Private accommodation may be owned or run by organisations (such as charities), by private companies or individuals (a landlord). Several types of accommodation available are student hostels, lodgings, bedsits, flats and houses; etc.
Private accommodation is sometimes a little harder to arrange in advance, but the accommodation office at your college or university should be able to help. They may have lists of the rental accommodation available in the area, and they might even be able to make the arrangements for you. Private accommodation varies widely in size and quality, so always arrange to view the accommodation in person before you decide whether or not to take it.
Student Hostels
Hostels tend to be run by charitable organisations. Some are for nationals of specific countries, and others are open to students of all nationalities.
Average: cost:About £55 per week.
What you get: Hostels generally provide rooms for single students but a few also provide rooms for married couples. Many hostels provide meals, and some provide cooking facilities so you can prepare your own food.
Advantages: As with university or college accommodation, staying in a hostel allows you to grow familiar with an area and decide where you would like to look for other accommodation.
Disadvantages: Furnishings and facilities may be of a lower standard than in some other types of accommodation.
How to apply: To book a place in a hostel, you need to apply direct to the hostel and pay a deposit. Hostels are not available everywhere, and some of them have long waiting lists, so apply as early as you can.
Lodgings
Living in ‘lodgings’ means that you rent a home in someone’s home. The home could belong to anyone: a single person or a married couple; young people or older people; or a family with children.
Average cost: About £70 to £90 per week, depending on the location and the arrangement.
What you get: You have your own room to yourself, but you will probably have to share the bathroom. Your host may provide meals, or else you will have access to the kitchen to prepare your own.
Advantages: If you get along fairly well with your host(s), living in lodgings can be a very comfortable arrangement that provides you with some company and a source of social contact separate from your college or university friends.
Disadvantages: You need to adapt your lifestyle to the customs and routines of the household, so you have less independence than in some other types of accommodation.
Bedsits
The word ‘bedsit’ combines the ideas of ‘bedroom’ and ‘sitting room’. Some large houses consist entirely of bedsits, which are rented out to couples or individuals. Other bedsits are located in someone’s home.
Average cost: About £60 or £90 per week, depending on the location and the arrangement.
What you get: A single room containing living, sleeping and sometimes cooking facilities. If cooking facilities are included, they are likely to be fairly simple. Perhaps a small refrigerator, an electric kettle, etc. You will normally have to sign a tenancy agreement with the landlord and may have to share some bills, or you might have an electricity or gas meter for your room only.
If cooking facilities are not included in the room, you will have to share a kitchen with the other residents of the house. You also share the bathroom, and you might have to share the telephone. You provide your own bed-linen and towels, do your own laundry, and keep your own room clean. You will also be expected to clean up after yourself when you use the kitchen.
Advantages: You have more independence in a bedsit than in lodgings.
Disadvantages: Some people find living in a bedsit lonely. You have less contact with other people than in many other forms of accommodation.
Flats and houses
This is a popular option for groups of two or more students who are willing to share costs.
Average cost: Varies hugely depending on size and location.
What you get: A self-contained, furnished flat or house, usually with living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom(s), and sometimes a dining room. Various sizes are available, from one and two-bedroom flats up to four or five bedroom houses. You will have a legal agreement with the landlord and you may have to pay an initial deposit as security, in case you break or damage anything. Depending on the agreement, you and your friends may also have to pay the heating and electricity bills, and you will almost certainly have to pay the telephone bill. Most students in this type of arrangement also choose to share their food costs. You will have to do your own cleaning and provide your own bed-linen and towels.
Advantages: You and your friends will have lots of independence, and splitting your costs this way can sometimes be even cheaper than other types of accommodation.
Disadvantages: Sometimes it is hard to find a suitable flat or house near the college or university, so you may have to travel further to get to classes. You need to pick your living partner(s) carefully- if you fall out, the arrangement can become uncomfortable, and if one person leaves or gets behind with their rent, the others could be liable to make up the difference.
How to find a place:
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