to be searching for HMOs. If you need to start looking later, in all likelihood, you'll still have good options available.

As the academic year progresses, the number of students searching for this type of accommodation does tend to taper off dramatically, indicating that the majority have already secured their housing. If you're looking for a house-share, try to look earlier in the academic year to give yourself the most options.

When should I look for a studio?

Percentage of studio accommodation searches for the 2022/2023 academic year | Source:StuRents.com

A studio apartment is a self-contained unit which has everything you need to live comfortably within one room, excluding your bathroom. This means that you don't have to share your kitchen or living space with other housemates. Studios are common within purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), making them a popular choice for students across academic years.

If you choose to live in a studio, you have more options as to when to start looking for student accommodation. The student search for studios definitely trends later. There is much more of an even spread across the academic year. While many cities still see their peak search between November and January, there are high percentages of students across the country looking for studio accommodation in the summer and early autumn. In Cardiff, Leeds, and London, the highest percentage of students are actually searching for studio accommodation in September, right before the onset of the academic year.

If you're looking for a more independent living experience and greater flexibility when it comes to when you can search for accommodation, a studio might be a good option for you. In particular, international students tend to favour PBSA studios as it reduces the pressure to find accommodation when they might not be in the country.

Key takeaways

• Across cities, most students search for HMOs between October and January
• If you want to house-share, you should start looking for accommodation as soon as possible in the academic year to give yourself the most options
• Students search for studio accommodation throughout the academic year across cities
• Consider studio accommodation if you need more time or flexibility to search for housing
• Your specific preferences will help define when to start looking for student accommodation

When to start looking for student accommodation is extremely dependent on the trends of each city. For more insights, look at our data above, or, if you can, speak to students in other years to learn about their experiences and get helpful advice.

And, if you want to make your accommodation search as stress-free and streamlined as possible, why not use StuRents.com to narrow down your options and find your perfect home-away-from-home?