Find the perfect student pad and the perfect housemate

Student property season is well under way and our first viewings have been busy affairs. 

With more flats launching on 5 March, now's the time to find out how to avoid some of the most common mistakes when hiring a property and finding the perfect pad - as well as some tongue-in-cheek advice on vetting your prospective house mates.  

• So how many of you are there? Decide on the number of friends you're planning to move in with before viewing a flat. If there are five bedrooms, five of you need to sign on the dotted line, so you will all need to be present and available when you go to finalise the paperwork for the flat.
• How much for gas & electricity? Any advert should show an energy efficiency rating which gives you a good idea of the gas & electricity costs the flat will incur, A being the most and H the least efficient. Landlords who aren't upfront about this kind of information are likely to have something to hide - always bad news.
• Fees, anyone? So-called 'agency fees' or 'referencing fees' are now illegal and landlords still trying to charge them are quite simply bad news.
• Checking in and checking out? You should be given a thorough check-in and check-out where you  go through the property's inventory together with your lettings agent. It's the easiest way to highlight any faults that relate to previous tenants and ensure you receive your full deposit back when you move out.
• Where will your deposit be kept? As of 2012, landlords must place deposits with one of three government-approved tenancy deposit schemes. The landlord has to comply to this rule within 30 working days of the start of your tenancy and send a certificate to confirm it's been done. If your landlord doesn't comply, you can sue for three times the deposit!
• Read the small print! Make sure all of you read the full tenancy agreement before you sign it. You'll be bound to it for the next twelve months and it's important to know your and the landlord's rights.

Now, if this sounds like a lot of hard work, check out Endsleigh Insurance's tips on finding the right house mate for some light relief. And for a look at our student property viewings, click here. 

Only two days ... until our student properties launch!

Only two days to go until we're launching our student properties for the academic year 2013. And only one day more before we'll be meeting some of our (prospective) student tenants at Heriot-Watt University's student accommodation fair.

Do you know who you're going to live with next year? Now's the time to make up your mind. We've put together a few tips to help you find the perfect flat - and to avoid some of the most common pitfalls as well:

• Who are you going to live with? Sounds obvious, doesn't it? Decide on the number of friends you're planning to move in with before you go to view a flat. If there are five bedrooms, five of you need to sign on the dotted line, so you will all need to be present and available when you go to finalise the paperwork for the flat.
• Does the advert show an energy efficiency rating? This is a letter between A and H which must be listed in the advert. It gives you a good idea of the gas & electricity costs the flat will incur, A being the most and H the least energy efficient. Landlords who aren't upfront about this kind of information are likely to have something to hide - always bad news.
• Is there any mention of 'agency fees' or 'referencing fees'? If yes, don't even look at the flat. These fees are now illegal and landlords still trying to charge them are quite simply bad news.
• Will you be given a full check-in and check-out? The answer should be yes! You should have the opportunity to go through the property's itinerary together with your lettings agent both at the start of the lease and at the end. It's the easiest way to highlight any faults that relate to previous tenants and ensure you receive your full deposit back when you move out.
• Where will your deposit be kept? As of 2012, landlords must place deposits with one of three government-approved tenancy deposit schemes. The landlord has to comply to this rule within 30 working days of the start of your tenancy and send a certificate to confirm it's been done. If your landlord doesn't comply, you can sue for three times the deposit!

Apart from these tips listed above, go with your gut feel. If the property feels wrong when you view it or anything seems dodgy about the landlord, simply don't sign the lease. 

Student accommodation 2013

Thinking about moving for the next academic year? Now's the time to start planning for your new home.

All of our student properties will launch next week, in time for Heriot-Watt University's student accommodation fair on 14 February. Throughout next week, we will tell you more about what to look for in your new home and how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

If you'd rather talk to us in person, that's no problem either. Simply visit our stand at next week's Heriot-Watt fair or join us on 5 March for Edinburgh University's accommodation fair.

In the meantime, keep an eye on our website and blog to avoid missing out on some of Edinburgh's prime student accommodation.