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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:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 980

Lamo

I've read that all of the self-catered accomodation is single sex...
This seems a bit lame to me. How has anyone found this?

Reply 981

Lamo

How do you people find the single sex aspect of the accomodation?

Reply 982

Static.

Most of it is. Some places like Kincaid's Court with the bigger flats are mixed-sex, but in general, the flats are single-sex. But you'll be in a mixed sex block wherever you are so it isn't that big of a deal. Your neighbours or the people above and below you will more likely than not be of the opposite sex. Why do you think it would be a problem, though?

Reply 983

Lamo

Static.

Why do you think it would be a problem, though?

Right. I'm not sure why I have an issue with it. I guess it just doesn't feel like real life, and I prefer a mix, I think things get more cohesive that way (not to hormonal/testosterony)

Reply 984

~FRICKEN~

I thought you have sex in your accomondation. :/

Reply 985

oxymoronic

Its really not an issue - I'd always had guys as my best friends before I went to uni and I still do now, its not as though living with just girls (in your case) is going to change this at all. I've lived in a girlie flat for 2 years and a boy-girl flat for 2 and it really makes no difference at all to the dynamics of the flat, and I certainly don't think not living with guys the entire time has killed my social life involving them in the slightest! As has been said, there is a mixture of guys and girls flats in each building so you'll meet loads of people that way, and then in societies and your course there will also be guys there, obviously!

Reply 986

oxymoronic

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=755610

read this and you'll be sorted in life... it is the 09/10 acommodation thread where all of your questions have already been answered, multiple times.

Reply 987

nearlyheadlessian

dogdaysareover

Thanks for that, i've already been through it but I must have missed the geology information

"Geology" in its various shapes and sizes is taught both in central area and at KB. Consequently, as with almost all first years you should opt to live in central area. The "best" flats and halls are discussed in the thread oxymoronic linked. Accommodation is accommodation. All the information you need is there and in the subforum wiki.

Reply 988

zeberdeee

im just trying to find the difference between catered and self catered and what current students think is best, i have seen that catered is about £50 a week more than self, i can cook and like to cook so this might not be worth it but i was just wondering for example if i was thirsty could i just pop into the canteen and get a can of drink for free and that sort of thing?
do people in self catered miss out at all on uni social life?
is it too heavily private school dominated in catered?
and anything else anyone can think of to help me weigh up a pros and cons list would be appreciated

Reply 989

oxymoronic

zeberdeee

I would assume that the catering facilities at Heriot Watt are incredibly different to those at Queen Margaret, which is again different to those at Edinburgh. I don't think Napier has catered halls, although I could be wrong, so obviously, their accommodation is different again.

My point being: you've not specified which university you are actually talking about here. There are four universities in Edinburgh plus Edinburgh Art College.

Reply 990

Auldreekie

if you like cooking, you should probably go for self-catered:
- most self-catered residences are very central, whereas Pollock Halls (where youll find catered accom) is quite far from uni AND Princes Street (shoppiiiiiing)
- you do not eat for £50 a week
- when you go out to have dinner (and if you're planning to have a social life, it will definitely happen), you still have to pay the canteen = even more expensive
- you have no cooking facilities for lunch (in CHancellor's, there's a tiny tiny fridge, a microwave and a sink + small locked cupboards)
I dont think you can pop into the canteen when you want, and (if you're from Manchester you're probably used to it but) dinner is served until 7 or 7.30, which is too early for me.

But on the other hand :
I think it's easier to meet new people in the common areas and canteen. I'm not in catered, but I have a friend there, and he seems to know everyone... But you're not missing uni social life in self catered, since you can join tons of societies, go to parties organised by EUSA (the students union), etc.
Er... It's my only pro argument, sorry !

I hope you'll find these non-informations a bit useful :smile:

Reply 991

newman24x

Hello

Well for Edinburgh, will the tuition fees cover accommodation fees as well? Well i ask because for my uni 'tution fees' covers accommodation as well (well that's because mine is campus based), and as I understand Edinburgh is a city university.

Reply 992

ladylish

newman24x

Tuition fees is JUST for your tuition - that is, the money you pay the university to be taught by them. Everything else (accommodation, food, books etc.) is billed seperately, regardless of if you're a campus university or a city.

I assume you're from overseas; if you were a UK student, you'd basically get two lots of money: one lot is loaned to you to cover your tuition fee (and that's paid directly to the university, so it never comes into your bank account) and the second lot (which is made up of a maintenance loan/grants etc.) goes into your bank account and is for you to use to pay accommodation and so forth.

So the fees for Edinburgh this year - at least for a home student, like myself - is about £1800 (which I assume will be higher for overseas and non EU students). That is JUST for tuition, and does not include my rent for my housing, which is coming to a seperate bill of about £3100 if memory serves.

Reply 993

nearlyheadlessian

There is now a brand new accommodation thread for 2010/11. It features an all encompassing guide to both university and private accommodation in Edinburgh, along with the opportunity to ask any questions that you have and discuss general accommodation-ey things. Head on over!

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1094481

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