Tips and Tricks to Survive Living in Halls of Accommodation

The Dos and Don’ts of living in Halls

Get to know your housemates!

There can be a lot of anticipation in moving into somewhere with people that you have never met and in a place that you don’t know, however, most people are in the same situation and feel similar ways. Getting to know your flatmates will give you a sense of familiarity and friendships. There are so many events on campus every week, for example Karaoke night at the Waterside Bar. Going out to one of these will be a good laugh and help you to find common interests with people.

Setting boundaries

Set up a housemate meeting once you have settled in. This will allow everyone to sit down and discuss boundaries and cleaning. In our flat, we wrote a list of all of the cleaning jobs that would need to occur within the flat and then devised them between us. This included things like hoovering, mopping, cleaning windows, cleaning hobs, sides and splashbacks etc.

Creating a communal cash pot

Make a communal pot where everyone contributes a couple of pounds a month. This can then go towards buying communal cleaning gear like washing up liquid and kitchen roll, or toilet rolls for the shared bathrooms.

Cleaning

Keep the kitchen sides and surfaces clean. This will allow yourself and others to cook and live in a clean and safe environment. If a lot of pots and pans are left on the side to build up, it can become unsafe for those who are dealing with hot items. It will be frustrating for your housemates if you do not clean up after yourself as they will end up doing it themselves in order to use the kitchen. You will also get random inspections, so keeping sides clear and clean will help to relive the stress of fines or last-minute cleaning.

Saving money

Before moving to uni, it is good to consider how much money that you will need to put into your accommodation, maintenance loans may not always cover the whole fee. Saving up this money will then allow you to comfortably move in and reduces the stress of finding a job immediately. There will be lots of change and often finding a job can be quite tricky when a lot of students are looking!

Keeping on top of all the little jobs around your house will maintain a healthy environment and allow you to develop positive relationships with your housemates. Hopefully these tips will help you to settle into your accommodation!

Find out more about our accommodation at UON by visiting one of our open days.

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Liv West

Hi! I’m Liv and I am currently studying Popular Music. I play the oboe, saxophone and bass guitar and I am currently in an indie-pop band. As well as music, I love playing football and experimenting with fashion.