Jonathan Chandler, head of accommodation services at the University of Greenwich, has some suggestions to make sure it goes smoothly

• Check for additional costs. Universities will usually tell you how much a room in hall costs, and give you the total figure for the academic year, but in other types of accommodation, there could be other bills to pay, such as gas, electricity or water, which you need to budget for.

• Read contracts thoroughly and make sure you understand the "small print" – especially if you are renting a private house or flat and have to deal with a landlord or agency. If one of your friends moves out, will you have to pay their share of the rent if no one else moves in? Private landlords and letting agents are now legally obliged to pay deposits into a government–authorised tenancy protection scheme, so do check they are aware of this.

• Get written confirmation that all gas appliances have been checked by a Gas Safe-registered fitter and keep a carbon monoxide indicator in the house.

• Be tolerant. Unless you can afford a single studio apartment, you are likely to be sharing your living space with others. They will be different and may not live at all like you, so some degree of compromise and tolerance is essential.

• If you're unhappy with any aspect of your accommodation, raise it promptly. It's too late to visit the university accommodation office in May to complain about something that went wrong before Christmas.

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