How to save on university accommodation Still, all halls are not equal - trust me, I lived in non-defunct "traditional" halls where it wasn't unusual to find water dripping from light switches - and neither are their rents. I should been paid to live in mine. Price differences between rooms can be dramatic. For instance, Bristol University offers catered en suite rooms for one at £168.75 a week. Living in a self-catered accommodation without an en suite will take a more manageable £62.50 from your pocket. Over a 40-week contract you'd save £4,250. That's huge. And Bristol is not alone in this. Do you really need catering? Do you really need an en suite? It's not ideal but sharing showers isn't too hard. You're at uni, you can handle it. Go private, skip the lettings agency Lettings agencies can seem the only option once you've had your retinas attacked by endless, nauseous "For Rent" signs ("Student Rents from £75pw!!!!!"). But remember it's the 21st century - you have internet. Sites like spareroom.co.uk and Gumtree are heaving with student-friendly rooms vying for your attention. You avoid horrendous admin fees which can run up to £600, and searching for your next place can be done from the warmth of your sofa. Going private also means a better chance of a short-term let as private landlords look to fill up their places quickly. If you want to go one better, become a lodger. No, it might not be every undergraduate's dream, but you can often get a little more for your money and, as you'll be renting a room in a home, you're usually guaranteed a decent standard of living. And if anything goes wrong - a bulb blowing, hot water running cold - there'll always be someone right there to complain to. And have you thought about living at home? You'd be joining 310,000 other students (not literally, of course...) Get a short-term let You're at uni for 9 months. Remind me why you're about to sign a 12-month contract? Don't pay for more than you'll use. Ask around and you can usually find one without much hassle. Negotiate It's too easy to get into housing-hysteria mode, convincing yourself you'll end up with a cardboard box and a sleeping bag if you don't sign the first contract put in front of you. You won't. Landlords want to trust their tenant as much as you want to trust your landlord, and if they like you a few theatrics will do wonders. Turn on the charm and then make a few worried "erms" as you read over the contract, and often they'll do anything to secure the deal. Go for bills included - or sort them yourself Houses which have bills included logically seem more expensive. Yes, common sense says the landlord or lettings agency will be making money from you or they wouldn't offer the deal. But an all-inclusive rent can work well for student life. If you want the heating on until the early hours for those all-nighters, or hot water on constant boil for those lengthy hung-over showers, having bills included means you can use what you want, when you want. If bills aren't included, check your gas and electricity suppliers. Seeing as the landlord isn't paying them himself, you can be sure they aren't the cheapest option. Shop around using the best comparison sites and you'll save a couple of hundred quid over the year. And because bills are stressful enough, use an app like our I.O.U to clear up who owes what without any hassle. Useful links studentmoneysaver.co.uk nus.org.uk/en/advice/housing-advice accommodationforstudents.com spareroom.co.uk gumtree.com David Ellis is editor of studentmoneysaver.co.uk