The university year is coming to an end. If you haven’t started your search yet, now is a good time. Exams are coming up – for some they are mostly over. Thoughts should now turn to next year. But what about the types of accommodation? What are they and to which students are they suitable?

Pads for Students HMOs

The most common type of student accommodation is the “House of Multiple Occupancy”. These are usually 3, 4, and even 5-bedroom houses. 4-bed HMOs are the most common. You’ll find more of these than any other type on Pads for students. The idea is to move in with a group of friends, shared space, and shared chores, with a communal living space and private rooms. Ideal for those who want to live with other students and the preferred method for most.

Private Halls

A growing trend in recent years, some students prefer the community they had in the first year right through their student years. Private halls provide all that. You will have your own room, plenty of communal space and all the safety and security that goes with it. You may or may not have meals included in the price, depending on the halls. Always check which amenities are on offer.

Pads for Students for Flats

Usually available in 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom flats, these appeal to a different demographic. The type of student that goes for a flat is like those in the general population – couples. Typically for students going to university when older, often with a partner or a family, they don’t want to live among the main student population and desire a bit more privacy.

Single postgraduates also tend to prefer flats, although they will also seek HMOs strictly for other postgrads.

Studio Flats at Pads for Students

Studios are a type of flat without bedrooms. All living amenities are in one room – kitchenette at one end, bed and living space at the other (sometimes the “bed” is a sofa bed to save space). This differs from a bedsit in that it is self-contained. You do not enter through a private home. Usually exist over commercial premises such as shops. Like flats, these are preferred by postgraduates and mature students, usually single people rather than couples.

Rooms in Private Homes

Again, this is a preference of single mature students and postgraduates who want to avoid the typical student lifestyle. International students also prefer it to acclimatise to local life and customs in a natural way. Typically living with a family or couple who aren’t students, you are renting a room and may or may not share their cooking and cleaning facilities.