Aberystwyth University, possibly the best University ever, but I might be bias, as I’m currently a student there and having the time a whale of a time there studying for a degree in Business Information Technology.

I’m writing this post about the Accommodation that Aberystwyth has to offer. Although I will be mentioning the University’s accommodation practices, this will only be brief, as the bulk of this article will focus on the private accommodation that’s available.

To start off with, there are two types of accommodation at Aberystwyth. These accommodation types are:

• University Accommodation: This is accommodation that is managed by the University
• Private Accommodation: This is accommodation outside of the University, for example by Landlords or Letting Agents

OK, so now we have the definitions out of the way, let’s talk about accommodation practices.

First Year Accommodation:

Aberystwyth University has in place an accommodation guarantee This basically means that if you you are a going into your first year, and apply before a certain date (August 1st), then you are guaranteed anaccommodation place within the University. This is helpful for new students as they are on campus, and can build new friendships with new people, some of whom you may go on to share accommodationwith in the 2nd year.

It is not unheard of for first year students to find private accommodation – indeed this was the case with one of my friends, who started University a year after myself and shared a house with me in when I was in my 2nd year.

Second Year Accommodation:

When you are in your 2nd year, it is common practice for students to find private accommodation. There are two main types of private accommodation available in Aberystwyth, and they are:

• Letting Agents
• Landlords: This is where you deal directly with a landlord, cutting out the letting Agents.

Accommodation Costs:

Costs for private accommodation can vary at Aberystwyth. This section gives an overview of these costs.

The basic weekly rate:

For example, in this academic year, our contract with a Letting Agent sets us back £65 per week, excluding bills. This is the basic rate for student accommodation, and is set to rise for the next academic year to £70 per week.

The amount a student pays when they take a house directly with a landlord is usually the same price, but can be a bit lower, or higher.

Utilities:

Utilities is a cost that you must factor into your budget. You should check to see whether your contract comes with utilities included, or whether they are separate.

From personal experience, it would seem that there is a higher chance for utilities to be included when a contract is taken out with a landlord as opposed with a letting agent.

Deposit:

No matter whether you take a contract out directly with a Landlord, or with a Letting Agency, you will be required to pay a deposit. The deposit is normally around the £300 mark for letting agencies, whilst it may be lower if you go with a Landlord.

All Letting Agents & Landlords should immediately place your deposit with the DPS (Deposit Protection Service):

As part of the Housing Act 2004 the Government is introducing tenancy deposit protection for all assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales where a deposit is taken. From April 6th 2007, all deposits paid under an AST have had to be protected within 14 calendar days of receipt by the landlord.

The legislation aims to ensure that tenants who have paid a deposit to a landlord or letting agent and are entitled to receive all or part of it back at the end of that tenancy, actually get it.

Always check your contract to see what you will have to pay.

Summer Rent:

Summer rent is, simply put, a rent you have to pay to pay to keep the property over summer. It currently stands at 50% of your monthly rent, but is set to increase this year. Always check your contract to see what you will have to pay.

Accommodation Quality:

The quality of private accommodation in Aberystwyth can and will vary. The earlier you typically find your accommodation, the better the quality of your accommodation.

Most houses come with the basics, such as:

• Bedroom: Bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, cabinet.
• Kitchen: Basics, but you might need to provide your own kettle, toaster, microwave, dishes & utensils.

You can find out all of these details when your talking either with the Landlord or with the Letting Agent.

You should also remember that the Landlord or Letting Agent are bound by legislation to keep the let (house, flat, whatever you want to call it) in a decent state. If they do not keep their word, then you have the right to take things further. The Citizens Advice Bureau or Student Guild can help you with any issues you may have.

Finding Accommodation:

Finding your accommodation at Aberystwyth is not really hard. No matter which street you walk down, you will be in sight of either an Estate Agent or some form of student let house.

Estate Agents will normally have signs up in their windows notifying when student property lists are released, and when all the properties they have are let out.

If you are interested in pursuing the landlord route, then there are several ways of doing this. The easiest way is to just walk around the town, looking in windows. Houses will normally have the contact details of the owners, or adverts for student properties in them. The second way is to use a website provided by the University – AberAccom. This website lets you easily search private accommodation, but the emphasis is down to you to contact the owners for more details. I must point out one weakness here, and that is the fact that some properties are still left on the website even when they have actually been let out – so that is something to bear in mind.

Conclusion:

To summarize, question everything. Query how much you will have to pay, question when issues will be fixed (if there are any). Question if they are registered with the DPS and if they are licensed to let properties.

If you feel if I have left anything out, or want to know anything more, then feel free to comment.