Student guide to electrical safety
From avoiding food poisoning to making sure you don't burn the house down, we have everything covered in our student guide.
Surviving your first term of uni isn't always easy. As well as adjusting to new living arrangements, you'll be meeting lots of new people while trying to manage your own finances. You'll also need to ensure that you're staying safe in your accommodation as there are many hazards that you may not be aware of. This guide aims to provide a few tips on making those first few weeks run as smoothly as possible.
1.)
You don't want to miss the back to uni celebrations because a dodgy meal's left you practically chained to the toilet.
- Never eat a takeaway the next day if it's been left out on the side all night
- Have a clear out of your fridge every two weeks and get rid of the furry ham and mouldy milk everyone has forgotten about
2.)
However selfless you're feeling now, we guarantee you won't feel the same after a few months of having to sleep with your toes touching the walls.
- First come, first served - perfect if you know one of your housemates is travelling round Thailand until mid September
- Go strategic - rather than competing for the biggest room, plurp for the mid-sized room that no one's arguing over
- Offer to swap halfway through the year, but only if you get the bigger room first - it's likely they'll be too settled or permanently hungover to care come January
3.)
Falling out with your landlord is not only horribly awkward, but can also have a massive effect on your bank balance come the end of the year.
- Do a full and complete check of your home when you move in - take pictures of damage or marks on the walls and send them to the estate agent alongside the inventory
- Check that there are no obvious electrical problems - loose sockets, exposed wires, etc. - and ask your landlord to PAT test any electrical items
- Avoid inviting THAT guy to house parties - the one who likes to do air guitar standing on the kitchen table
4.)
Avoid fire-related close calls to maximise the chances of you living a long life (and holding on to your eyebrows).
- Don't use the oven when drunk
- Don't get creative when said oven breaks
- Don't stick all your electrical appliances into a single extension cord (they could explode)
- Don't use fake phone chargers or electrical beauty products (they could also explode)
- Don't put drinks anywhere near your precious Xbox
5.)
Parents can be painfully annoying, but you're bound to end up missing home at some point - and crying on the bus is not a good look.
- DO: Get your parents to send you a weekly 'care' package
- DO: Put a reminder on your phone to call home once in a while
- DON'T: Make creepy life-sized models of your family to keep in your room
6.)
Always go for convenience when it comes to food shopping and you'll find yourself spending a shedload.
- Stock up on your hangover food choice to avoid that 11am crawl of shame to the local takeaway
- Offer to pay the only guy you know with a car some petrol money so you can bulk buy tins at a budget supermarket
- Learn how to cook cheap and easy meals and stick them all on Pinterest for safekeeping
7.)
You may be best buds now, but three months in your housmate's 'hilarious' habits will make you want to snap their heads off.
- Label your food, and bagsy a shelf in the fridge early doors
- Set up a cleaning and toilet roll buying rota
- Bring up any big issues sober (and with a slice of pizza to soften the blow)
- Don't post passive aggressive notes all over the kitchen
Get the app
Download our free smartphone app, available to both iPhone and Android, to carry out basic visual checks around your accommodation.
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Student information
For more electrical safety information for students visit our For Students guides and advice page here.