University of Edinburgh Accommodation Thread for Entry 2012/13

Could someone please tell me how many TV licenses we need per flat?

I'm staying at McDonald Road so there'll be between 3 - 5 people in a flat. If I want to watch TV in the kitchen/living room and streamed live on my laptop in my bedroom do I need one or two licenses? And does one license cover everyone in the flat or just one person? There's so much conflicting information on the website, I read somewhere that one license covers everyone in the flat but I just spoke to someone at their customer services and she said everyone in the flat needs to buy one. Hence I am a bit confused.

If there are locks on the bedroom doors (which there probably will be) then you will need a licence of your own if you want to watch TV live in your room. The licensing company considers lockable bedrooms to be separate dwellings when it comes to licensing. If you buy a licence for your room it won't cover any other room in the flat. Everyone else would have to buy one for their own bedrooms if they wanted to be covered. The best thing to do is make sure that you are licensed properly and forget about everyone else.

Also I'm not completely sure about this but technically you should have a licence covering the kitchen too if you want to watch TV in there but in all honesty I wouldn't worry about that one. It's up to you but personally I think it's ridiculous having to buy two when some people don't even bother to buy one. If there are no locks on the doors and you have a joint tenancy agreement (which isn't the case in halls/Edinburgh first year flats) then one licence for the whole flat is enough. I hope that's helpful!

Reply 861

dizzeedollee

1

Original post by Emmie3303

If there are locks on the bedroom doors (which there probably will be) then you will need a licence of your own if you want to watch TV live in your room. The licensing company considers lockable bedrooms to be separate dwellings when it comes to licensing. If you buy a licence for your room it won't cover any other room in the flat. Everyone else would have to buy one for their own bedrooms if they wanted to be covered. The best thing to do is make sure that you are licensed properly and forget about everyone else.

Also I'm not completely sure about this but technically you should have a licence covering the kitchen too if you want to watch TV in there but in all honesty I wouldn't worry about that one. It's up to you but personally I think it's ridiculous having to buy two when some people don't even bother to buy one. If there are no locks on the doors and you have a joint tenancy agreement (which isn't the case in halls/Edinburgh first year flats) then one licence for the whole flat is enough. I hope that's helpful!

^
That is absolutely perfect, you've saved me from a lot of stress so thank you so much! :smile:

I misread the website and in fact the kitchen TV does have a license but I know now that I need to get one for my bedroom, thank you again!

Reply 862

Emmie3303

12

Original post by dizzeedollee

^
That is absolutely perfect, you've saved me from a lot of stress so thank you so much! :smile:

I misread the website and in fact the kitchen TV does have a license but I know now that I need to get one for my bedroom, thank you again!

You're very welcome :smile:

.

Reply 863

brighteyes123

4

help me please. i can't get into ed uni accomm or unite and am too poor for any of the other student accommodation services, i've been looking at flats but i can't find any suitable, even if i did i live too far away to visit and would have to book here and now. i'm considering not going because i have no idea what to do even though i really really want to go i've never been so stressed it's really upsetting that i got the grades but still might not be able to go. help help help

Reply 864

SMK1234

Hello, i was wondering where exactly you find your room number on your online accommodation contract. I will be staying at Ewing House if that helps at all.
Thanks

Reply 865

Oldshoesandsocks

Original post by SMK1234

Hello, i was wondering where exactly you find your room number on your online accommodation contract. I will be staying at Ewing House if that helps at all.
Thanks

Under 1. Definitions - Property there is a number like EW345 which I am assuming is the room number.

Reply 866

oxymoronic

19

Original post by brighteyes123

help me please. i can't get into ed uni accomm or unite and am too poor for any of the other student accommodation services, i've been looking at flats but i can't find any suitable, even if i did i live too far away to visit and would have to book here and now. i'm considering not going because i have no idea what to do even though i really really want to go i've never been so stressed it's really upsetting that i got the grades but still might not be able to go. help help help

Hi,

Are you a new undergraduate student? If so you're guaranteed accommodation by the university so you definitely should be able to access university accommodation. They have bunk and twin rooms which are reasonably priced (for Edinburgh) which should be affordable as assuming you're from the UK/EU, the university has bursaries in addition to the help you'll get from student finance for people who are from lower income backgrounds.

If you can give me some more information about your situation then I'll be able to help you more. PM me if you'd prefer.

Reply 867

brighteyes123

4

yeah i'm a new ug but i applied on the 17th so apparently i don't get guaranteed accommodation. they emailed and said i'd have to find somewhere else (but did let me wait for 10 days thinking i was waiting for them to find me somewhere) they gave me a list of sites but there aren't any suitable, they're all like 5 miles away or about £500 a week etc. i did ring but they said there's nothing they can do. i'm shocked at how dismissive they've been of my situation to be honest, it's disheartening as i did so well, i feel like i've been awfully punished for being 1 day late with my accomm application.

Are you a new undergraduate student? If so you're guaranteed accommodation by the university so you definitely should be able to access university accommodation. They have bunk and twin rooms which are reasonably priced (for Edinburgh) which should be affordable as assuming you're from the UK/EU, the university has bursaries in addition to the help you'll get from student finance for people who are from lower income backgrounds.

If you can give me some more information about your situation then I'll be able to help you more. PM me if you'd prefer.

Reply 868

NeoNerd

Original post by brighteyes123

yeah i'm a new ug but i applied on the 17th so apparently i don't get guaranteed accommodation. they emailed and said i'd have to find somewhere else (but did let me wait for 10 days thinking i was waiting for them to find me somewhere) they gave me a list of sites but there aren't any suitable, they're all like 5 miles away or about £500 a week etc. i did ring but they said there's nothing they can do. i'm shocked at how dismissive they've been of my situation to be honest, it's disheartening as i did so well, i feel like i've been awfully punished for being 1 day late with my accomm application.

Are you a new undergraduate student? If so you're guaranteed accommodation by the university so you definitely should be able to access university accommodation. They have bunk and twin rooms which are reasonably priced (for Edinburgh) which should be affordable as assuming you're from the UK/EU, the university has bursaries in addition to the help you'll get from student finance for people who are from lower income backgrounds.

If you can give me some more information about your situation then I'll be able to help you more. PM me if you'd prefer.

I don't want to seem off-putting, but beggars can't be choosers. You missed the deadline for the application, which does unfortunately mean that you're not guaranteed a place, and will be in the second running for remaining spaces. The staff aren't being dismissive - they can't offer you places which are already taken. Edinburgh's accommodation is always nearly full, and first choice goes to people who met the deadline. So if you want university accommodation, you might have to accept one of the places given.

What affordable places were you offered by Accommodation Services? You said they'd offered you a list, which I assume were places in normal accommodation. If so, none of these are far from things - around a 30 minute walk at most from George Square. This is perfectly do-able. They're not likely to be five miles away - that's out of the city in Musselburgh. It might not be as central as you'd like, but Edinburgh is a small city, and it's easy to cope.

Ultimately, you're not in that bad of a position. You've been offered accommodation, and it would seem that you can afford some of it. It's a big faff, but you'll be bale to get a place somewhere.

Reply 869

miraclemile

Original post by NeoNerd

I don't want to seem off-putting, but beggars can't be choosers. You missed the deadline for the application, which does unfortunately mean that you're not guaranteed a place, and will be in the second running for remaining spaces. The staff aren't being dismissive - they can't offer you places which are already taken. Edinburgh's accommodation is always nearly full, and first choice goes to people who met the deadline. So if you want university accommodation, you might have to accept one of the places given.

What affordable places were you offered by Accommodation Services? You said they'd offered you a list, which I assume were places in normal accommodation. If so, none of these are far from things - around a 30 minute walk at most from George Square. This is perfectly do-able. They're not likely to be five miles away - that's out of the city in Musselburgh. It might not be as central as you'd like, but Edinburgh is a small city, and it's easy to cope.

Ultimately, you're not in that bad of a position. You've been offered accommodation, and it would seem that you can afford some of it. It's a big faff, but you'll be bale to get a place somewhere.

Original post by brighteyes123

yeah i'm a new ug but i applied on the 17th so apparently i don't get guaranteed accommodation. they emailed and said i'd have to find somewhere else (but did let me wait for 10 days thinking i was waiting for them to find me somewhere) they gave me a list of sites but there aren't any suitable, they're all like 5 miles away or about £500 a week etc. i did ring but they said there's nothing they can do. i'm shocked at how dismissive they've been of my situation to be honest, it's disheartening as i did so well, i feel like i've been awfully punished for being 1 day late with my accomm application.

I think brighteyes means they were offered a list of sites through which they could find private accommodation in Edinburgh? But your post is spot on - in the end, they're not being dismissive, there's just nothing they can do. They have that deadline for a reason, and accommodation applications are open for a long time, so there's not really anything they can do for late applications, even if late by only one day. Year on year there are plenty people who apply well before the deadline and still end up suffering from accommodation shortages (speaking perhaps from the slightly bitter memory of being offered Musselburgh last year having applied wayyyy before the deadline :tongue:

)

Have you tried going direct through somewhere like UNITE or IQ? Or checking the freshers' Facebook groups to see if anyone else is having problems and searching for flatmates for a private share?

Reply 870

oxymoronic

19

Original post by brighteyes123

yeah i'm a new ug but i applied on the 17th so apparently i don't get guaranteed accommodation. they emailed and said i'd have to find somewhere else (but did let me wait for 10 days thinking i was waiting for them to find me somewhere) they gave me a list of sites but there aren't any suitable, they're all like 5 miles away or about £500 a week etc. i did ring but they said there's nothing they can do. i'm shocked at how dismissive they've been of my situation to be honest, it's disheartening as i did so well, i feel like i've been awfully punished for being 1 day late with my accomm application.

That's life though. If you miss deadlines for things then you might end up stuck, which is why deadlines exist so that people can't roll in whenever they feel like it. I'm assuming that Edinburgh was your firm or insurance given the discussions you've had elsewhere on the site meaning you had about 6 months to apply for accommodation. I realise it's difficult and you're now stuck but what do you really expect the accommodation services to do? You missed their deadline and they've now given you other options which are still available. Their priority is getting all of the people who did meet the deadline housed which is no mean feat given they guarantee everyone (who applies before the deadline) a room.

Your other option is to get a short term private flat rental and see if you can get on the waiting list for university accommodation as its likely that there will be people who don't arrive and/or leave as soon as they've started meaning their rooms will be vacant. Have a look at the 2nd post in this thread for details about renting privately in Edinburgh, NHI has given lots of information.

Reply 871

brighteyes123

4

i know i'm completely in the wrong i don't need about 3 different people to tell me this, i just wanted to know some things i could try. thanks for the advice.

Reply 872

i_hate_ucas

Original post by oxymoronic

Hi,

Are you a new undergraduate student? If so you're guaranteed accommodation by the university so you definitely should be able to access university accommodation. They have bunk and twin rooms which are reasonably priced (for Edinburgh) which should be affordable as assuming you're from the UK/EU, the university has bursaries in addition to the help you'll get from student finance for people who are from lower income backgrounds.

If you can give me some more information about your situation then I'll be able to help you more. PM me if you'd prefer.

sorry to butt in but im a new undergrad student and ive been told i cant have accommodation even though i should be guaranteed because theyve just run out, there are loads of people that ive been speaking to on facebook in this situation :frown:

Reply 873

oxymoronic

19

Original post by i_hate_ucas

sorry to butt in but im a new undergrad student and ive been told i cant have accommodation even though i should be guaranteed because theyve just run out, there are loads of people that ive been speaking to on facebook in this situation :frown:

Hmm... did you apply by the deadline and have Edinburgh as your firm/insurance choice? and do you meet all of the criteria as outlined here:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/accommodation-services/new-prospective/undergraduate/guarantee

And what do you mean by you can't have accommodation? Do you mean that they're not offering you accommodation in university accommodation or that they've said that they can't offer you anything full stop? In previous years when they've run out they've put people in hotels whilst they make arrangements with Unite etc. A few years ago (potentially last year, maybe the year before) people were put in a college accommodation a few miles out of the city then given bus passes. If you meet all of the criteria then they can not just be telling you that they do not have a room for you, they need to find you something or pay for hotel accommodation until they do.

I really wish people wouldn't congregate on facebook in applicant only groups where there aren't people who know the rules inside out to help them with these things...

Reply 874

Schlegel

2

Has anyone got the accommodation contract offer through on MyEd? It's been "You have been allocated accommodation, a link to accept this accommodation will be posted shortly." for days for me.

Reply 875

i_hate_ucas

Original post by oxymoronic

Hmm... did you apply by the deadline and have Edinburgh as your firm/insurance choice? and do you meet all of the criteria as outlined here:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/accommodation-services/new-prospective/undergraduate/guarantee

And what do you mean by you can't have accommodation? Do you mean that they're not offering you accommodation in university accommodation or that they've said that they can't offer you anything full stop? In previous years when they've run out they've put people in hotels whilst they make arrangements with Unite etc. A few years ago (potentially last year, maybe the year before) people were put in a college accommodation a few miles out of the city then given bus passes. If you meet all of the criteria then they can not just be telling you that they do not have a room for you, they need to find you something or pay for hotel accommodation until they do.

I really wish people wouldn't congregate on facebook in applicant only groups where there aren't people who know the rules inside out to help them with these things...

yeah i met all their criteria but i was orinigally rejected then they emailed me and asked if i still wanted a place the day before results day (i had no other offers and was expecting a gap year) and i applied for accommodation on the 15th, but they emailed me the other day saying that theyd run out and will still try and find a solution but that its rapidly running out so advised me to 'make my own arrangements' and reccommended a list of companies to rent from

also they dont really need to know the rules inside out to make a facebook group, they just need to know that theyre not getting accommodation and need to find flatmates fast and facebook is the easiest way

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 876

blahmarie

I'm an exchange student and I received accommodation at 108 Warrender Park Road... It says on the website that I have to pick up my key at 23 Warrender Park Road (but the residence is an 8 minute walk away from the key pick-up point). How long is the whole process of picking up my key? Because I'm taking a taxi straight from the airport and it might be expensive to make the taxi wait for me. On the other hand, I don't want to walk for 10 minutes with my heavy luggage in a city I don't know (plus the roads are cobblestone, I've heard). What should I do? Or should I just hail another taxi? By the way, I'll be picking up my key around 6 pm because my flight arrives at 5...

Reply 877

Emmie3303

12

Original post by blahmarie

I'm an exchange student and I received accommodation at 108 Warrender Park Road... It says on the website that I have to pick up my key at 23 Warrender Park Road (but the residence is an 8 minute walk away from the key pick-up point). How long is the whole process of picking up my key? Because I'm taking a taxi straight from the airport and it might be expensive to make the taxi wait for me. On the other hand, I don't want to walk for 10 minutes with my heavy luggage in a city I don't know (plus the roads are cobblestone, I've heard). What should I do? Or should I just hail another taxi? By the way, I'll be picking up my key around 6 pm because my flight arrives at 5...

If you look at the map linked below there is only about a four minute walk between these two points. A lot of Edinburgh streets are cobbled but the pavements are paved on Warrender Park so you shouldn't have any trouble pulling the suitcase. It is a little uphill but you'll have to get used to that in Edinburgh anyway :p:

. Also, you won't be able to hail another taxi as it's not that kind of area. You could phone another taxi to pick you up but to be honest it won't be worth the money for a 4 minute walk :smile:

.

http://goo.gl/maps/HuLp9

Reply 878