Student Houses with Gardens in Loughborough: Why It's Worth Having One
When you're comparing student houses, it's easy to focus entirely on bedrooms, bathrooms and price, and let a garden slide down the list as a nice extra rather than something worth actually weighing up. But for a lot of students, having outdoor space at their student house turns out to matter more than they expected once they're actually living there.
Why a Garden Actually Matters in a Student House
A garden doesn't need to be anything elaborate to make a real difference to day to day life. It's somewhere to eat outside when the weather's good, somewhere to host people without everyone being crammed onto one sofa, and somewhere to get some air during exam season without having to leave the house.
There's also a genuine wellbeing case for it, not just a lifestyle one. Mind has long highlighted the link between spending time outdoors and improved mood, and reduced stress and anxiety, something worth remembering during the busier, more pressured stretches of term.
How Garden Use Actually Changes Through the Year
A garden isn't used the same way in November as it is in May, and it's worth thinking about both ends of that rather than just picturing a sunny afternoon.
In the warmer months, it becomes genuinely usable communal space, somewhere to eat, study outside for a change of scene, or have people over without it turning into a whole event. During exam season, whenever that happens to fall, it's often the difference between stepping outside for ten minutes and not leaving the house at all for days. Even outside of summer, a garden still earns its place, somewhere to store bikes, take a phone call away from housemates, or just get a bit of fresh air between lectures.
Shared or Private: Why It Changes the Experience
Not all gardens work the same way, and whether yours is exclusively yours or shared with a neighbouring property changes how you'll actually use it.
A private garden means it's genuinely your space, used on your terms, without coordinating with anyone outside your own house. A shared garden can still be a nice feature, but it comes with a bit more give and take, who's using it when, whose barbecue it is, that sort of thing. Neither is automatically better, but it's a real difference, and one worth asking about directly rather than assuming.
What Actually Makes a Garden Worth Having
A garden that's just a patch of grass isn't quite the same thing as a garden you'll actually use. The difference usually comes down to a handful of practical features.
Proper seating matters more than people expect, a table and bench turn a garden into somewhere you'd actually sit, rather than somewhere you occasionally stand. A barbecue makes it a destination for the house, not just a view from the kitchen window. And somewhere to store bikes keeps clutter out of hallways and gives the space a second, everyday use beyond the odd sunny afternoon.
Gardens at UniQ Lets
Every one of our fully refurbished student houses in Loughborough comes with a garden, built to the same standard throughout our portfolio rather than being a feature at one or two addresses. Properties like 11a Park Road and 8 Deane Street are great examples, both with proper seating, a picnic bench, a barbecue and secure bike storage, rather than the garden being an afterthought.
Looking after it isn't down to you either. Garden upkeep, along with cleaning of communal areas, is included as part of our all-inclusive bills, alongside gas, electricity, water and broadband. So wherever you end up, a garden is simply there to use, not something you have to manage yourself.
See the gardens for yourself
Every UniQ Lets house has a garden, but they aren't all the same. Here are a few examples of the outdoor spaces available across our Loughborough properties.
A Few Common Questions
Do student houses in Loughborough usually come with a garden?
It varies by landlord and property, so it's worth asking directly rather than assuming. At UniQ Lets, every one of our student houses includes a garden, and it's built to the same standard across the portfolio.
What actually makes a garden useful for a shared student house, rather than just a patch of grass?
Seating, a barbecue and somewhere to store bikes make the biggest difference. A garden without any of those tends to go unused, however nice it looks.
Does a shared garden still feel like your own space?
To an extent, though it depends on how it's shared and with whom. A private garden gives you that without having to think about it.
Is garden upkeep included when renting a student house?
Not always, it's worth checking before you sign anything. At UniQ Lets, it's covered as part of our all-inclusive bills, along with cleaning of communal areas.
Is a Garden Worth Prioritising Over Other Features?
Not for everyone, and that's a fair position to take. If your priority is being as close to campus as possible, or keeping costs to an absolute minimum, a garden might reasonably sit lower down your list than it does for someone else.
But it's worth weighing up properly rather than dismissing outright, alongside the other things that actually shape day to day life in a student house. If you want the fuller picture of what to think about when choosing where to live, our guide to the key things to consider when choosing student accommodation in Loughborough covers the rest of that decision.
And if a garden is something you'd genuinely like at your next student house, take a look at our available student houses in Loughborough to see which of our current properties have one.
