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

Sorry for gatecrashing a thread that has nothing to do with me, but is accommodation not guaranteed for first years? I don't want to go to uni without living in student halls, so the thought of being forced into private accommodation which I most likely could not afford might mean I'd have to decline any offer from Edinburgh. I also live 30 minutes away from Edinburgh by train, so would they assume I'd have to live at home and spend a fortune on train fares?

Private accommodation is generally cheaper than halls - you can get a decent enough flat for around £300 a month, so plus bills is about £320. The cheapest university owned single rooms work out as about £345 a month including bills, but you're more than likely to end up somewhere in a higher price band so it'll be more.

You're guarenteed a room in uni accom if you're unconditional firm by the end of August in your year of entry and you apply before the deadline. However, as you live fairly close to Edinburgh it will depend whether you're classed as living in the City of Edinburgh or not. If your address is Midlothian rather than actual City of Edinburgh you should be fine but you should check this out before applying. Although living privately isn't the end of the world and you'd have to do that after 1st year anyway!

And anyway, SAAS will pay your train fare to uni anyway so you wouldn't really be loosing any money if you live at home, it'll cost you more to live away.

Just got an offer for Grantanamo Bay. Yaldy. Haha

Got a twin bunked room in Warrender Park Crescent. Pretty sure I applied for a standard single. Hope it's not too cramped.

I thought they only gave those out to people who new each other?

I am not acquainted with anybody going to Edinburgh, so don't know how I landed this one.

Oh and if I decide to pay the entire amount at a go, do I have to pay right away, or can I put down a deposit and wait till I get my student visa?

Maybe speak to them, I know I wouldn't like to share a room with someone! You just need to pay the £250 deposit now to secure your place.

It's hella cheap, but not at the cost of my privacy! I suppose I can't ask them to maybe change my offer

It's always worth asking especially if your not going to be happy.

I don't think they let you swap until the first few weeks of term are over, then people tend to move around a little bit. We had people move into my building from Pollock and people drop out etc, so there is some moving space, but I seem to remember being told there was a policy for no room changes until a few weeks after you'd moved in. I'm not sure what they'll do now if you decide not to accept the accommodation, I believe if you do not accept it you are no longer guarenteed the offer of a place so you'll have to do with whats left, so therefore might end up with a twin room again anyway. If you're really not happy then contact them though, obviously.

At least you've not been allocated Chancellors, this year the first years were paying ridculous amounts to share bedrooms in CC with bunk beds, which is crazy for the amount of money they pay for the rooms. The same happened the year above me too.

First few weeks... that's a tad inconvenient. But I did call them up and was asked to write an e-mail formally requesting a change. They'll review my application again, and then decide if they'll let me move. The accommodations lady didn't sound too enthusiastic though

On the other hand, 2.1k a year is dirt cheap.

At least if you get your request to transfer in now it's not as if all of the rooms are taken, there are still thousands of spare rooms as obviously the conditional offers haven't been confirmed yet. So it might be different, you never know - it sounds remotely possible that you'll be able to swap. Although by the sounds of it you might need some sort of story other than "I don't want to share a room with someone else" ... such as, I don't know, you play a loud instrument which would obviously disrupt the person whos room you shared/have to get up really really early to train for a sport which would disrupt the other person etc.

Your other option would be to reject the offer of a room if they say that you can't switch and then get private accommodation, of which there is plenty of and is generally fine. Or accept it and then hold out until the period of term in which room changes are allowed and ask to transfer, but obviously that would have implications as you'd already have created bonds with people in your current accommodation.

Cheers for the rep, btw

Wish I'd seen your post before I sent the e-mail off. Unfortunately, I just went with the generic privacy reasoning. They said that they'll get back to me within a week.

WPC seems absolutely gorgeous, and I hope I won't have to transfer someplace else.

Grant House?

WPC seems absolutely gorgeous, and I hope I won't have to transfer someplace else.

Yeah... I love it. I lived on WPR in first year which is its smaller, less pretty but still very nice twin! Next year will be my 4th year of Marchmont (the side of town where the WP residences are) living, I never really moved far after first year!

Is Marchmont where most people get their student flats in 2nd/3rd/4th year?