Student Houses in Castle and Fenton Street, Lancaster

Everything is close. The castle and the priory are on your doorstep, the shops and the covered market are a few minutes away, and Lancaster railway station is close enough to walk to with a suitcase. For students going home at weekends or heading to Manchester or Glasgow for the day, that last point matters more than people expect.

The nightlife is the other obvious draw. Lancaster's pubs and bars are concentrated in the centre, so you can walk home rather than budgeting for taxis. If you want to be where things are happening, this is the area.

The housing is period property, often Georgian and Victorian, sometimes converted into flats rather than whole houses. That means a bit more variety than the standard terraced share: you will see everything from four bedroom houses to two bedroom flats. Older buildings can mean higher heating bills, so it is worth asking about insulation and the boiler when you view.

The trade off is the commute to Lancaster University. You are at the far end of the bus route, so the journey takes longer than it does from Scotforth or Galgate, and you will be doing it in both directions every teaching day.

Parking is the other consideration. Central Lancaster has restricted and permit parking in many streets, and it is not somewhere to assume you can keep a car. Check carefully before anyone commits to bringing one.

Noise cuts both ways here. Being able to walk home from a night out is one of the real advantages of living centrally, and it also means other people are walking past your window on their way home. If you sleep lightly, ask which way the bedrooms face and how recently the windows were replaced.

Because a lot of the housing is flats rather than whole houses, this area works well for smaller groups, couples and postgraduates who do not want to fill a five bedroom terrace. Larger groups usually have more to choose from in Bowerham or Moorlands.