By James Dylag, BA Business Management
When you’re in first year, you will live in University owned halls, which makes moving a lot simpler. However, in both your second and third years it is up to you to find your own accommodation. which sounds like a daunting task! Follow this guide to make the process as easy as possible!
Firstly, you need to decide who you’re living with. I lived in Endcliffe in my first year along with nine others. As a flat, we decided to split into a group of six and four – as finding a house large enough for everyone was quite the task (it is possible to find ten bed houses, but you have to be quick!). The ideal time to start thinking about this is late October/early November. This seems really early, but it allows time for changes if anyone decides they want to live with another group, or you end up recruiting a new housemate.
Once you’ve split into your groups, the next thing to do is to start looking. The majority of people live in an area called Crookesmoor (Crookes), which is a short walk away from Broomhill and conveniently located 10-15 minutes away from Uni. Crookes is scattered with shops, cafes and pubs – most notably Alyssum, a green grocer, and the Dam House – all of which help to make Crookes a perfect area for students. There are other areas to consider such as: Broomhall, City Centre, and along Ecclesall Road – however Crookes is the most popular.
Now you’ve decided on an area, it’s time to start viewing houses! You can start doing this as early as November, or after the Christmas break. However, the best houses tend to go first, and after the Christmas break you also have revision to contend with. In my opinion, its best to do this sooner rather than later. Sheffield has loads of estate agents which offer properties specifically tailored to students. The University has an agent inside of the 
Students Union called Smart Move. This is a good place to start your search. However, there are several other agents – for example: Fit Property, Home Accommodation and Broomhill Property Shop. All of these agents will have a variety of options for students and specialise in this area.
When you start viewing houses there are some key things you might want to think about asking the estate agent/tenants, it’s worth noting these down as a group beforehand so you don’t forget anything. For me, the key question is – are the neighbours’ students? Having another group of students next door is the ideal situation, because both you and them should (hopefully) be quite relaxed about noise to a certain extent. You might find that neighbours who are not students will be less tolerant of noise, which is understandable.
Hopefully this has been a useful blog, and you’re armed with some tips to go and find your perfect student house! Happy hunting!