#student renters

[lettersfromtheboard]

“It won’t ruin your life to be a little more thoughtful.”

Management’s endless war with the student population continues.

[student-brands]

New Post has been published on Student Brands Student Portal

Student Brands Student Portal

New Post has been published on http://www.studentbrands.co.za/six-safety-tips-student-renters/

Six Safety Tips for Student Renters

#Articles

As students throughout South Africa begin receiving letters of university acceptance, their excitement may soon change to worry and confusion as they face the daunting task of finding accommodation for the year ahead.

The lack of student housing has been a concern for some time and universities have been unable to keep up with the increasing demand. Despite the desire to procrastinate before beginning the search, until accommodation is secured students are at risk of starting their tertiary education on a back foot, being forced to live farther from campus and spend more time and money utilising transport.

“With a shortage of 400,000 places in residence every year, finding safe and secure off-campus accommodation must be a priority,” says Liezl Hesketh, founder of TheRoomLink, an online platform connecting directly with specialist student accommodation providers, communes, and other off-campus providers through an information rich, profile-based website.

Finding a place and staying safe can be tricky so Hesketh offers the following tips while looking for off-campus accommodation:

Create a checklist: It is easiest to use a table in an excel or word document listing all of the criteria which is required in a flat or room to rent. As each place is visited it can easily be checked off and notes taken. This will make it easier to compare rooms and make a final decision.

View each room on the list: For some landlords or rental agencies this is a requirement, but it is not always so take the initiative to meet with the landlord and potential flatmates. Look carefully at any mould or mildew build up and make note of safety features such as controlled access, burglar bars or alarm systems.

Bring a friend or family member to view as well, for additional safety and for the added advice. For out of town students, utilise real-time virtual viewing (like a Skype video call), with the landlord or ask the landlord to pre-record a digital tour which also saves travel costs and time.

Sign an agreement stating the total rental owed, when it is due, deposits, and clearly laid out expectations on maintenance and upkeep, including garden or braai area. Hesketh advises prospective landlords and tenants to protect themselves with a suitable legal document, which is available to download from TheRoomLink’s online legal partners.

Upon moving in, make an inventory list of furniture and appliances and take photos to verify the condition of the items in the room.

Take out renters insurance which will cover your personal belongings for loss or damage caused by unforeseen circumstances, such as a burst geyser, natural disaster, or theft.

TheRoomLink has founded a weekly tweetchat about all topics of interest to secondary and tertiary students. The group ’meets’ on Twitter on Wednesday evenings at 21h00 (UTC+2), with all posts using the hashtag #StudentSA to link the virtual conversation.

For more information on finding student accommodation please visit TheRoomLink.co.za.

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