Accommodating all the options

For a first year student moving from his or her home to a large city or college town, the most important job to be tackled is finding a suitable place to live. The options available include sharing a house, living in accommodation provided by the college, living in `digs' (i.e. a room in a private house, with two meals provided daily) or living alone in a flat or bedsit.

The transition from home to independent living can be made easier by spending the first term, or even the first year, in digs or in college accommodation. In fact, a number of colleges are now insisting that first year students take up digs accommodation if they are unable to obtain on-campus accommodation.

The option of sharing a house or a flat is always attractive to students but the available supply of student accommodation has been dropping in recent years, while student numbers continue to increase. In Dublin, houses which might previously have contained a number of flats are now returning to single, private use.

However the most practical and economical option is often for a number of students to combine their resources and rent a house to share: facilities are likely to be far better than those in a small flat or bedsit, and the cost is likely to be the same, or less. Those who prepare themselves well and approach flat-hunting in an organised manner should avoid the worst pitfalls. It will help if you buy a phone card, always get the first edition of the local or evening newspaper, and start ringing early, pen and paper at the ready to take down the details. Students should begin searching for accommodation well before the start of term and consider taking digs if they can't find suitable accommodation immediately. Students' unions in colleges and, in many cases, the colleges themselves hold lists of available accommodation which students can consult. College noticeboards will also begin sprouting details of available accommodation.

Remember never to house-hunt alone - always bring someone with you for advice, opinions and safety. It might be especially useful for younger students to bring a parent, or an older brother or sister who has some experience of lease agreements.

It should be remembered that Dublin in particular has proved a difficult place in which to find reasonably-priced accommodation.

Most colleges will send out information to students shortly after they have accepted the offer of a place but intending students can also contact the students' union or student services office directly. The students' union offices will provide information, advice and negotiating services to all students and generally its services include maintaining an information base on accommodation, legal rights and the relevant housing regulations. First year students are generally expected to go into digs, self-catering or hostel accommodation until they settle into college.

It is worth knowing that landlords usually demand one month's rent in advance as a deposit and, in some cases, an ESB deposit of £60 or more. In Dublin, therefore, students should be prepared to spend up to £250 in order to secure accommodation and they should have this money ready or obtainable within minutes from a bank machine or post office. Students elsewhere in the country will probably have to pay less but the same principle applies.

As a tenant, you have a number of legal rights of which you should be aware. The Charter for Rented Housing, available from the Department of the Environment and most colleges, is a good guide to your entitlements and obligations.

For example you must have a rent book in which all transactions with the landlord are recorded. If your landlord does not give you one, they are available from local students' unions, most stationers or Threshold, the housing advice bureau (with its offices in Dublin at 01-8726311; Cork at 021271250 and Galway at 091563080).

Price estimates in the Dublin city area are very rough, since most landlords have not determined rates yet, but expect to pay £50-£60 for five days digs and £60-£70 for seven days. It is possible to get cheaper digs, but these may be further from the city centre and travel costs will increase accordingly. The supply of flats and bedsits continues to decrease, so prices are likely to be high. Expect to pay weekly prices from the high thirties to mid-forties.

Most landlords won't begin to advertise around colleges until the end of this month, so those intending to start flat-hunting early will be relying on the evening papers. Expect the situation to get tight from early to mid-September. A more detailed guide and survey of accommodation availability and prices will be included in next week's Monday supplement.