Advancing technology has changed the way that students are searching for private rental accommodation during their time at university.
Research from accommodationforstudents.com suggest that 90% of students own a smartphone. With this in mind, students are likely to search for accommodation away from their computers.
Google was unsurprisingly the preferred search portal for 52% of the 1,500 students surveyed.[1]
Offline
Students choosing not to search for rental accommodation for their next academic year online mostly utilized letting agents and university accommodation offices.
58% of students said that proximity to their university campus was their most important factor when searching for new housing. However, many were ultimately ruled by price when making their final decisions.[1]
Those students residing in privately rented accommodation expressed that they felt they got more value for money than those living in halls of residence.
Important
The survey revealed that 70% of students feel that rent inclusive of bills is very important, allowing them to keep on top of their finances. 88% nodded again to advanced technology, stating that a fast internet connection was the most important feature to them.[1]
Of the students who responded to the survey, 66% lived in rental accommodation managed by agents or private landlords. 60% said that they had a positive relationship with the property owner.[1]
Issues
Disappointingly, the students questioned reported a range of problems with their accommodation provider. 40% said that they had received no communication after lodging a maintenance issue and almost 33% cited a general lack of communication.[1]
Further disappointing news came with the figure of 51% reporting that they felt their deposit had been wrongly withheld by their provider.[1]
[1] http://old.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/Half-of-student-tenants-say-deposits-are-unfairly-with-held