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Thread for accommodation questions for 09/10 entry - READ & POST HERE FIRST :o)

We will begin updating this for 10/11 entry - please be patient! Until then, all of the answers to most of your questions can be found in this thread already - please read it. Then add to this post if you've got any other questions and we'll do our best to help.

***FINDING PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION IN EDINBURGH***

It seems that the university is claiming that they will only be able to offer bunk bed twin rooms to large numbers of students for the new year. Obviously, sharing a room isn't the nicest of prospects to look forward to however nice your prospective roommate might be, so I thought I'd put together a little section on finding private accommodation for those who decide not to accept their offers. Remember, you do not have to accept the accommodation offer if you don't want to do so and there are plenty of alternatives - Edinburgh has a lot of very good flats on offer to students.

I want to join an existing flat

Look on the university student union forum here (the link brings you to the accommodation forum). This is generally the first port of call for people to advertise spare rooms, or you can place an advert saying you're looking for a room. Most people advertising on here will be Edinburgh University students.

Or alternatively, try the Edinburgh Gumtree page here.

You can also go into the Potterrow student union in Bristo Square during the festival, and at the back inbetween the SU office and SU shop, there is an accommodation notice board.

I want to find my own flat and some flatmates

This is really easy to do, and if you've got a spare few days in which to head to Edinburgh even better. There are loads of student flats in Edinburgh with 2, 3 or 4 people being the norm so you don't need to have many people. There are loads of people on TSR discussing getting private accommodation so it might be worth PMing them to see if they want to join up with you.

If you are looking to share with 2 or more people you are NOT related to, you need to make sure that your landlord has a HMO licsence on the property which is a legal requirement for rentals to unrelated groups of 3 or more adults.

Landlords and Property Management Companies

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 I'd advise avoiding ones which aren't, esspecially as you're new to the area. Check with the council if in doubt. Private landlords (ie: not large rental/property management companies) are generally better as you can always get hold of them incase of problems and they usually only own one or a few flats, meaning the upkeep is generally better. There are lots of property management companies in Edinburgh, some with better reviews than others. Grant Management is considered to be a company to avoid by most of the student population, and the majority of students know someone who has been messed around/fobbed off/generally had a bad time with GM. I personally would never live in a flat managed by them regardless of how cheap the rent had been made. Other popular management companies are Edinburgh Letting Service, Crichton Stuart, Dove Davies and Edinburgh Property Management, although obviously there are more. I have friends who have rented with all of these companies and they are considered to be better than GM, although I am not saying that all of these are wonderful. As I said you are better off with a private landlord if at all possible.

Finding a flat

You can use the websites I gave above, or alternatively there are loads of search engines where private landlords and property management companies advertise. The most used ones are city lets, s1 rental, letting web, ESPC, letting in Scotland, Student Pad. Again, this list as with the property management isn't exhaustive. Each of the PM companies I listed above also have their own websites.

There is plenty of property available in Edinburgh, so you should be able to find something. Some of my friends came up this summer for 1 week and found a flat easily.

Where shall I live?

The main student areas of Edinburgh are known as Marchmont, Newington, Tollcross, Bruntsfield, New Town and Old Town. Basically, if you have a map of Edinburgh, this is the area which is encircled by Queen Street in the north, then to the east, as far as Holyrood Park and Dalkeith Road, to the south it would be north of Strathern Road level, then to the west, Lothian Road which then becomes Bruntsfield Place. All of these areas are within a 20-25 minute walk of the George Square area of the university, and within walking distance of most popular clubs, pubs and also supermarkets.

(Obviously people live outwith this area, but I am speaking in general terms)

How much will it cost?

Housing here is more expensive than a lot of the UK, and I cringe when I hear how little friends at university in different parts of the country are paying. The thing to remember is that Edinburgh is a capital city, and you want to live in the centre of it, so compared to London and many other capitals, Edinburgh is pretty reasonable on the pricing front.

In general, rental rates start at around £300 per person per month excluding bills and go up to in excess of £400. However, you should be able to get a decent room for less than £320. Bills are generally around £20-25 each a month in my own experience. As a student you will not have to pay council tax and as a result you don't have to pay for water either. Therefore, try not to live with someone who is working unless you can come to an agreement on council tax payment. It is usual that there will be a stair cleaner to clean the communal staircase and each flat pays their share each month - the others in your building will be quick to let you know the procedure when you move in.

Leases are usually always for 12 months, with little room for negotiation. You will be expected to pay rent every single month regardless of whether you are living in the property or not. This is standard procedure, unlike in some other university towns and cities. Many students chose to sublet their room in the summer months to people who are living in Edinburgh for the festival, or stay in the flat themselves working in the city.

Deposits are usually one month rent, 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!).

What are the properties like?

All properties here are old tenement style flats, with a shared staircase and 2-4 properties on each floor, usually with 3 or 4 floors. There is usually a shared garden for which you will have access. I've never known anyone to live in a house. They all have very high ceilings and usually contain huge rooms with large windows. A lot of the windows are only single glazed so if you find one with double glazing you've got a good deal, meaning the flats can get very cold in winter. Get used to sleeping in layers and using sleeping bags if you want to live here and save on bills! Some flats have lounges and others don't (it is normally around £320 for a seperate lounge) but most have a large kitchen with sofas here. There is generally only one bathroom. A lot of properties have lots of cupboards for storage and many have lovely, tiled fireplaces which although are no longer in use make brilliant decorative pieces in your bedroom!

---- I hope this is of some use to people... and good luck flat searching! It is easier than you think!

-----------------------------------

Hi,

As accommodation questions seem to be surfacing I thought it'd be nice to keep everything on one thread and pool the resources that we already have into one thread. There have been loads threads over the last few years where people have asked the same questions again and again (as obviously everyone always wants to know the same thing) so to try and stop the repetitive questions, I thought I'd make a proper thread using information current students have given in the past. I'll add to this when I've got more time, at the moment I've gone back as far as this time next year looking for useful threads.

University of Edinburgh wiki - contains photos.

The wiki is a very good point of reference for any questions and has been created by several of the current students who are the 'main' posters in the Edinburgh forum. This means our opinion is already reflected here, so we don't need to write it again. Please read the wiki.

APPLY ONLINE NOW - if you have accepted Edinburgh as your firm OR insurance place. It is NOT first come, first served. It does not matter when you apply as long as you meet the deadline, which is in the summer.

Applications are now being accepted.
Again, it does NOT matter when you apply.
Accommodation isn't issued by order of application.

*New*

Ensure you apply for accommodation using an email address which you will still have access to in September. Offers are sent out via email and you have to accept the offer by clicking on the link and paying your deposit over the internet. This means you should NOT use an email address from school, college, work or anywhere else where you might not be able to access it come the end of august. Many schools and colleges delete students from their user areas after exams in June meaning you can't access your email which is fundamental for after results day. This also applies to the general UCAS form, ensure you're using something you'll be contactable on until you arrive at university.

(Otherwise you end up in a mess like I did where come results day you realise you can't recieve any accommodation emails and then end up having to completely reapply just to change your email address)

**NEW**

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 concenus from current students is that you should always apply for the SMALL room size where ever possible - particularly if you are concerned about money - because the size difference between the rooms is marginal.

This "choice" only came into opperation about 2 years ago (I didn't get a choice) and is simply being used as another way for the university accommodation services to get more money out of students. Paying an extra £10 a week for a "big" room will gain you a room which is say, 30cm wider than that of your flatmate with the "small" room.... you may as well donate £10 a week to Uni AS people as you're getting very little for the extra money.

08/09 (last yr) entry accommodation application discussion

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)

Detailed stuff:

Pollock meal times

Mini fridge? What to and what not to bring!

Should I bring a TV?

Should I bring my bike?

Can I bring my dog to Edinburgh?

From the Edinburgh University website:

Will I be guarenteed accommodation?

Prices and Accommodation types, plus details about Internet

----

Obviously questions do always arise and we all certainly had loads before we came to Edinburgh. We don't mind answering questions at all, as obviously, we'd like to help prospective students as much as we can. I know the university accommodation website isn't very detailed, whereas the TSR site is pretty good at answering questions. However, we do also have lives to lead and get on with our degrees too. So many generic questions can be answered by using the links above and by using the search function. But as I said fire away with questions.... but it'd be easier if they're all in one place.

Thank you!

I hope you end up loving Edinburgh as much as I do :love:

Reply 380

artorscience?

11

Lifeisnice

How are the carpets in the rooms like? Are they washed and shampooed when students leave for the holidays? Or do the rooms smell funky because of them.

Well the rooms/flats are rented out to tourists over the summer so the chances are that they're cleaned after the students leave and between each occupant to the level that a hotel or other holiday property is cleaned. In some of the older properties, the carpets aren't in the best condition, but they are generally clean. And if you're fussy/paranoid you can easily put a rug down.

Reply 381

Lifeisnice

9

artorscience?

Well the rooms/flats are rented out to tourists over the summer so the chances are that they're cleaned after the students leave and between each occupant to the level that a hotel or other holiday property is cleaned. In some of the older properties, the carpets aren't in the best condition, but they are generally clean. And if you're fussy/paranoid you can easily put a rug down.

Oh... that's good to know then. I've been around and in some of the homes and stuff where the owners see no need to wash and shampoo their carpets, it has a subtle smell in the room.

Reply 382

SSze

10

hi, im choosing the hall to live in this september, on the uni website, it says there're three types of rooms: large/standard/small, but doesn't tell the difference? would small rooms be really small.. ?

Heating in the flats is provided by storage heaters which take in energy overnight and give out
heat during the following day. They also incorporate a separate fan heater which can be used at
any time to augment the heating. Please use this sensibly and do not leave it on when you are
out of the room.
Hot water also heats up automatically overnight. There should be a supply of hot water in the
mornings for showers, etc. Once this is used up you will need to use the boost button on the
water heater unit located in your kitchen to heat additional water. Please note that the water
takes approximately one hour to heat after the boost button has been pressed.

so is heating available at night? the hot water thing sounds kind of old fashioned, will there be a shortage of hot water.. ?

also, does anyone know about the rooms in kincaid/college wynd/robertson close/darroch/new arthur.. ? which ones are better?

thanks in advance

Reply 383

elisabethbridge

1

SSze

hi, im choosing the hall to live in this september, on the uni website, it says there're three types of rooms: large/standard/small, but doesn't tell the difference? would small rooms be really small.. ?

Heating in the flats is provided by storage heaters which take in energy overnight and give out
heat during the following day. They also incorporate a separate fan heater which can be used at
any time to augment the heating. Please use this sensibly and do not leave it on when you are
out of the room.
Hot water also heats up automatically overnight. There should be a supply of hot water in the
mornings for showers, etc. Once this is used up you will need to use the boost button on the
water heater unit located in your kitchen to heat additional water. Please note that the water
takes approximately one hour to heat after the boost button has been pressed.

so is heating available at night? the hot water thing sounds kind of old fashioned, will there be a shortage of hot water.. ?

also, does anyone know about the rooms in kincaid/college wynd/robertson close/darroch/new arthur.. ? which ones are better?

thanks in advance

There isn't much difference in room sizes.

We only ran out of hot water a few times during the evening when we were doing the dishes. But I did take the occasional shower during night time and there was always hot water available. There were four of us living in the flat. I wasn't even aware of the hot water boost button thingy.

The flats stay pretty warm at all times. And the heaters in each room are really effective. Remember to enjoy the warm flat while you can. When people move to private accommodation they become stingy and don't use the heating, hence I sleep in a sleeping bag under a duvet during the coldest winter. :rolleyes:

Reply 384

Lifeisnice

9

I just toured inside some of the rooms in the halls, and they all smelled a bit weird; the virgin train I took to Edinburgh smelled better. :s Any idea why? I'm a bit worried as I am sensitive to smells.

Reply 385

artorscience?

11

Lifeisnice

I just toured inside some of the rooms in the halls, and they all smelled a bit weird; the virgin train I took to Edinburgh smelled better. :s Any idea why? I'm a bit worried as I am sensitive to smells.

Unfamiliar smells are weird smells, you will get used to it when you live there. And yes some do smell very weird. While I was living in Sciennes my clothes and general person had a very weird smell from being in the building - it wasn't unhygienic, just weird. I came to the conclusion that it was a combination of the way the block had been built and the cleaning products used. Use air fresheners, open the windows, cook strong-smelling foods, etc..

Reply 386

TamLu

nearlyheadlessian

No. Everybody has roughly the same chances of getting the accommodation that they want, regardless of when they become unconditionals.

Too bad

Just out of curiosity, what kind of system do they use to determine who ends up where (or who gets their first choice and who doesn't)?

Sorry if it's already been mentioned, I read the first few pages of the thread, but I really don't feel like looking through all 20.

Reply 387

elisabethbridge

1

TamLu

Too bad

Just out of curiosity, what kind of system do they use to determine who ends up where (or who gets their first choice and who doesn't)?

Sorry if it's already been mentioned, I read the first few pages of the thread, but I really don't feel like looking through all 20.

My understanding is that there isn't really a system they'd use. You'll just get put in halls/a flat with a random bunch of people. Also, it seems to come to luck whether you'll actually get your first choice or not. The people getting their first choices probably have had their applications looked at first.

Reply 388

artorscience?

11

TamLu

Just out of curiosity, what kind of system do they use to determine who ends up where (or who gets their first choice and who doesn't)

Generally they open up a percentage of the accommodation and select the equivalent number of freshers and assign them based on their choices and then what's left over. Once these are filled they open up the next percentage and do the same so that the rooms in different areas/blocks gradually and everyone has the same chance of being allocated their first choice.

Reply 389

jvhc

nearlyheadlessian

Hi, you might like to try reading the first post in this thread, and the Edinburgh wiki article. People get pretty tired of answering these kinds of questions over and over, hence why we have this helpful sticky thread with the big opening post :smile:

Hey,

I read the wiki and the other pages,

Still can't really see what the difference is between halls and flats though??

Also, the wiki article says that self catered accomodation is either in halls or flats, but when I looked on the Edinburgh accomodation website, I can't seem to distinguish which ones are halls and which ones are flats - most of them say "...has 85 single study bedrooms, with typically four rooms per flat"

Thanks :smile:

Reply 390

HelloKitty2890

1

ok, im sorry if this has already been asked as i haven't read through this very long thread but i can't find much information on Blackfriars street? can anyone tell me anything about its location/ quality (like is it on the cowgate which everyone is saying to avoid?) and how come its on the accom website but people are saying its for post grad students?

Reply 391

HelloKitty2890

1

jvhc

Hey,

I read the wiki and the other pages,

Still can't really see what the difference is between halls and flats though??

Also, the wiki article says that self catered accomodation is either in halls or flats, but when I looked on the Edinburgh accomodation website, I can't seem to distinguish which ones are halls and which ones are flats - most of them say "...has 85 single study bedrooms, with typically four rooms per flat"

Thanks :smile:

a flat is basically set out like in hollyoakes (i dont know if you've ever seen it?) where its basically like a home, you each have your own rooms, but with halls the its like your room is basically your home in that there is no living room just a long hall with lots of rooms

Reply 392

oxymoronic

OP

19

jvhc

Hey,

I read the wiki and the other pages,

Still can't really see what the difference is between halls and flats though??

Also, the wiki article says that self catered accomodation is either in halls or flats, but when I looked on the Edinburgh accomodation website, I can't seem to distinguish which ones are halls and which ones are flats - most of them say "...has 85 single study bedrooms, with typically four rooms per flat"

Thanks :smile:

At Edinburgh, self catered accommodation is generally in flats of 5 or 6 people (single sex) where you share a front door, kitchen and bathrooms. Then halls are catered (ie: Pollock Halls) where you may/may not share a bathroom and you live on a corridor. There are a few exceptions - some of the flats in Kincades have 12 people living in them and are more like being in a hall for this reason, and I think West Mains Road, Kitchener and David Horn are also more halls style rather than flats with kitchens dotted along the corridors. Basically, the vast majority of the university s/c accommodation is flats, the only exceptions (that I'm aware of) are the ones I've mentioned above... all the ones you're reading about which say X amount of study bedrooms with X rooms per flat are all in the first style I mentioned, obviously.

Reply 393

TamLu

This will sound completely ridiculous, but I'm a bit worried about shared laundry facilities. I've never actually seen anything like a laundromat/laundrette, except in movies, and the whole concept is like a small culture shock to me :o:

How much of a hassle are laundrettes really?

And do people usually stick around till their laundry's done or do they come back for it later?

Thing is, I'm just a few clicks away from sending away my accomm. application. But I can't decide whether I should try applying for Darroch. I know the chances of getting in are slim, but if it's worth it, applying can't hurt.

So, is applying for Darroch Court worth it, given the laundrette hassle of all the other s/c options?? I'm not talking about whether it pays off financially, cos I've done the maths and it doesn't, but just hassle-wise? :biggrin:

Reply 394

elisabethbridge

1

TamLu

This will sound completely ridiculous, but I'm a bit worried about shared laundry facilities. I've never actually seen anything like a laundromat/laundrette, except in movies, and the whole concept is like a small culture shock to me :o:

How much of a hassle are laundrettes really?

And do people usually stick around till their laundry's done or do they come back for it later?

Thing is, I'm just a few clicks away from sending away my accomm. application. But I can't decide whether I should try applying for Darroch. I know the chances of getting in are slim, but if it's worth it, applying can't hurt.

So, is applying for Darroch Court worth it, given the laundrette hassle of all the other s/c options?? I'm not talking about whether it pays off financially, cos I've done the maths and it doesn't, but just hassle-wise? :biggrin:

It's not hassle at all. I never hung out in the laundry room waiting till the laundry was done. The machines have timers in them that tell you how long the wash is going to take and how much of it there is left. You can easily go back to your flat and then go down to pick up your laundry when it's done. The same with the dryers.

Reply 395

artorscience?

11

TamLu

How much of a hassle are laundrettes really?

The on-site laundry rooms are nothing like laundrettes. They are generally downstairs and round the back of the accommodation block and only accessible using your building front door key. So only other students from your accommodation block can get in and you can get to it in a minute. The machines in general aren't to a brilliant standard, a public laundrette probably is better quality, but they do clean. You don't need to stay with your washing, I never came across incidents of clothes stealing, but you should make sure that you get down within a minute or two of your cycle finishing because during busy times other students will be taking note of the time left on the machine and waiting to take your place, so if you don't want your clothes thrown on the floor by an overenthusiastic washer punctuality is a good habit.

And you can put all the change you want to use for drying in at the same time, you don't need to hang around and do it in 12 minute/20p increments. (£1-1.20 gets a full load pretty dry)

Reply 396

TamLu

Thanks, elisabethbridge and artorsience

Though even the hypothetical possibility of clothes theft still freaks me out a bit. I'm notoriously paranoid :biggrin:

Has that really not been known to happen??

Oh, and another question, again related to how paranoid I am :smile:

See, I'm a huge coward...I live in a nice, peaceful neighbourhood, but it's really, really deserted and quiet at night and I feel so uncomfortable whenever I have to go home on my own after 10 pm.

I'd like to apply for WPC and/or WPR, but from what I gather, they're located at a bit of a distance from the center. The distance is not a problem in and of itself, but I've been thinking... What's it like going home, say, after a night out (on your own, of course)? Is it really quiet and deserted? Lighting?

Reply 397

jvhc

oxymoronic

At Edinburgh, self catered accommodation is generally in flats of 5 or 6 people (single sex) where you share a front door, kitchen and bathrooms. Then halls are catered (ie: Pollock Halls) where you may/may not share a bathroom and you live on a corridor. There are a few exceptions - some of the flats in Kincades have 12 people living in them and are more like being in a hall for this reason, and I think West Mains Road, Kitchener and David Horn are also more halls style rather than flats with kitchens dotted along the corridors. Basically, the vast majority of the university s/c accommodation is flats, the only exceptions (that I'm aware of) are the ones I've mentioned above... all the ones you're reading about which say X amount of study bedrooms with X rooms per flat are all in the first style I mentioned, obviously.

Oh okay, thanks. So the difference is really in layout, and the numbers of people and sex..

Reply 398

artorscience?

11

TamLu

What's it like going home, say, after a night out (on your own, of course)? Is it really quiet and deserted? Lighting?

Edinburgh is generally very safe in the university area. The meadows (what you cross to get from Central Area to WPR/WPC) has been fitted with lots of lighting a couple of years ago to make it super safe for students going home from the library, etc. Streets are all well lit because it's a city centre. The majority of the city off the main roads gets very very quite during the night (apart from when gaggles of students pass shouting and making residents uncomfortable with student noise-level). Personally I've never had any issue about walking around on my own at night. But there were plenty of people I knew who were very fearful of something and got cabs all the time, so if you're of a paranoid disposition, you'll easily find people to share cabs with.

Reply 399

nearlyheadlessian

15

artorscience?

so if you're of a paranoid disposition, you'll easily find people to share cabs with.

And plenty of eager cabbies ready to take your money. Be warned; Edinburgh taxis are expensive.

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