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Official University of Edinburgh Accommodation Thread for Entry 2010/11

PART 1: OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH ACCOMMODATION THREAD

Apply for 2010 accommodation at the University of Edinburgh here

For details about private accommodation in Edinburgh, see post #2

Before posting questions in this thread please read through post #1 and post #2 to ensure your query has not already been answered!

The University of Edinburgh owns a vast array of accommodation throughout the city. All properties are managed by Accommodation Services. They are based in the Reception Centre at Pollock Halls, and can be visited in person as well as contacted in a number of ways.

You can view various maps to see where this official accommodation is located throughout the city here.

You can download the university’s official accommodation guides for entry in 2009 here. No guide has yet been published for entry in 2010, although very little has changed. Do note that any prices quoted below will refer to the current academic year, 2009/10.

Will I be guaranteed accommodation?

The current policy in place is that you will be guaranteed an offer of university accommodation if you meet the follow conditions:
Your online accommodation application must be submitted by August 16th (n.b. this was the date in place for 2009/10).
You must hold an unconditional firm offer on UCAS by August 30th.
You must ordinarily reside outside the City of Edinburgh boundaries.
You must be studying at the university for the full academic year.

The university does NOT guarantee to provide you with the precise type of accommodation that you want, and if you reject an initial offer of accommodation it is highly unlikely they will make you another one. Couples and families are NOT guaranteed accommodation.

The guarantee applies to almost all new single freshers, be they domestic or international students. As a rule of thumb, if you are coming to Edinburgh on an exchange from abroad, you will also be guaranteed accommodation. If you are arriving on exchange from within the EU, you must be on an official institutional exchange.

Issues with first year accommodation guarantee

The accommodation guarantee has caused some issues during the last two years, due to the vast popularity of the university! Accommodation has been vastly oversubscribed and the university has struggled to sort housing for everybody. The good news is that accommodation services appear not to be compromising on their promise: they will ensure that an offer of accommodation is made to every fresher who is eligible.

In 2008, Accommodation Services was forced to lease Portsburgh Court from the private student accommodation provider Unite, and a number of freshers spent their first few weeks in Edinburgh in hostels and hotels arranged for them by Accommodation Services. There were also reports of some rooms in Chancellor’s Court, Pollock being turned into twin rooms.

In 2009, oversubscription was an even more serious issue. The leasing of Unite accommodation was once necessary. Students were also allocated what would ordinarily be postgraduate accommodation. Accommodation Services also leased some 50 rooms at Jewel and Esk college, 4 miles from the university. A majority of rooms in Chancellor’s Court, Pollock were converted to twin rooms.

These problems seem to have happened because of the recent surge of students entering higher education, along with Edinburgh’s generous policy that promises housing to almost all freshers even if they select Edinburgh as their insurance choice. In 2009, it became official policy during August when the sheer scale of insurance applicants became evident, that insurance applicants were given lower priority in terms of the accommodation they were offered, and how quickly they were offered it.

What does this mean in practical terms if you are applying for entry in 2010? You are guaranteed a room if you meet the eligibility criteria, but it may well not be the room you want. If you are an insurance applicant you will be considered a lower priority when allocation is taking place. Likewise, allocation is liable to take longer if there are more students who need to be accommodated. And you will only be made ONE offer. If you turn down your offer you will not receive another.

Applying

Applications for official accommodation take place online. Applications are currently not being accepted. For entry in September 2010, applications will be accepted from February 20th. You can make your application here. Once applications open, you may apply whenever you want. Accommodation Services do NOT operate a first come, first served system - so you are at no advantage if you apply early. In past years, the deadline for applications for university accommodation has been a date in mid-August. Ensure that you apply for accommodation before this date, as applications will not be accepted late. Even if Edinburgh is only your insurance, apply in good time. Ensure you apply for accommodation using an email address which you will continue to have access to in September. Offers of accommodation are sent out by email only. Do NOT use an email address from school, college, work or anywhere else where you will not be able to access your inbox during the second half of August (in general apply this principle to any situation in which you provide contact details).

Accepting an offer of accommodation

Offers of accommodation will not be made until the summer. In 2009, the very first offers went out on June 30th. In order to be eligible for an offer, you must hold a firm, unconditional offer from the university. This means that if you have applied using predicted grades, your offer from the university will not become conditional until your exam results are confirmed (in the case Highers/Advanced Highers in early August, and in the case of A Levels in mid August). You must accept the offer of accommodation through the Accommodation Services channel on MyEd. Acceptance of the offer will include agreeing to your tenancy agreement and payment of a £250 deposit. The deposit is paid by card. You should pay using a card that you are likely to still have a year later, as the deposit is refunded to the original payment card.

Bear in mind that once you receive an offer of accommodation, you only have seven days to accept or decline. After that time has elapsed, the offer will be withdrawn. You do not have to accept, but if you decline, another offer will not be made.

Room Sizes

There are a lot of questions about the room sizing and whether one should apply for a small, medium or large room. The general consensus from current students is that you should always apply for the SMALL room size wherever possible: the difference in size between different classes of room is often marginal, and significant savings in rent can be made if your room is classed as “small”.

The choice of room sizes is something that was only introduced in 2007. It is commonly viewed amongst students as a ruse by Accommodation Services to squeeze more money out of their tenants. The general rule of thumb in most cases is that paying an extra £10 a week for a "large" room might gain you an extra 30cm width. The larger rooms do not represent good value for money.

Internet and Phone

As of 2009, all data connectivity and telephony in university owned accommodation is provided by Keycom. The standard internet speed is 8Mbps and is included in your rent. If you wish to upgrade this to a premium service you may pay £70 directly to Keycom. This upgrade is alleged to increase the speed to 20Mbps, however, there have been numerous complaints from those who have paid for the premium service that there is little noticeable difference. The standard network suffers from being somewhat slow and overloaded, and at times may struggle with streaming services such as iPlayer. Keycom have provided wifi in most public areas in university accommodation, but this is considered a supplementary service and will generally not work in bedrooms. To see exactly what is available where, see this page.

Telephony is also provided by Keycom, through their Keytalk service. You are provided with a VOIP phone in your room which has a direct dial Edinburgh (0131) number. Calls to all other rooms within Accommodation Services are free. Outgoing calls are all charged through topping up your prepaid phone account. Keycom pricing for phone calls can be seen here.

University computing facilities are also available at Pollock Halls.

Mobile phone reception in Edinburgh is generally good on all networks outdoors, although reception can sometimes be intermittent inside university accommodation.

On site support

If you live in a self-catered flat then you will have a team of Resident Assistants (RA’s) living on site, who will be on call 24/7. They will organise events in fresher’s week and throughout the year, as well as communicating important information from Accommodation Services. An RA will always be on duty and a duty mobile phone number will be provided.
An accommodation manager will also manage your building, with reception hours most days of the week as well as being in email contact. They should be your first port of call if you have queries about payments, require a reference or need to report issues with your flat. If you live in Pollock Halls then you will be assigned a House Assistant, who carries out much the same role as an RA.

Leaving at the end of your tenancy

Accommodation services should provide you with a letter towards the end of your tenancy remind you when the final move out day is. You will be expected to return all keys to the relevant member of Accommodation Services staff by the morning of the last day. You may move out before this date but will not receive a refund for unused rent. If moving out early, you are encouraged to return your own keys rather than entrusting them to flatmates or friends. Along with the reminder letter you should also receive a set of instruction regarding the cleaning of your room or flat. Ensure that you follow these closely, as the penalty for not complying will be charged at exorbitant rates and deducted from your deposit. Consequently it is important to complete your inventory when you move in.

Catered or Self-Catered?

It is important to dispel the initial myth surrounding this choice. Neither is the better option socially - you will not miss out by choosing one over the other. It is really a fairly straightforward choice. Do you want to live in a flat or on a corridor? Do you want a kitchen or a pantry? Do you want a living area or a common room? Do you want to choose what you cook and when you eat, or be secure in the knowledge that there will always be food available at a set time? You do pay a premium to live in catered accommodation, and most students should be able to make a saving on food costs if they are savvy shoppers. Do bear in mind that if you live in catered accommodation, you will still have to make or buy your lunch. You pay for breakfast and dinner on weekdays and brunch and dinner at the weekend. Pollock Halls is on the other hand, the largest single community of students in the city and there are advantages such as the onsite shop selling all the essentials you may need as well as a cash machine. If you live in a self-catered flat you’ll be much more a part of a smaller a potentially close knit community in the wider Edinburgh cityscape. It all boils down to what you prefer as a person - but there are no solid advantages of the one form of accommodation over the other.

Twin Rooms in Pollock Halls (Thanks to fwapper for this)

Essentially twin rooms are a matter of luck. Most of them are simply normal sized rooms with a bunk bed in. These are miserably cramped, with only a couple of square metres of floor space after the bed and desk. However, if you are lucky you may get one of the twin rooms on the fourth floor of Chancellor's Court. These rooms are two or three times as large as a standard room, and perhaps the largest in Pollock. They have two single beds, and in most cases have large balconies. Best of all they cost no more than the other twin rooms.

Many of the fourth floor rooms are fitted out for disabled people (low spyholes, ramps into the showers, plenty of space etc.) which is a typical example of the seemingly limitless stupidity of the Pollock management - wheelchairs can't get up the balcony steps and as for when the lift breaks down... anyway the end result is that these giant size rooms become twinned. (There are only about 20 of these twin rooms in Chancellor's Court so it's quite a gamble to apply for one )

Food at Pollock Halls (Thanks to fwapper for this)

The JMCC is where you will be eating for the year if you stay in Pollock Halls. The food it serves is marginally better than your average school dinner, but the illusion of variety disappears after a month or so as by then you will have eaten every meal they make at least once.

If you don't mind endless soggy, bland shades of beige then all is well, but if you have any appreciation of food whatsoever then it becomes a chore to go. I know about a dozen people who are moving to self catered accommodation after the first semester simply to escape the JMCC. Although it has to be noted that these people are almost exclusively mainland European with high standards for food - one Italian only lasted three weeks before he moved out.

On the rare occasion they produce something appealing (like jam doughnuts) there is such a scramble for them that they are gone in seconds. The place is also horribly disorganised, understaffed and overcrowded, with bottlenecks forming everywhere as dozens of people stand waiting for food/cutlery/condiments... you get the idea.

To sum up: if you go to the JMMC hungry the smell when entering will put you off, and at the end you leave full, but never satisfied. But you can have as many helpings as you like.

Pricing

Catered

Prices for all catered accommodation available for entry 2010 can be viewed here.

Self-Catered

Prices for all self-catered accommodation available for entry 2010 can be viewed here.

Payment

You can pay rent to Accommodation Services in a number of different ways. You can pay in full by card online. You can also pay in full or instalments in person at Pollock Halls reception centre. You can pay by recurring payment by credit card. Accommodation Services can also issue an invoice and send it to a third party sponsor, if your accommodation is being funded by another institution for example. The most common means of payment is by direct debit, which can be arranged on a monthly or semesterly basis. Full details can be seen here.

Insurance

Basic insurance cover is included the cost of your rent. Insurance is provided by Cover 4 Students, a specialist student insurer. The cover insures personal possessions on a new for old basis against theft, fire, flood, burst pipes, storm, vandalism, explosion and lightening. The insurance policy does not cover your possessions outside of your room. It is possible to purchase extensions to your policy to cover items such as computers, musical instruments and mobile phones when out of your room - the premiums are generally the market average although do check their competitors to see if you can get it cheaper. See full details of the University of Edinburgh insurance policy here. Anecdotal evidence on TSR in past suggests that they are reasonably reliable as insurers and will generally pay out on genuine claims without too much fuss.

Car Parking

Car parking is available at the following properties: Blackett Avenue, Darroch Court, Kincaid’s Court, Blackwood Crescent/ Causewayside, Sciennes 1, Sciennes 2, East Newington Place, Hermit’s Croft, Robertson’s Close, Roxburgh Place, Warrender Park Crescent, Warrender Park Road. Availability is strictly limited and you MUST purchase a parking permit in order to park in the car parks. The charge for the 2008/09 academic session was £97.20. Please note that there is an ongoing overhaul of parking permits and that the system may be different in 2010, and may well be more expensive. Parking at Pollock Halls is very limited. See Accommodation Services' parking page here.

Images of University owned accommodation

Blackfriars Street (thanks to artorscience?)
Kitchen 1 (shared by 12)
Kitchen 2 (shared by 12)
Dining Area (shared by 12)

A typical ensuite double room in Chancellor’s Court (thanks to michael nicholson)
Ensuite bathroom
Entrance area
Bed area
Study area

Darroch Court 6/2 (thanks to feef)
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
Hallway
Bathroom
Kitchen 1
Kitchen 2
Kitchen 3

Hermit's Croft 1/4 (thanks to ???)
Kitchen/Living area
Bedroom for door
Bedroom from bed

Sciennes 22/4 (thanks to artorscience?)
Kitchen
Bedroom Empty
Bedroom with moved furniture

Sciennes 27/7 (thanks to static)
Stairs from lower floor to upper floor
Kitchen
Kitchen 2
Bedroom
Bedroom 2

South Clerk Street (thanks to bred)
Kitchen 1
Kitchen 2
Bedroom

South College Street (thanks to ???)
Bathroom
Bathroom 2
Kitchen
Kitchen 2
Bedroom
Bedroom 2

A six person flat in 108 Warrender Park Road (thanks to nearlyheadlessian)
Kitchen
Living room area

Misc
102 Warrender Park Road
108 Warrender Park Road
Entrance to 108 Warrender Park Road
South Clerk Street from outside
Pollock Halls set against Arthur’s Seat

Postgraduate accommodation

The university offers guaranteed accommodation to new postgraduate students who are single and from outside the European Union. Furthermore, they endeavour to offer students from within the EU (but not the UK) accommodation on a first come, first served basis. They do not offer accommodation to domestic students. If you are an EU student you should apply as soon as possible for accommodation after applications open. Further details of the guarantee and relevant deadlines for new postgraduates can be found here.

Details of the accommodation available to new postgraduate students (including addresses, pricing etc) on a self-catered basis can be seen here. Details of catered accommodation are available here.

Council Tax

Accommodation Services annually informs the City of Edinburgh council that all their tenants are students and therefore are exempt from payment of council tax.

University accommodation after first year

It is possible to remain in official university accommodation after first year. The only residence available for those looking to continue self-catered in a single room is at Blackfriars Street. There are otherwise small 1 and 2 person flats available (although most of these are on a full 1 year lease), as well as larger flats around the city suitable for between 3 and 5 people. Accommodation services will hold an accommodation fair for continuing students during the early spring, and applications are made in person at Pollock Halls reception centre. Allocations take place on a strictly first come, first served basis. See further details here. If you want to remain in Pollocks Halls or standard self-catered flats then you can apply to become a House Assistant or a Resident’s Assistant. You will live with other assistants and be the first point of contact for a large number of freshers in your building. You will however, receive a discount on your rent.

See post #2 for details on private accommodation in Edinburgh.

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PART 2: PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION IN EDINBURGH

Living in university managed accommodation may not suit you, or there may be issues with the supply of accommodation once again this year. So do remember that you do not have to accept the offer of accommodation if you do not want to and there are plenty of alternatives - Edinburgh has a lot of very good flats on offer to students. The following advice is also fully relevant if you are a continuing student looking for new accommodation.

The university’s Accommodation Services offers a fairly handy overview and guide to private student accommodation in Edinburgh here.

EUSA also provide some advice on their webpage, along with a flatfinder. EUSA’s Advice Place is also happy to offer impartial advice on accommodation in Edinburgh.

What do I need to do first?

Decide what you want. Do you want to join an existing flat? Do you want to find a new flat with a group of flatmates? Or do you want to live in private halls of residence?

I want to join an existing flat

A starting point is to look on the EUSA forum. This is generally the first port of call for those who want to advertise rooms for rent. Most people looking for tenants on this site will be existing UofE students.

You can also see what is on offer outside the union office in the Potterrow dome in Bristo Square. Legitimate advertisements will always be stamped by EUSA.

An alternative is to try the Edinburgh Gumtree page. You will find however, that a lot of posts here are regarding entire flats to rent so it will take some work to sift out the individual room listings.

I want to find my own flat and some flatmates
If you are looking to share with 2 or more people who you are NOT related to, you need to ensure that your landlord has an HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) licence for the property. This a strict legal requirement for rentals to unrelated groups of 3 or more adults in Scotland. The legislation provides a great deal of protection for tenants, so do not be tempted by landlords who are prepared to let to a group of 3 or more tenants without an HMO.

Finding a flat in Edinburgh is generally very easy, particularly if you are able to dedicate a few days of your time in Edinburgh to searching. Most flats in Edinburgh are suited to 2-4 people, so you do not need a large group of flatmates to be successful. There are larger flats for 5-7 people, but these are rarer and you are often charged a premium for them. If you are a continuing student looking for flatmates, then look around you. Do you current flatmates want to continue living with you elsewhere? Do you have friends from courses or societies who need somewhere to live? Look on the notice boards at Potterrow to see if anyone is looking for flatmates. For new and old students alike, looking online, at EUSA’s forums, on TSR and on Gumtree is the best way to find flatmates.

I want to live in private halls of residence

If you want to live in student halls of residence in the private sector, then you must to turn the company Unite. Unite currently operate four properties in Edinburgh, on McDonald Road, Lady Lawson Street, James Craig Walk and on Potterrow (opposite the Informatics department). They have a further fifth property on Chalmers Street which is due to open in the future. The leases are generally significantly longer than those offered by Accommodation Services, and the prices are substantially steeper. You do generally receive a higher standard of accommodation, but it is all self-catered. Some students love Unite and others hate it, so you may want to read up on the company and find out about other students’ experiences before committing to anything with the company. You can take a more in depth look at what Unite offer in Edinburgh here.

Landlords and Letting Agencies

You want a landlord who is accredited by the Edinburgh City Council landlord accreditation scheme, which means the landlord and the property has to adhere to certain rules and regulations. Not all landlords are part of this scheme and it is generally advisable to avoid ones which are not, esspecially if you are new to Edinburgh or to private letting. You can peruse the directory of accredited agents and landlords here.

The pro and cons of whether you choose a private individual landlord or a letting agent tend to vary, although there is really no better option. Private landlords are generally easy to contact and are more interested in the upkeep of their property, although it can work conversely if the landlord is a bad one and is uninterested in helping tenants. Letting agencies can often suffer from being slightly faceless and often somewhat overstretched. However, they are far more experienced in letting property and will often directly employ workmen who can carry out repairs etc without having to contract outside contractors.
There are lots of property management companies in Edinburgh, some with better reviews than others. As in all areas of life, there are good and bad reviews for the vast array of letting agents in Edinburgh; so do some research into companies before agreeing anything with them.

Finding a flat

The afore mentioned websites are all useful in the pursuit of a flat. There are also a number of property search engines where both private landlords and letting agents advertise available properties. The most used ones are City Lets, s1 Rental, Letting Web, ESPC, Letting In Scotland and Student Pad. While this list is not exhaustive, it should provide you with everything you need to find available flats.

Where should I live?

The main student areas of Edinburgh are Marchmont, Newington, Tollcross, Bruntsfield, New Town and Old Town. If you look at a map of Edinburgh, this is the area which is bordered by Queen Street in the north, Holyrood Park and Dalkeith Road to the east, Strathearn Road and Mayfield Place to the south, and Bruntsfield Place to the west. All of these areas are within a 20-25 minute walk of the George Square and are within walking distance of most popular pubs, clubs and shops.

Pricing

Housing in Edinburgh is more expensive than in most cities in the UK, so expect to pay a lot. In general, you can expect to spend an average of £300/person/month excluding bills although depending on where you choose to live and your budget, this can be in excess of £400. Most students in Edinburgh find that it is possible to rent a decent room in central Edinburgh for less than £320. Bills can vary dramatically depending on specific circumstances, but a figure of £25/month/person is a reasonable average to work with. There may be a stair cleaner to clean communal areas and each flat will pay their share monthly. In some cases cleaning duties are shared on a rotational basis by residents. Current residents will generally inform you of relevant procedures.

Leases are almost always 12 months in duration when renting HMO licensed properties, with little room for negotiation. This may be different if you are in a pair living in a non-HMO licensed property, in which case you may have a minimum duration of tenancy (typically 6 months) followed by a rolling tenancy. Rent will invariably be payable monthly in advance, regardless of whether you are living in the property or not. Many students chose to sublet their room in the summer months to people who are visiting Edinburgh during the festival, or stay in the flat themselves while working in the city. Bear in mind that if you intend to sublet, you should ask your agent or landlord for permission, and that the terms of your tenancy agreement may prohibit it.

Deposits are usually equal to one month’s rent (often +£100 or so), which can sometimes be used in lieu of a 12th month payment. All breakages and repair costs are generally paid for by the landlord, not the tenants (unless of course you break it by being stupid/drunk). See the section on insurance for more information on this matter.

Payment

Most landlord and lettings agencies will expect payment by direct debit or standing order. Most agencies will also generally allow payment by bank transfer, cheque and cash; but frequently charge additional fees if you choose to pay this way.

Council Tax

If everybody at your address is a student, then you are exempt from paying council tax as well as water charges. In order to confirm that you are exempt you will need to contact the City of Edinburgh council and provide the matriculation numbers of all students living at the address. Some letting agencies state that they will do this on your behalf, but do not rely on them to do this. Legally, you are obliged to inform the council as soon as possible.

If there are non-students residing at the address then you may be eligible for a council tax discount. You should contact the council, the CAB or the EUSA Advice Place for more advice.

Insurance

In privately let accommodation, buildings insurance will already be held by the landlord. You will however, require contents insurance. A number of landlords/agencies will also require you to be covered by Tenants Insurance. Tenants Insurance covers you in the event of damage to your property; ie if you were spill wine on a carpet or damage a wall, the insurance would cover the cost of rectifying this, rather than the landlord making deductions from your deposit. It is a fairly unusual form of insurance which was seemingly invented by HomeLet to make money. Several agencies will attempt to steer you to a specific provider, but avoid this as a different provider may well be cheaper. Endsleigh include Tenants Insurance in some of their standard student policies. Bear in mind that many insurance policies may not be designed for those renting their homes, so take care when searching that the policies you consider are suited to your needs.

Car Parking

Unless you are fortunate enough to have a parking space associated with your property, you will almost certainly be living in a controlled parking zone. In order to park you will need to apply to the City of Edinburgh council for a parking permit. The current cost for a permit in zones 1-4 (central Edinburgh) is £160/year, and in the outer suburbs is £80/year. See further details on the council’s residence parking permit page.

What are the properties like?

A lot of properties in central Edinburgh are old tenement style flats, with a shared staircase and 2-4 properties on each floor, usually with a minimum of 3 or 4 floors. There will often be a shared garden for which you will have access. Ceilings will be high, rooms generously proportioned and windows often single glazed (bear in mind that all these characteristics are charming but will increase energy bills). Some flats have living rooms but some have been converted into additional bedrooms; in these cases landlords tend to furnish the kitchen in a kitchen/diner style. You will often find that older flats can have several interesting period pieces as well as adequate storage. Rental of houses in central Edinburgh is uncommon as there are very few on the rental market that are HMO licensed, although they do turn up occasionally. There are also a large number of tenement flats built since the 1960s.
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LINKS TO OTHER USEFUL THREADS ABOUT ACCOMMODATION IN EDINBURGH

Official accommodation thread for entry 09/10

Official accommodation thread for entry 08/09

Why did you apply for your accommodation/where did you apply 08/09


Where is the best place to live in Edinburgh?

Price of accommodation, artorscience's post in particular

UNITE at Edinburgh

Where to live/prices for after first year

Edinburgh is my insurance choice, do I still apply?


Self catered accommodation = single sex (in general)

Last year’s postgraduate accommodation discussion thread


Detailed stuff:


Pollock meal times

Mini fridge? What to and what not to bring!

Should I bring a TV?

Should I bring my bike?

Where can I buy a bike in Edinburgh?

Can I bring my dog to Edinburgh?

Are there mirrors in the rooms?

To access university account when not on university network - ie from home or private accommodation
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Conclusion

So there you have it, hopefully the full and comprehensive guide to accommodation, both official and private in Edinburgh, that you were looking for. It is quite possible that some important points have been missed out from these posts, so if there is anything that has been forgotten or skimped on, then please go ahead and ask a question below. Edinburgh students past and present will be more than happy to try and answer as best as they can, and share their experiences of living and renting in Edinburgh with you. Many thanks to oxymoronic for her original accommodation thread last year, which is linked above.

And remember, to discuss anything relating to application/entry to the University of Edinburgh in September 2010 apart from accommodation, head over to our stickified and officialised discussion thread.
Student at University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
Reply 2
Thank you for the information. It's very useful.:smile:
If it's not too much to ask, could you also post some pictures of a twin room?
hazegirl
Thank you for the information. It's very useful.:smile:
If it's not too much to ask, could you also post some pictures of a twin room?


Currently don't have any photos of twin rooms I'm afraid. I have asked a bunch of people whether they'd be able to contribute photos. So if some turn up I will add them to the OP, but for the time being what you see available is all we have.
Reply 4
I have a deferred place for 2010 and have started to look at which accommodation to apply for but I have no idea where to start!

I've decided on self-catered and preferably a flat with (ideally) en-suite bathrooms. I'm doing zoology so will be in Kings Buildings so as close as possible.

Any advice on where is best or just advice on where to start would be helpful!

Thankyooooou in advance!
Reply 5
Janey91
I have a deferred place for 2010 and have started to look at which accommodation to apply for but I have no idea where to start!

I've decided on self-catered and preferably a flat with (ideally) en-suite bathrooms. I'm doing zoology so will be in Kings Buildings so as close as possible.

Any advice on where is best or just advice on where to start would be helpful!

Thankyooooou in advance!


I think David Horn House is pretty close to KB but there is a shuttle bus from there to George Square (though I'm not sure how often or convenient it is). And someone should correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that self-catered en-suite flats are unavailable for undergraduates. I think Chancellor's Court (in Pollock Halls, catered) has them? But I really don't know much about accom yet as I'm for 2010 entry as well :smile:

As for my own question: how easy/possible is it to keep a pet in self-catered flats? (Like a hamster or rat, not a dog or anything else big.) I know they aren't allowed but was wondering if it's one of those rules that no one really pays attention to?
tzareenah

As for my own question: how easy/possible is it to keep a pet in self-catered flats? (Like a hamster or rat, not a dog or anything else big.) I know they aren't allowed but was wondering if it's one of those rules that no one really pays attention to?


We had a hamster in our flat in first year with no problems :smile: We kept her in the kitchen then when the cleaners came round once a week we put her in a bedroom as they don't go into your rooms, then they have to let you know in advance if they're coming to inspect the property, so at this point she either went on holiday to another flat which wasn't being inspected or got put in the wardrobe. If you stay in Pollock it will be impossible because the cleaner comes into your room.
Reply 7
oxymoronic
We had a hamster in our flat in first year with no problems :smile: We kept her in the kitchen then when the cleaners came round once a week we put her in a bedroom as they don't go into your rooms, then they have to let you know in advance if they're coming to inspect the property, so at this point she either went on holiday to another flat which wasn't being inspected or got put in the wardrobe. If you stay in Pollock it will be impossible because the cleaner comes into your room.


Excellent! I may try that next year.
tzareenah
Excellent! I may try that next year.


Bear in mind you're reliant on flatmates you've never met putting up with it. I don't think I would have been very happy about having an animal in the flat when I was in first year - some of the flatmates were bad enough as it was!
nearlyheadlessian
Bear in mind you're reliant on flatmates you've never met putting up with it. I don't think I would have been very happy about having an animal in the flat when I was in first year - some of the flatmates were bad enough as it was!


Our hamster buying activity was a group decision, so in that respect we were fine! We decided about a month into living there we wanted to get one and all contibuted towards paying for things for her/looking after her.... she was a 6th flatmate!

Although yes, I wouldn't reccomend showing up with a hamster in freshers week and expecting your unknown flatmates to be cool about you keeping it in the kitchen and letting it run around in its ball, as obviously some people might not want that so you'd need to ensure everyone agreed with the idea :smile:
Reply 10
nearlyheadlessian
x

oxymoronic
x


:biggrin: I wasn't planning on showing up with anything, I just wanted to make sure it was an option. Hopefully my roommates will be cool/will not have asthma or allergy issues.
Reply 11
'Neither is the better option socially - you will not miss out by choosing one over the other. ' - Catered or Self-catered
Dunno, i'd disagree here. Being in catered with a common room and ping pong room is much more social and you meet a lot more people and according to those i've spoken too there's no common room in self catered. You get like movie nights, wii nights, house BBQ's etc and being in Pollock you get to know a lot of people from other houses.
Also nights out you're frequently with around 20 people whom you're good friends with and speak to on a daily basis.

I suppose it's as social as you want to make it though, whether your going to join and go to societies etc.
Reply 12
Can anyone tell me about East Newington Place? Also, is Nicolson Street/South College Street a loud location?

I think my list is:
Nicolson Street/South College Street
South Clerk Street
East Newington Place

Most of my classes are going to be in King's Building, but I wanted to be more centrally located. Have I made good choices?
Reply 13
arp07
Can anyone tell me about East Newington Place? Also, is Nicolson Street/South College Street a loud location?

I think my list is:
Nicolson Street/South College Street
South Clerk Street
East Newington Place

Most of my classes are going to be in King's Building, but I wanted to be more centrally located. Have I made good choices?


I'm in South College Street this year, and I wouldn't say it's loud in terms of noise from the road or anything. And it's close to the Cowgate without being so close that you can hear the club music or have drunk people throwing up all over your doorstep, lol. Personally, I would say SCS is in an AMAZING location, because you're literally a five minute walk away from the Student Union, as well as Tesco, the Cowgate and ten minutes from Princes Street. Then again, I am obviously biased, as well as the fact that all my lectures are in George Square, so I can roll out of bed twenty minutes before a lecture and still be on time. =D
Reply 14
skeloth
I'm in South College Street this year, and I wouldn't say it's loud in terms of noise from the road or anything. And it's close to the Cowgate without being so close that you can hear the club music or have drunk people throwing up all over your doorstep, lol. Personally, I would say SCS is in an AMAZING location, because you're literally a five minute walk away from the Student Union, as well as Tesco, the Cowgate and ten minutes from Princes Street. Then again, I am obviously biased, as well as the fact that all my lectures are in George Square, so I can roll out of bed twenty minutes before a lecture and still be on time. =D


It's my first choice =] I haven't decided on the other two yet.
Reply 15
SCS is sounding good, but I heard that South Clerk Street was near a bus stop where I can catch a bus to King's Building. Is this true? Would it be more convenient?

Also, I am not going to be a freshman but rather I am coming to Edinburgh as an exchange student.
arp07

Also, I am not going to be a freshman but rather I am coming to Edinburgh as an exchange student.


Your application for accommodation will be treated just as if you were a fresher. You will be living with undergraduate freshers and other exchange students. It should have no effect on where you choose to live. To be honest, South College Street is as close to the bus stop as South Clerk Street. Having seen photos of both I don't think there's much in it.
Reply 17
I'm an American student planning on studying at Edinburgh next semester (January '10), and I'm slightly concerned about being able to meet friends mid-year. I'm living in Ewing House in Pollock, and I'm definitely and introvert of sorts, not that dislike socializing or anything though.

When I lived in the dorms last year, I had difficulty meeting people. I just have a hard time being myself around people I don't know. I'm a really friendly, nice, and intresting person (perhaps could use some more humility), but it just takes me awhile to come out of my shell, and at first I can come off as just slightly awkward. I'll admit that I'm a little self-conscious too.

Anyway, any tips to how to make friends in Pollock (or just at the university in general)? I'm definetly going to join a bunch of societies, but I want to have friends in my house too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
bigpan699
I'm an American student planning on studying at Edinburgh next semester (January '10), and I'm slightly concerned about being able to meet friends mid-year. I'm living in Ewing House in Pollock, and I'm definitely and introvert of sorts, not that dislike socializing or anything though.

When I lived in the dorms last year, I had difficulty meeting people. I just have a hard time being myself around people I don't know. I'm a really friendly, nice, and intresting person (perhaps could use some more humility), but it just takes me awhile to come out of my shell, and at first I can come off as just slightly awkward. I'll admit that I'm a little self-conscious too.

Anyway, any tips to how to make friends in Pollock (or just at the university in general)? I'm definetly going to join a bunch of societies, but I want to have friends in my house too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Just speak to people and see what happens.... they'll probs think you're cool anywayand just want to talk to you as you're American :smile: Even if you don't end up best friends with your neighbour you'll certainly meet people who stay in Pollock on your travels around uni....I assume you'll be taking 3rd year courses in Edinburgh whereas the people you'll live with will mostly be first years (or other exchange students) meaning you'll be able to meet people from all different years which is cool.

Go to the refreshers week at the beginning of semester where loads of societies advertise for new members, and also, go to stuff in societies week which I think is week two of the semester and again you'll find out about loads of different ones. It is generally the charitiable societies which run events in societies week but others should be around with stalls and things :smile:
Reply 19
How do you access the internet from pollock halls is there an internet cafe? how much does it cost? can you get wireless or wired internet in your room for your laptop and how much does that cost?