Equipping a student house – what you need

Most student houses tend to come with the bare minimum when it comes to fixtures and fittings and it can be an expensive business to arrive in your house and then realise you need to buy everything from scratch. We’ve produced a list of the essentials that you’ll need in order to equip your student house with the basics (some of which you can bring from home).

Kitchen utensils

Most landlords won’t provide you with anything more basic than an oven and a fridge so the rest will be up to you. Take your own mug and make it something distinctive – this is the kitchen item that people tend to be the most possessive about. Toaster and kettle, saucepans, cutlery and plates are all kitchen essentials and if you have a particular favourite food you like to cook that needs a special pan or tray then it’s a good idea to take that with you too. You might not like washing up but tea towels, washing up liquid and washing sponges are essential if there’s no dishwasher.

Cleaning products

You’re much more likely to be thinking about course books or a new term outfit but keeping your student house clean can make a big difference to the environment and for that you need cleaning items. You’ll need a toilet brush for every loo and sponges, cloths and dusters for cleaning surfaces and getting rid of dust. The very minimum range of cleaning products for most houses is toilet cleaner, a bathroom spray of some kind, polish, a tough kitchen cleaner for worktops and cookers, glass cleaner and a general all purpose cleaner that has some sort of antibacterial quality.

Alarms

Your property should now (legally) be fitted with smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide detector. It’s not up to you to provide these, it’s up to the landlord and they’re not complying with the law if they don’t (for which they could be fined).

Bedroom essentials

Find out whether your student house comes with beds – it’s normally the case that they do but occasionally you may have to provide your own furniture. It’s sometimes worth buying a new mattress even if the bed is there but remember you’ll need to store the old mattress so you can replace it when you leave. Bedding such as pillows, duvet, sheets and duvet cover is preferable to sleeping bags and camping mats…Does the room have a wardrobe? If not you may need a clothes rail. What about a desk? It’s a student house after all so you need to have somewhere to study and it’s fairly unlikely the communal areas will be a good option.

Privacy

When you’re living with other people, privacy can become a big issue. If your landlord allows it, buy a padlock for your door so that you can leave your room secure when you’re out. If you have housemates who like to ‘share’ your food then consider a mini fridge for your room for the items you really don’t want stolen. Buy some ear plugs and a sleep mask for those nights when you’re the only one who wants to get a good night’s kip. Particularly if you’re on the ground floor, make sure your house has good curtains that you can close (rather than just net curtains). This could reduce the chances of you getting burgled, as well as ensuring the neighbours can’t see your antics.

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