Alas, the comfort and security of the hallowed halls must come to an end… and now the real fun begins! At last you can sleep in a room bigger than a matchbox, host limitless parties and experience the delirious pleasure of pensioner neighbours. ENJOY.

Big house, little house… CARDBOARD BOX?
Steady on and save your hysterics for the drama society. Play your accommodation cards right, and the perfect pad will be yours for the taking. First step, grab yourself a posse i.e. a group of likeminded lovelies with whom you shall live in house-share harmony. Next, check out one or all of the following:

• our university accommodation office
  
• Local papers and swag-bag publication Loot (or hit on www.loot.com)
  
• Local letting agencies (but be prepared to pay them a fee should you nab a gorgeous gaff)
  
• The window of your friendly, local newsagents

The best time to start scouring the city streets is May to early July (au revoir end-of-term evacuees) or September (farewell summer stragglers). You may think securing a top tenancy in April is a dream come true, but do you really think a landlord is going to wait till after the holidays for the readies? Err, we think not. Typically, you're expected to move in a day or two after the current tenants kiss their casa goodbye. Also, should you find somewhere pre-September, you must discuss summer retainers or the possibility of paying part-rent or their letting the property over the break.

Home Visits
Before wasting your bus fare visiting a house, find out whether the landlord wants female/males only living in his property, whether smokers send them insane or little Pedro the pit-bull would be out on his ear. Always try to make an appointment: a gaggle of the great unwashed on your doorstep at teatime is never the most appealing of treats. Avoid visiting prospective properties alone. Firstly, it can be dangerous, so if you do search solo, be sure to give your mates the address and estimated time of your return. Secondly, the key to accommodation victory is simple: 'BE QUICK'. Should you locate your dream digs, you need to say 'YEAH' a.s.a.p. You snooze, you lose and if you have to spend a week phoning your fellow housemates, chances are some other pesky studes will have jumped straight into your beds, literally. Either drag your chums along or ask them for permission to take a place based on your impeccable tastes.

No running water, but what a nice view!
It may look like Beckingham Palace, but if it's 20 miles from campus and six bus stops from the nearest shops - hello lonely, hungry and degree-free student. Remember, LOCATION is paramount. Other things to consider include: how close is the house to the rest of your friends? How safe is the area? Is there a launderette close by? How good is the local boozer? If in doubt, have a chat with the current tenants or ask more experienced students what they've heard about the locality. Take anything the landlord says with a pinch of salt: of course he's going to insist the area is Wolverhampton's answer to Beverly Hills! Also, never take a tenancy based on one outstanding feature. The garden may have been made-over by Ground Force but that's not much good if the roof's falling in. Equally, don't disregard a house for having one fault. If the rest of the property is good, why not see if the landlord is prepared to repair or discount the rent if you do-it-yourself.

Accomodation for Students:

www.loot.com
Find your next student flat with loot.com, click here to view thousands of properties online now..

www.accommodationforstudents.com
The UK's most advanced student accommodation search engine.

Find Student accommodation at www.homesforstudents.co.uk
Help for students to find that all so important student accommodation.

www.bunk.com
Search for university owned accommodation.

www.pastures-new.co.uk
Find the letting agents in your town and register online.

www.studentpad.co.uk
Leading student accommodation portal in the UK advertising student housing from Aberdeen to London.