Student Relocation Surivival Guide
By Ellis Ranger
Starting your first year as a student is always the most daunting. From getting your initial offer to moving into your first student halls, there is a lot that needs to be done to ensure that this all goes smoothly.
University not only lets you take the necessary steps into studying for what you aspire to have a career in, but also it teaches you a lot of valuable life lessons and helps develop you into an adult.
The bare necessities
This initial point seems almost silly to mention but it comes down to packing. When I first moved to university, I took absolutely everything with me which I came to regret and did not repeat the following years. You come to find at university that not everything is needed and most of what you feel you should take would be better off left at home.
Belongings like clothes and shoes can be filtered down into necessity, meaning that leaving some at home not only gives you the flexibility of not having to take clothes to university just to take them back home when visiting family (especially over holiday periods), but also it reduces the amount of packing and unpacking you have to do all together. Coupling this with packing discipline goes a long way. Naming boxes and grouping items that you would put in specific areas saves a lot of time and stress when it comes to unpacking for the first time.
Signing the contracts
It is also important you read ALL of the paperwork provided to you by your landlords, and understand your rights when it comes to deposits and charges. During your first year, you will find that University Halls for the most part are extremely informative and efficient in telling you what needs to be paid and when.
One thing to bear in mind is students council tax exemption. This applies to all students who are in full time education and are sharing accommodation with people in the same circumstances. Whether you look to stay in halls throughout your degree or look to move into housing, be mindful that you can and will be charged for council tax if you do not fill out your exemption forms and return them to your landlord. In my first and second year I was in halls, and this is one of the first things they explained that I needed to do, but not everyone gets the luxury so be mindful.
Understanding the law
Extending on from this, looking into and understanding the Tenant Fees Act of 2019 is extremely important, especially when it comes to paying for deposits and any excess charges. The Act is there to protect tenants from paying fees that are not prohibited, such as individual deposit amounts. So if a security deposit of £1200 is required by your landlord, this should collectively be paid for by all tenants equally, rather than a £1200 charge each.
Furthermore, if there are to be any damages to the property during your tenancy, this is what the deposit is for, and no extra charges should be paid on your behalf per request of your landlord. These should be taken from the security deposit. I can not stress enough how important it is to read up on this as it delves deeper than what I have explained.
How we can help
If you need help with your relocation, CBS Removals provide short and long distance removal services for domestic and commercial moves alike. Head to cbs-removals.org to get started. You can also call us on 01480 220434 or email info@cbs-removals.org.
