11 May Student Housing: What to do!?- George Timberlake
Lead In: May is a key time for students not just for deadlines. As contracts are running out for halls of residents, this is a key time for students to secure housing for the next academic year. Choices are limited between halls or private rented accommodation. With London being the most expensive place to live JLDN reporter George Timberlake investigates how students are getting on.
George: for Students living in London housing can be a massive concern with the average being £800,000 in Southwark. London is different to other university towns and cities regarding when student properties are sought after and secured with London being much later. Sarah Gibson Psychology student at Kings has just secured her house for her second year of university; she wants to live in a house to be more independent and to have much more privacy and her own space. Although her house is away from campus her commute is still reasonable
Interview: Sarah Gibson- 11 Seconds
George: A lot of other students choose to stay in halls of residents for convenience and inclusion of bills. Second year English Charlotte Brown, also at Kings, chose to stay in halls which is situated on the prime location on the London South Bank, a place where private homes sell for millions.
Interview: Charlotte Brown- 9 Seconds
George: A recent survey carried out by accomodationforstudents.com found that 70 % of students felt under pressure at a certain time to find somewhere to live for the academic year. London has an ever-changing property market with prices always on the rise. This makes it very difficult for students to secure housing earlier than summer for a move in date in September.
Pot cut point 1
George: Student property specialist Sam North gave me this statement regarding when its best for students to decide where to live.
Statement from Sam North read by George- 17 Seconds
Pot cut point 2
George: An extremely large chunk of an average students maintenance loan is spent on their accommodation, so it’s best to think about what’s best for you and definitely shop around.
