The start of the summer vacation is a time of upheaval for UK students who have to move out of their accommodation. Whether this is the end of your time at university or you’re just returning home or going travelling for the summer, you’re going to have to shift some stuff around.
Student life is hectic – but with a bit of planning you won’t have to pay fines for abandoning furniture or breaking rules about overfilling bins.
How students manage their possessions during the summer
Even if you moved into your halls of residence by packing your stuff into a car, you’ll probably have accumulated more during your time studying and it may not be possible to move out in the same way. So either you need to:
- pay for a van
- dump some of your stuff
- put some of your things into storage
Let’s take each of those in turn.
Hire a van to move out of uni
Driving an overloaded car puts you and other road users at risk, so don’t do it.
You can save a lot of hassle by hiring a van to move out of college accommodation, rather than risking driving an overloaded car. The cost of van-hire varies , depending on where you are in the country, but you should get a few quotes to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
How can you get rid of unwanted household goods when you leave uni?
You do need to deal responsibly with your unwanted stuff at the end of the academic year. If you leave it in your accommodation, you may be charged for disposal. So plan ahead to ensure you don’t get stung with extra costs when moving out of uni.
Trying to get rid of your unwanted student furniture at the last minute means you’ll end up either selling it for much less money than it’s worth, or simply taking it to the tip.
Find out if your student union holds a sale or swap , or organise one yourself. You can also offer things on Freegle and Gumtree, or make some cash selling them on Ebay or Vinted. But don’t leave selling to the last minute.
Charities can take household goods – but don’t burden them with chipped crockery and greyish tea towels, as they will have to pay to dispose of things they can’t sell or give to service-users. Ask before donating, and don’t leave sacks of domestic goods in charity shop doorways.
Some student unions partner with charities to collect departing students’ domestic goods, too.
The dustbin and recycling boxes are the last resort for disposing of unwanted stuff. Depending on where you live, overfilling your bins can result in fines from the council or sanctions from your college or accommodation owner. It’s really worth making an early start on decluttering so you can throw away rubbish over a few weeks.
Consider getting together with mates to do a run to the recycling and domestic waste centre if you’ve got more stuff than the bins can handle. Or at least warn your parents that they may be taking a carload up the tip when they come to bring you home!
Where can you store your college stuff over the summer?
In a private student rental that you are staying in next academic year, you can simply lock your stuff in your room – but should your student house get broken into, the locked door may be a temptation rather than a deterrent as people don’t usually secure low-value items. Make sure your contents insurance is up-to-date and that you have sufficient coverage for the actual value of the stuff you have in storage. Note too that some types of home contents insurance can lapse if you’re not in residence for a long period. Check with your insurer to make sure you’ve got the right policy for your needs.
Your student accommodation might allow you to store items in a box room. Another option is to club together with friends and rent a dorm room for the entire summer and use it to store your boxes and cases. These are cost-effective options, but not particularly secure, and it probably won’t be possible to insure your stuff either, which is bad news if something goes wrong like a fire or a break-in.
Self-storage is another option for students. With external self-storage, you get complete peace of mind because only you will have access to the unit. There are ways to save money on your storage , including student discounts. To get a student discount on your self-storage deal, ask when you book. You may need an ISIC card or other proof of student status to get money off.
You can insure your domestic goods in storage through Store and Insure. If you’re worried about the cost of self-storage insurance per month, remember that we can offer insurance coverage for domestic goods in self-storage from less than £2 per week on goods with a declared value of £1,000. Once you’ve got your storage organised, contact Store and Insure and ask for an insurance quote.
All that’s left is to drop your parents a message to let them know you’re coming home.
