ONE of the most important things to organise as a university student is where you are going to live.

But University of Oxford students took it to another level again this week by spending almost 24 hours camping outside an estate agents to guarantee their house next year.

By the time North Oxford Property Shop in Walton Street, Jericho, opened its doors yesterday more than 50 students had queued outside and around the corner. Queueing outside the shop before the annual list of Jericho properties is released has become a tradition for Oxford students and has been going on for 23 years.

Keble College students Will Stanford, 19, Phil Barber, 20, Andy Pursley, 20, and Felix Hamer, 21, began queueing to secure their house, in Canal Street, at 10am on Wednesday and were at the front of the line after taking a tent to camp in shifts outside the shop.

Mr Stanford, a second year law student, said: “The hardest shift was probably the ones in the tent from 2am to 9am, but it was surprisingly companionable with everyone in the queue.

“A man stopped me and gave me some helpful advice for sleeping in the street from his years of experience, and at one point I was offered change.”

North Oxford Property Shop director Robin Swailes said: “They see the property they want, they are organised and they want to get the stress out of the way early on – but I still think they are mad.

“There is a lot more legislation regarding student housing which has a cost implication, and there are probably less HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupancy) in Oxford than there used to be.”