Renting, Life Update

As some of you may know, I've been living in a hostel for about 7 months. I moved to York last October and found immediate accommodation at the Astor Hostel. I didn't know how long I'd be living there but I knew it would be temporary. I've finally moved out of the hostel and I'm now living in a house. I'm sharing with others in a terraced house with four bedrooms (three upstairs and one downstairs) and even though it's a small place, it's cosy and nice. I am in the smallest bedroom but that's because it's what my budget allows.

I did stay at the hostel longer than I thought I would but there's nothing wrong with that. I made friends with both the lovely staff and guests. I've had a blast. People come and go of course so it was a little sad to see people leave. Living in a hostel isn't practical by any means but for me it was a lifesaver because accommodation in York is expensive and sort of difficult to attain.

I finally have my own space where I can have my own privacy and put clothes in the wardrobe and use the desk for studying. As I am used to sharing with others, sharing the space in the house is fine. I guess it's going back to family size really. I am really happy for this experience because it'll help with my credit score (since I want to buy my own place one day) and have a feel for a more independent lifestyle than the hostel, yet it's pretty similar so not a big difference.

Although I am not renting the whole property for myself, it still counts as I am paying rent (just like I did at the hostel mind you). I guess it's baby steps. University students share with others - sometimes people have to do this before they have their own independence. Some people are lucky enough to own a house by age 20 but most people don't. I guess I'm going to be a career driven woman because I want to attain a comfortable lifestyle while doing work that makes a difference to people, no matter how small.

So more about the nitty-gritty aspects. If you are looking to rent a room in a house, I'd look at spareroom.com. It's easy to navigate and refine your searches. Always be cautious when contacting landlords and ask the right questions. Don't go and visit a property alone unless you are careful or maybe face time someone at the same time. I was lucky because it was an open viewing. A few people viewed the property on the same day, one after the other. Sometimes it overlapped but when I went I didn't see the other viewers until the very end, or once when I arrived.

I got to meet the two tenants currently living in the house and they were lovely. It's best to see the other tenants if it's possible, since they're going to be the ones you'll live with. It's important to give a good first impression to the landlord and tenant/s. Ask the tenants questions too and then by the end you can weigh up the pros and cons before applying or not.

I'm hoping that living in a shared house will lead me to new and exciting opportunities. I am excited for the new venture. I'll post updates once in a while. If any of you have any tips for people like me in this situation please let us know in the comments section. Thank you for reading today's blog post. See you in the next one!

Charlotte x