You’ve decided who you are going to live with next year, gone through the search process, maybe had to go to endless viewings (some more awkward than others) and found the property you would like to live in.
Papers signed, deposit paid, and property secured so what is next? One of the next exciting, (maybe tense at times) decisions to be made is who gets what bedroom if you’re living in a shared property? For some, this could be a really easy decision, all rooms might be exactly the same or all the housemates might have different needs, however, this is not always the case.
Perhaps the fairest way to choose rooms for students is to ‘pull names out of hat’ or use a similar concept (but in the form of a website – as we are in the 21st century).
There’s no arguing and it is left up to fate to make a fair decision (unless there is some match fixing but as friends and housemates, lets play fair).
A good way to do this is getting a floorplan of the property and numbering each room, the first person pulled out of the hat gets room 1 and so on until all the rooms have been assigned.
An alternative to this would be to still pull names out of a hat but whoever’s name is pulled out, they choose a room to suit their preferences.
Don’t trust that sneaky mate of yours? Make sure everyone is present and paying attention.
Another option is to leave it to chance and fair game to whoever turns up first at the start of the tenancy. This will probably only really favour the most laid back of students who aren’t that bothered, at the end of the day, it’s only a bedroom.
Similar to this method, and maybe a more exciting option to spice up moving-in day, a race. Like in the good old days of Big Brother (for those who remember it), the bedroom was opened and then the race for the best beds began. Winner takes all, you set your sights on the bedroom you want, and in you go. Do you want that ensuite or the big bedroom on the top floor, get your sprinting shoes on!
The final option in this particular debate is to have a good, old-fashioned conversation. Shocking I know, but as adults and friends, rooms could be decided by just sitting down and talking it through. Perhaps someone or a couple of people did more to secure a property by doing all the research, searching through property sites, arranging viewings etc. so as a group, you decide that they deserve first pick.
Maybe rooms are sized differently, and rent varies so someone might be happy to pay a little bit more or is happier with a more basic room so will pay less.
Whatever the factors are, a chat between friends can definitely help you assign rooms in your new student journey.
Finally, a bedroom in your shared student house is quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things and not something to dwell over or argue about. Really it is just for sleeping – and occasionally, maybe, studying in.
If you’d like a little help in finding the right property for your needs (and those of your friends) please search our properties here – and then contact Metro to arrange a viewing. We are here to help you with all the organisational details and we make the process easy – so you might end up being that person that gets to choose the best room for themselves!
