[Lara140112]

Hi everyone,

I hopefully will be starting a Postgraduate course at Newcastle University this September (have a conditional offer since they need my translated diploma).

Since as an Eu student my chances for a place in halls are pretty slim I was wondering about private accomodation.

How early do I need to start looking? I don't really fancy renting sth I have not seen, but I won't be able to view before mid-August. Is that too late?

What's the standard for students, just rent something the university recommends without seeing it? Also I heard you are often asked to pay rent for the term/year in advance, which I will definitly struggle with as my maintenace grant comes in monthly installments.

I hope someone here can give some advise regarding my situation.

Thanks

[Tasteofceladon]

I am on the same boat as you! I'll be applying anyway, but I don't have much hope in getting a place *laughs* I know a lot of people who arrived on Erasmus a week before starting uni and rented a flat during that week while staying in a hostel (granted, not in Newcastle, but in Cardiff), so I try not to be too anxious about it

[Lara140112]

anyone confirming the above???

Is there a short-notice rental market? I know this works in Ireland, but not sure for the UK and I already see rooms advertised now for September 2012, but am extremly reluctant to rent anything that isn't halls without viewing (bad experience).

[spektre]

Yes, I can confirm that as well. I didn't have a clue where I was gonna live when I arrived in Newcastle last September so I stayed in a cheap Hotel for about 10 days. Finding anything wasn't hard at all, however, I would say it took me about 7 days to find something decent which appealed to me.

Btw: the University accomodation service offers private rooms, too. However, most of them which I viewed were of very low standard and chances are high you will get boxed together with international students (don't know if that's your thing).

[Lara140112]

Thanks, that's great to hear. I think what I will do then is head up to Newcastle mid-August and plan a week to find something. I'm in the UK anyway for a summer job so I might as well get a head start to those searching in September.

Yes I know that the University supplies rooms through NUstudenthomes but the website and info is so poor that really it doesn't appeal to me. I wouldn't mind too much sharing with international students (have applied for halls after all), but I don't want to live in a house/flat of more than 4 people.

NuStudenthomes also doesn't look like the best option regarding value for money and their new opened Postgrad accomodation Barker House is a joke. The rooms seem to be tiny, box room style and yes they are modern but also pricey, so should they offer this to me I'm going to decline and fall back on private accomodation.

still holding on the the glimpse of hope that I can get a room in the less popular halls of residences.

[Tasteofceladon]

(Original post by spektre)
Yes, I can confirm that as well. I didn't have a clue where I was gonna live when I arrived in Newcastle last September so I stayed in a cheap Hotel for about 10 days. Finding anything wasn't hard at all, however, I would say it took me about 7 days to find something decent which appealed to me.

Btw: the University accomodation service offers private rooms, too. However, most of them which I viewed were of very low standard and chances are high you will get boxed together with international students (don't know if that's your thing).

I realized I never really wrote to say thank you! This was of great help, and a relief to hear. I'd also appreciate if you could give me some advice regarding where you stayed/which places you checked for rents, if that's not too much to ask.

Thank you!

[spektre]

http://uk.easyroommate.com/
http://www.gumtree.com/
http://newcastle.craigslist.co.uk/

are good websites if you want to avoid paying any form of agents' fees. These are people looking for others to share a flat with and usually without involving an agent.

As regards professional letting agencies I would first look at this website to get an overview of the lettings market in Newcastle an then browse through the respective agent's website:

http://www.findaproperty.com/

Well-known letting agencies in Newcastle are, for example:

http://www.patrobson.com/
https://www.baskeys.co.uk/
http://www.acornproperties.co.uk/ind.../studentsearch
http://www.belvoirlettings.com/Newcastle%20Central (These are my letting agents)

Before losing track of the amount of offers I would, however, first ask yourself in which part of Newcastle you want to live. Its helpful to think this through or else in a few weeks before you make any appointments to view a property.

Neighbourhoods very popular with students and within walking/cycling distance to both unis are:

Jesmond (where I live)
Sandyford
Spital Tongues

Further afield and still popular with students are Heaton and Gosforth, which means you would have to purchase a metro pass for 46.50 quid a month (one zone) if you don't like to cycle. Then, on the other side of the spectrum you have places like Fenham and Byker which I would avoid at all costs.

If I were to look for a property again I would look for something in the City Centre or around the Quayside. These are obviously a bit pricier but bear in mind that you can walk to your campus probably within 15 mins and are not dependent on public transport. Moreover, essentially most of the popular clubs and pubs are located in the City Centre in the area around the central station, Monument and Quayside. If you occasionally like to go out for a night on the town then living nearby can save you some $$$ you would otherwise spend on taxis (the metro only operates till 0.20 or so).

Lastly, the hotel I stayed in was the Rooms Inn Hotel http://www.roomsinn.co.uk/

I wouldn't give this place even one star, but I guess it's okay if you are only there to sleep. After all it is cheap and within 10-15 mins you can walk to the central station (metro).

Good luck!

[Tasteofceladon]

Wow, this was terribly helpful. Thank you so much for taking your time in writing all of this! I was thinking in going for what most people do and find a place in Jesmond but I'll have to look into Quayside too now. I travel by bike a lot here (Barcelona), but I don't know if I'd be able to do it when the streets are paved in snow!

Thank you again

[Lara140112]

I highly doubt there will be that much snow in Newcastle, more like pouring rain, but that's just as bad.