Are you planning your home away from home while you're studying? You're going to have to learn quite a few things but don't worry, we'll help you catch up.
Careers Portal sat down to chat with Alexandria Procter, CEO and co-founder of DigsConnect on property lingo to know when you're planning your student digs move.
DigsConnect helps students and young adults rent their perfect apartment, house or room around South Africa. They make looking for accommodation easier for students.
Here's some property lingo you'll need to know:
Landlord
A landlord is the person who owns a property and is looking to rent out rooms.
Alexandria says, "You could be dealing with them to sign a lease or you could be dealing with the estate agent or the manager of the property".
Lease
A lease is the legal agreement that you have with your landlord. You're basically going into a legal contract and is you making a promise to the landlord that you're going to pay rent every month for a stipulated length of time.
The DigsConnect CEO has the following advice, "When it comes to the law, best case scenario is you sign the agreement and you never look at it again ... But just in case things go wrong, you want to have a lease for both sides".
What's the difference between furnished and unfurnished?
Unfurnished is a place with nothing in it. It's just a plain building structure and won't have a bed, fridge, stove or any furniture.
Partly furnished is when the essentials are there such as a fridge, kettle, microwave, bed or a lamp. Everything else you will have to supply yourself.
Fully furnished means that the space is fully decked out and all you'll need to bring is your personal belongings. However, fully furnished doesn't necessarily mean bedding is included so you should enquire about this before arriving to move into your digs.
No worries, Alexandria assures you that there will always be a bathroom.
Co-Living
Co-living is when you live with someone or other people. You could be renting out a room in a house with many rented rooms.
Alexandria explains, "Living with people can be some of the best and worst experiences of your life" and that you should then think about what kind of space you want to occupy and be that person for the people you want to live.
Respect and being a good person is important when living with other people.
If you're worried about safety, DigsConnect prioritises safety. The company is female founded and in South Africa, safety for women is always top priority.
DigsConnect makes sure that there are no dodgy individuals on the platform and calls landlords to engage on whether it is safe or not.
A look on the DigsConnect website will have you find phrases such as, 'We want to build friendships, not just relationships', as community is important in their vision for providing comfort to students. DigsConnects operates across South Africa and is rather easy to use.
