The Student Room Group

Advice wanted - Where should I live in Cambridge?

I don't know if it's the best place to ask for this but I'm trying anyway! We're moving from Canada to Cambridge soon and we're still looking for an apartment, if anyone can be of any help! Here's what we're looking for :

1 bedroom or a fairly big loft, airy and lots of space
Furnished or partly furnished
Washer-dryer
Not in a block with too much apartments
Clean looking (especially the bathroom)
No carpets
Allows cats
Sunny (to grow plants)
Fairly good neighborhood
Located between downtown and Addensbrooke hospital (my husband is studding pharmacology)
Near community transports
Can sign the papers and do everything by fax or email (we're in Canada)
1000 pounds a month is around what we could pay at most I guess.

Thank you :smile:
I'd recommend looking at this website: http://www.brettward.co.uk/canb/
Reply 2
RubyMoon
I don't know if it's the best place to ask for this..
Not the best on the internet, but the best on TSR...
RubyMoon

1 bedroom or a fairly big loft, airy and lots of space
Furnished or partly furnished
Washer-dryer
Not in a block with too much apartments
Clean looking (especially the bathroom)
No carpets
Allows cats
Sunny (to grow plants)
Fairly good neighborhood
Located between downtown and Addensbrooke hospital (my husband is studding pharmacology)
Near community transports
Can sign the papers and do everything by fax or email (we're in Canada)
1000 pounds a month is around what we could pay at most I guess.

Thank you :smile:

You should easily find something. There's alot of affordable accommodation to choose from that's in between the hospital and city centre, particularly on the end closest to the hospital. There are loads of buses and a train station extremely close. The neighbourhood is fine (as Cambridge is generally)
Reply 3
Actually, we're having trouble with the agencies around Cambridge, lots of them won't answer email. But you gave me 2 interesting resources I'll be looking right away :smile: Thank you!
for that amount of money you could get a reasonably sized 3 bedroom house. unless you were looking for somewhere smaller

just start cruising real estate agents websites.
Reply 5
RubyMoon
Actually, we're having trouble with the agencies around Cambridge, lots of them won't answer email. But you gave me 2 interesting resources I'll be looking right away :smile: Thank you!

Yeh, as Athena said, the University Accommodation Service is the best thing if your partner is employed by us.
And you're not going to get replies from anybody until Tuesday at the earliest on a bank-holiday weekend!
Reply 6
RubyMoon
1000 pounds a month is around what we could pay at most I guess.

If you're expecting to to pay £1000 a month for a one-bed in Cambridge you'll be pleasantly surprised! I'd expect to pay £700 or £800, even for something pretty decent.

Anyhow, one place to look is perhaps here:
http://cambridge.gumtree.com/cambridge/property-rentals_1297_1.html

Trying to arrange anything from Canada might be tricky though -- no idea what the practicalities might be, and if they want a deposit in advance to secure the flat things will be especially tricky as there'll always be a worry about being scammed.

Nowhere's that far from bus routes etc. Somewhere along (or a little off) Hills Road (Googlemaps it) will conform to your location requirement -- there's plenty of housing around there.

As other people have said, if you or your other half are connected to the university, their accommodation service will be helpful and are likely to be experienced in helping people move from abroad.
Reply 7
Thank you very much, everyone is very helpful. I'll make sure to check with the University Service :smile: It's a bit tricky from here and I'm happy to know what to expect as a price and stuff like that. The web sites I've been on before are not those ones and I think it might be a bit too fancy for us. So thank you again :smile:
Reply 8
You are going to struggle to find somewhere that will let you have a pet, especially a cat. When I was trying to find somewhere to rent in Cambridge (in that same area) no one would even let me have a hamster.
Reply 9
Hi guys looking for some advice from those who live out. Where are the best places to search, I'm moving to cam and looking for a place? Any good agents/websites? (Obviously I've googled but it would be interesting if anything different came up.)
Reply 10
Hi everyone.
I'm starting an MPhil in economics this september in Cambridge and I'm looking for a place to live.
As I am married, we are looking for a self-contained flat.
Also, I am from South America so there is no possibility that I can travel beforehand.
Given all that, I was looking mainly into flats that are owned by the University, since the risk of renting a privately-own flat unseen is too much for me.
'Till now, a good possibility has been Charles Babbage Road in the West Cambridge Site. However, me and my wife come from a big, noisy city and the place looks too rural and lonely. I'm used to having shops, people and noise and it might be hard for us to addapt to that new situation.
So, do you think that, after all, the west cambridge site is pretty close to the city so I shouldn't worry? :woo:
Or have you any suggestions for other places I should look?
Any info-advice is welcome!

cd
cuak2000
Hi everyone.
I'm starting an MPhil in economics this september in Cambridge and I'm looking for a place to live.
As I am married, we are looking for a self-contained flat.
Also, I am from South America so there is no possibility that I can travel beforehand.
Given all that, I was looking mainly into flats that are owned by the University, since the risk of renting a privately-own flat unseen is too much for me.
'Till now, a good possibility has been Charles Babbage Road in the West Cambridge Site. However, me and my wife come from a big, noisy city and the place looks too rural and lonely. I'm used to having shops, people and noise and it might be hard for us to addapt to that new situation.
So, do you think that, after all, the west cambridge site is pretty close to the city so I shouldn't worry? :woo:
Or have you any suggestions for other places I should look?
Any info-advice is welcome!

cd

tourist
Hi guys looking for some advice from those who live out. Where are the best places to search, I'm moving to cam and looking for a place? Any good agents/websites? (Obviously I've googled but it would be interesting if anything different came up.)

I've merged your threads into a slightly older one that had some replies.
Reply 12
Ok, thanx!
cuak2000

'Till now, a good possibility has been Charles Babbage Road in the West Cambridge Site. However, me and my wife come from a big, noisy city and the place looks too rural and lonely. I'm used to having shops, people and noise and it might be hard for us to addapt to that new situation.
So, do you think that, after all, the west cambridge site is pretty close to the city so I shouldn't worry? :woo:
Or have you any suggestions for other places I should look?
Any info-advice is welcome!

cd

I looked up that street on a map and its very close to the centre of town - walking distance. I don't think you should worry. There's lots of traffic round there if you like noise. And there will be loads of students about.
Reply 14
Craghyrax
I looked up that street on a map and its very close to the centre of town - walking distance. I don't think you should worry. There's lots of traffic round there if you like noise. And there will be loads of students about.
That isn't really true of Charles Babbage Road, in my opinion (the physics department is on the West Cambridge site). By Cambridge standards (and I'm not just talking student Cambridge standards) it is quite isolated. I know 20-25 minutes walk isn't life destroying but it is quite far to go to reach the nearest cash machine or shop, especially if you just need to pop out and get some milk. There aren't any pubs or bars nearby either. And it's windy.

There isn't really any traffic either. You get a very dull roar from the motorway and occasional gunfire but that's it.

I'm not sure what the community is like in the flats. I think there is some effort to make one but it might be mostly targeted at people who spend their time in the flats while their spouses work. I know someone who lived there on their own for a year (they thought it too isolated) and didn't like it so moved into the centre of town.

That said, the flats are quite nice and if it's only for a year it's not the end of the world. It might be better than (the very real chance of) ending up somewhere grotty elsewhere in Cambridge.

Spoiler

Supermerp
That isn't really true of Charles Babbage Road, in my opinion (the physics department is on the West Cambridge site). By Cambridge standards (and I'm not just talking student Cambridge standards) it is quite isolated. I know 20-25 minutes walk isn't life destroying but it is quite far to go to reach the nearest cash machine or shop, especially if you just need to pop out and get some milk. There aren't any pubs or bars nearby either. And it's windy.

There isn't really any traffic either. You get a very dull roar from the motorway and occasional gunfire but that's it.

Oh fair enough :o: It looked close enough to me! But unlike you I've not been there so I was just guessing from the map and my experience of West Cambridge. I saw it connected to Madingley road and I was like - ah busy road nearby.
Reply 16
Craghyrax
Oh fair enough :o: It looked close enough to me! But unlike you I've not been there so I was just guessing from the map and my experience of West Cambridge. I saw it connected to Madingley road and I was like - ah busy road nearby.


Thanx for your replies!
It seems I'll have to get used to quiet for a year at least.
I've never lived outside of a big city before, so I just might like it (I hope, wish me luck!)
Best,

cd
cuak2000
Thanx for your replies!
It seems I'll have to get used to quiet for a year at least.
I've never lived outside of a big city before, so I just might like it (I hope, wish me luck!)
Best,

cd
I visited a flat on Charles Babbage road a few days ago (I was also looking for somewhere to live)
I didn't find it that quiet. It is on the edge of Cambridge, however it is right in the middle of several busy department buildings that have students and academics walking in and out of them constantly. And the UNI4 bus service goes to and from there every 20mins, and there's a really quick cycle path and footpath that's really pretty with people constantly walking through it. So I don't really think its all that isolated. Sure, you have a view of some fields and hedges - but its still only a 20min quick walk to the centre and you'll be around lots of people.
Reply 18
That's great to know Craghyrax...
Since I don't know Cambridge, I probably have overestimated distances (or, as George Bush would say: "missoverestimated" them).