Sharing a house with fellow students is a cornerstone of the university experience.

Although many people do this from the second year onward, there are also a great many benefits to be had from moving into a shared house in the first year.

House sharing from the start can be much cheaper

More often than not you will be able to find very cheap student house shares in Leeds for a much lower price than you can find with student accommodation in Leeds.

Whereas university accommodation can be found for up to £130 a week in some cases, you can easily find a very nice house share in some of the most popular areas for as little as £95 per week with all bills and utilities included.

You can’t always live in university accommodation after the first year

Although more so the case in London, it can sometimes be very hard to enjoy university accommodation after the first year.

This is because universities will prioritise first year students for their accommodation facilities, meaning that from the first year it’s time to house share.

For those that do this from the first year however, it means that if they please, they can stay within their original home and with the people that they live with.

Moving costs and hassles are also avoided when a person stays within the same home at university.

You learn from those that have done it before

One of the best things about living and hanging out with older students is that they’ll know so much not only about the area, but also the university, places to shop, eat, drink, and also student lifestyle in general.

If things go well it also means that you’ll also have good friends to live with over the coming years as quite often tight and loyal bonds can be made with housemates that can stay with you the rest of your life.

You can find yourself settling in a house with ready made routines

Although this might sound a little silly, if you find yourself living in a house where people already live, the chances are that they will already have cleaning, eating, and study routines.

This can be hugely beneficial as usually in university student accommodation, especially in the first few weeks, things can be very hectic and routines will need time to set.

But if you’re moving into a home that already has these you can find yourself slotting in very easily.

House sharing can be a bonus for people who like to party less

Not everyone goes to university to get drunk and party all the time.

And that’s absolutely fine.

As people tend to age through university, especially those in the final years of their studies, they tend to go out less often and concentrate on work.

This means that if you’re less of a party animal and don’t enjoy socialising in excess, you can probably find like-minded spirits with a student house share.