Bristol accomodation question

Bristol is my firm choice - and I'm struggling with what uni halls to avoid - any advice? I don't want to be surrounded by tories, but I also have OCD so need a clean hall of residence to live in.

having a clean halls of residence is going to be virtually impossible (sorry), unless you have a studio pretty much. if you want to go by the stereotypes, stoke bishop/north village is generally more associated with the tory stereotype; that being said there are plenty of people I know from there who are lovely and really kind. If you want a cleaner halls of residence I would avoid riverside as I've only heard bad things about mould and damp etc. See if you can get an accommodation with a weekly cleaner in to limit the mess but don't expect it to stay squeaky clean all year because it certainly will not. Alternatively try an alcohol-free flat option if there are any that suit your budget and other accommodation criteria.

Yes I'm in stoke bishop and can confirm it is very tory, I thought it was just a funny stereotype but it's more real than I thought. University halls is the cheap one here and I think they're pretty chill. I think you'll be fine most places, I wish I lived in west village personally.

having a clean halls of residence is going to be virtually impossible (sorry), unless you have a studio pretty much. if you want to go by the stereotypes, stoke bishop/north village is generally more associated with the tory stereotype; that being said there are plenty of people I know from there who are lovely and really kind. If you want a cleaner halls of residence I would avoid riverside as I've only heard bad things about mould and damp etc. See if you can get an accommodation with a weekly cleaner in to limit the mess but don't expect it to stay squeaky clean all year because it certainly will not. Alternatively try an alcohol-free flat option if there are any that suit your budget and other accommodation criteria.

Yeah I got stoke bishop through non-guaranteed accommodation and got it changed to west village. honestly I don't regret the change (nor the price) in the slightest.

Yeah I got stoke bishop through non-guaranteed accommodation and got it changed to west village. honestly I don't regret the change (nor the price) in the slightest.

What do you mean by "non-guaranteed" ? Was this through insurance or clearing ?

You can apply for non-guaranteed accommodation if you get into Bristol when it isn't your first choice, or if you were a first-choice applicant who missed the deadline (if you did that, you really messed up - non-guaranteed is not where you want to be). I don't know about the rules on housing for international students. It basically means that the uni cannot guarantee giving you accommodation.
Applications normally open the morning after results day. You put in a budget (which they rarely stick to) and whether you have room preference (quiet, mature, Kosher, same sex etc). You do not get any say in the village or the room type (unless I've remembered incorrectly), but you are warned that because of their lack of popularity you will most likely get half-board (Wills), catered or a twin room. Lots of catered halls are in north village. I got one of those, phoned up because there were external reasons why I really did not want the room that I was given and they were kind enough to give me the option of switching to a room that had just become available in west village and I was given around ten minutes before they called me back wanting an answer. Be warned that they don't normally do this and I had quite strong reasons as to why I couldn't have the room I was given.

Also,, you get notified end of August (they specify the date) whether you actually have accommodation or whether they haven't been able to find you some, you then access your choice through the accommodation portal. If you don't get any, don't bother looking for those Unite Studios or Unihomes ones as they are super expensive and you never actually get a place - you're just stuck on a waiting list. You might as well go on Rightmove and just try and get a house share which will be a fraction of the price.

Small notes about the budget you put in - if it is lower then you'll probably either get rejected or get a twin room. Put it higher and you'll probably get catered (which is normally more expensive) or half-board. Also if you are really dissatisfied with your room there is a date in October where you can apply to change room/halls, but I didn't do this so I'm not familiar with the process.

Thank you. I am considering Bristol for my insurance choice, so it's good to get some insights into how accommodation works

Thank you. I am considering Bristol for my insurance choice, so it's good to get some insights into how accommodation works

I'd say if you're considering Bristol as your insurance now, I would look at the pricing beyond first year too. Housing can be ridiculously expensive here if you don't want to commute far and you leave it too long in first year to secure second year housing. I'd say that if you haven't found a house by Christmas, it can be notoriously difficult if you or one of your flatmates has a lower budget. For context (I'm speaking as someone who for health reasons cannot afford to have longer walks/commutes to uni and back each day), a house before Christmas could be 130-150 a week excluding bills, now I'm looking at paying at least 170 to potentially over 200 for the same thing. So if you and your whoever you live with are considering Bristol based on cost, I'd also say that there's the cost beyond first year you'll need to at least consider as well. Unfortunately I already know of some people who are dropping out because of this from a number of different halls.

Obviously I don't want to put you off applying to Bristol as it's a decent uni, but non-guaranteed can literally be a lottery and if you're concerned about finances then I'd really consider weighing up the cost of living for your other offers, especially regarding housing.

If you are paying over £200 you have been incredibly badly organised!
Yes you do have to start looking on internet over the Christmas holidays and be ready to start visiting in January to secure a flat/ house in July, but there are good properties on the market with en-suite bathrooms all within 10 to 15 minutes walk of lecture halls for between £145 and £160/ week plus bills.
There is absolutely no point in scare mongering. Everybody knows that Bristol will be more expensive than Liverpool or other Northern unis but it’s not impossible to live ( and even reasonably well ) on the equivalent of a full maintenance loan.

Honestly even that might be a bit late. I think we started looking and signed a contract before christmas but it was already a 40 minute walk from uni and like £160. At least it's close to a few other clubs and stuff.

Maybe before Christmas the properties aren’t back on the rental market yet, but my daughter has lived as a group of between 5 and 8 students whilst at Bristol, has always visited properties in January and as yet has never been more than 15 minutes away from lectures for around the price you’re paying, and this year even a little less. The trick in second and third years is to have a file ready with all the details of the students that want to rent with you. ( copies of passports, details of who’s going to guarantee the rent for each student etc) and give it to the agent renting the property on the day of the visit if it interests you. That way you are first in line when he has to choose between student groups.

I appreciate your input. In my defence I am the first in my family going to university and had zero guidance when it came to finding accommodation. It was only when I met the group of friends I have now and found out that they signed only a couple days before I even met them and asked to join them that I realised how quickly they went. I also have a mental condition which means that I do not want to be sharing with more than 5 people, as well as being close to the uni, which will evidently bring the cost up and limit the properties available to me. Given that I came here very last minute and didn't even attend an open day or was even able to visit the city before I arrived in halls, I think I've done the best I can this year. But thank you for your alternative view on this as someone who has gone through the process.