10 things to do when you arrive at your new student home!

1. Make sure you read the gas, electricity and water meters the day you move in, and give them to your suppliers! Keep a photo safe in case you disagree with your bills!

2. Make sure you locate the fuse box as soon as possible, you don’t want to be stuck routing around for it when the lights go!

3. An inventory is essential to make sure you get all of the deposit you deserve back!

4. Student houses are gold mines for thieves, so make sure you have some sort of contents insurance – check with your parents first, sometimes their house insurance covers you too!

5. Council tax is a pain. As students you don’t need to pay it, but it’s your responsibility to make the council aware of your student status!

6. Found out when your bins are collected! It may sound trivial, but you don’t want to miss bin day and have your rubbish piling up for an extra week!

7.  Make sure all of your doors and windows lock securely, you don’t want any intruders rummaging around your things!

8. If you want to watch TV, avoid fines and buy your TV licence! But if money is tight, just watch on catch-up!

9.  If you’re lucky enough to have a car, but unfortunately you have no drive, check with the council to see if you can buy a permit. This will save you panicking about parking tickets and stop you parking miles away!

10. It is vital you check your smoke alarms and make sure they work! If you’re having any problems, contact you landlord as they must provide you with smoke detectors!