Since most of us have been living on our own, or at least in our own room, for quite a while now it may be difficult to have to share some personal space and give up some privacy. We have put together a few ideas for students who are going to live with someone for perhaps the first time.

1. Get to know your flatmates. You will meet people from all over the world so here is a chance to learn something new and just have a laugh. Go out for a pint up in Camden Town, go grocery shopping at Safeway together or watch some English television. The more you get to know your flatmates the more you are aware of their habits and their pet peeves and they are more aware of yours.

2. BE CONSIDERATE. The golden rules apply here: do onto others as you would want them to do onto you. Treat your roommates and flatmates well and they will return the favour!

3. Always respect the privacy of your flatmate/roommate. Give people space.

4. If there is a problem within the flat deal with it straight away. The more you let it fester, the angrier you will become and it may result in a confrontation that you meant to avoid. Communication is key. you can also refer the problem to your landlord area manager (manager in charge of your flat).

Sit down with your flatmate (roommate), stay calm and state exactly what the problem is, emphasizing that it is the behavior and not the person that is causing the problem. You will want to avoid attacking the person because then they become defensive. If required, use a neutral third party as a mediator.

5. With your roommate, set up guidelines for sharing. How does your roommate feel about loaning his or her possessions? Some roommates do not mind, others do. Find out and make sure your roommate knows how you feel, as well.

6. Find out some background about your roommate (friends, family, hobbies), his/her likes and dislikes, things that you both need to know (sleeping habits, beliefs about drinking etc) and how they react to certain situations.

7. The best way to avoid people using your food is to keep it in your room and not in the kitchen. Some people might leave it alone but others think it is alright to borrow your food on occasion.

8. Take your turn in buying the toilet paper.

9. Since the phone line is shared usually try not to use the phone for too long and ask friend and family not to call at very late hours.

10. Remember that there are other people in the flat when you are up for work at 0600 (or you might be stumbling in from a night out at this time). Try to keep the noise level down after 2300 and before 0800. This includes your music and your television.

11. Fun tip: Have a dinner party! Each flatmate can be responsible for a specific task (buying wine, making the salad etc). Afterwards (and after a few glasses of wine) everyone can go out to a club in Central London. Don't forget to take pictures.

Opening a Bank Account

Opening a bank account in England is not easy but it can be done!

Due to the high occurrence of fraud, banks are tightening applications for new accounts. You will usually need to present proof of identity (usually a passport), a letter of reference from your bank at home, proof of current address (such as a gas bill, phone bill or letter from your landlord.. if you are staying with students-lodging, we provide this letter as part of our service), and proof of employment. Most employment agencies will give you a letter to state that you are working for them and you can present this letter at the bank.

Some banks are more lenient than other banks, so it is best to go to several different banks, or bank branches. Usually the smaller banks and building societies are more welcoming to new accounts, but the larger ones can sometimes offer more services. The major banks include Lloyds, Midland, Nat West, Barclays and the Bank of Scotland.

The two most common types of accounts to open are either a savings or a cheque (current) account. You should obtain an ATM card with your savings account so you can withdraw your money at anytime. You might want to check if this ATM card is accepted in Europe as well, as that is a good way to travel without carrying cash. With a cheque account, you will need a cheque guarantee card with a fixed limit. This is to be produced when you are paying for goods by cheque and guarantees your account can cover any cheques you have written.

You can also open an account with a British bank before you come over to England. You will have to contact your bank to see if they can help here. In some countries, Thomas Cook can offer this service.

Any questions regarding your student accommodation? Contact us for answers.