Its November. You’ve been at university for two months. Life is starting to settle down; you know where your lectures are (just about), you’ve signed up for societies, decided which flat mates you like and dislike, and the chaos of Freshers Week is a distant memory as your university studies are in full swing.

And then the letting agents swoop. Like feeding time at the zoo, they bombard unknowing first years with pamphlet after pamphlet, normally followed with a quizzical response along the lines of “Next years house? But I’ve only just got here?”.

I agree that it is important to organise your living situation in advance so that there is no panic come the following the September, and I don’t mean to generalise all letting agents into one category. However, the intensity that some letting agents initiate proceedings can be quite daunting, especially to someone who is completely new to the concept of letting a house such as a first year student. The attitude of some of these agents can make the stresses of university even worse. All I suggest is that the people in charge of these companies deal with students with a little more sympathy as they embark on a scary experience, and perhaps don’t punish them for their slight naiveness.

Furthermore, the prices of rent for some of these student digs can be well over what an average student can afford. I study in Cardiff so I am very fortunate that house prices in the capital of Wales are relatively low. However, I’ve heard from friends that live in cities such as Bath who can barely afford to live anywhere near their university campus because of the enormity of rent prices. Again I understand that house prices all over Britain are on the rise but for students who have worked hard to get to university, is it fair for them to be living in sub standard accommodation because they can’t afford anything better?

I feel that letting agents that operate in university cities have a responsibility to make the house hunting experience for first time students a less stressful overall process. Let me know what you think in the comments!