Student accommodation has long been a subject of mirth and an area ripe with a dozen stereotypes, some of which are completely accurate and fair. It is no myth that the typical student is spendthrift to the point of absurdity, given the crippling tuition fees they are now subject to. But in recent years, tales of laziness and questionable hygiene standards have become something of an outdated observation, with the modern student more demanding over the standard of their accommodation and guidelines over landlord’s responsibilities by and large being met. But some of the staple features of a student property haven’t changed, and here we take a look at a list of what every student house must have.
- Good Wi-Fi
Over the last 20 years, internet access has grown from a luxury curiosity to an absolute lifestyle essential, and not only that, we can’t possibly deal with intermittent service or slow download speeds. So the responsible landlord needs to choose their broadband supplier carefully and be prepared for an occasional phone call when a household of five people can’t all simultaneously watch Netflix, chat on WhatsApp and browse the online shops.
- Inclusive bills
Nothing splits a harmonious student household more than bickering over utility bills. An exercise in scrutinising itemised bills will see some finger-pointing and accusations, and at the end of the day, nobody has any spare money to contribute to the bill anyway. In today’s student accommodation, most bills are included in the monthly rent, so your utility charges are capped and you know exactly how much you are paying each month and can budget accordingly.
- Security alarm
While it is not true that most student accommodation is located in areas more prone to burglary, the average student house can be easy prey to an opportunist thief. Compared to the average family home, a student property containing, say, five people will have a higher concentration of laptops, tablets, games consoles and maybe even cars. So security is important and a good alarm system is now an essential item for a student property.
- A rota
It might cause some instantaneous eye-rolling from much of the household, but for any home to function people need to have responsibilities and stick to them, such as cleaning, shopping, cooking etc. And when a house full of students are just getting to know each other, the rota is perhaps a Victorian way of doing things, but it is certainly fair and effective.
- Dishwasher
The legend goes that most students used to wash something up only when they needed to use it again, and plates and mugs and pans and dishes would then sit there for upwards of a week, while the cupboards grew increasingly bare and items used for cooking and eating grew increasingly creative. Today’s student expects a dishwasher to do all the work for them, so while the lack of inclination to put some elbow grease into it hasn’t changed, they at least expect everything to be clean and ready to use.
- Widescreen TV
The communal living room is perhaps the most important part of a student house, and where most time is spent, but gone are the days when everyone would huddle around a cheap portable TV. Today it is expected that a decent-sized widescreen TV is part of the package.
- A sofa that fits
This of course leads us on to a sofa, and the standards of comfort a student now expects. Any landlord looking to furnish a property can find affordable, quality sofas at Nabru with three or four seater-sofas, chaise sofas and corner sofas all ideal for accommodating medium to large student households and their visiting friends. The sofa becomes a central feature in the home, but expectations demand excellent standards of comfort, and of course the sofa needs to fit.
Look no further than Nabru when looking to furnish a student property and we will tick every box.
