Hello lads and lassies,
After weeks of researching hell, I can finally say I'm back!!! Anyways, today I thought I'd address the issue of housing.
One of my past Scotland Parliament intern friends, A.J. from BYU told me that finding housing was probably the biggest nightmare he encountered, but I honestly think the visa issue is a greater concern. That being said, I will admit that finding housing in the UK is STILL a miserable pain in the arse.
Finding housing BEFORE you arrive:
The UCEAP website tells you to preferably to look for housing when you actually move there, but honestly there is no exact way to go about looking for housing. Looking for housing before you're actually in Edinburgh is a pain in the arse, and can be mentally worrying because you never know if you're going to be scammed or what not; however, I did have a few Scottish Parliament intern friends who did do just that.
Pros: you don't have to stay in a hostel or deal with finding housing once you're in Edinburgh.
Cons: you may not actually know how close you are to the Scottish Parliament, you can potentially be scammed, you don't know what the flat looks like etc. One of my friends did unfortunately get scammed, so my advice is just be careful when you're out and about finding housing.
You can always try edlets.co.uk or www.gumtree.com for housing arrangements etc. Just be wary that most landowners won't want to deal with you or take you as seriously. If you are taken seriously you may be asked to pay for a security deposit (this is where you can be scammed so be aware of this.)
Student housing: This would be through UNITE and they maybe hesitant if you're not registered as a student of University of Edinburgh/ University of Heriot Watt/ Napier University etc. By the way for any uceap intern, you are NOT considered a student of the University of Edinburgh. I don't actually suggest using student housing because it's a pain in the arse trying to find temporary housing because they only offer year housing deals. Furthermore it can essentially cost more per month like £120 pounds more per month.
Finding housing AFTER you arrive:
This is probably the more sensible thing I would do because landowners are more likely to take you seriously. Anyways, I ended up staying at a hotel, searching gumtree.com, and finding housing through gumtree.com. I didn't want to stay in a hostel because I had bad hostel experiences, but a hostel is an affordable means of temporary housing. Where did I stay? Tunehotel in haymarket for £27 pounds a night. A bit far from city centre, but overall not too bad of a deal. Another option is try using Airbnb and seeing if they have any deals because sometimes they do. :)
Process: So once you check out websites and find something you want, call the landowner and arrange a meeting with them, and check out the flat. If you like the flat tell them what day you want to move in, and make sure to give them security + the first month's rent on the day you move in. Voila! That's the end of the process.
How much should housing cost? It honestly depends on the person, where you're living, landowner's contract, where you're at etc but I'd say roughly anywhere from £300-400 pounds/ month + utilities and council tax? Utilities (depends on where you're staying how much you use etc). Roughly £110 pounds for 2 months or less? maybe £170 on the high end (note this is assuming you're using the heater everyday.)
Council tax: If you're living in student housing then no you do not have to pay for council tax; however, if you are not then yes you may have to pay for council tax. For those who don't know, council tax is a local charge on all households and pays for local services. I actually did pay for council tax which yes does suck because I don't get financial aid and all, but the perk of paying for council tax....it enables you to quickly establish a bank account because to obtain a UK bank account you need some form of address: (council tax, electric bill, gas bill etc) + 2 forms of ID (passport + drivers license).
Supplies: Honestly, I think I may have bought a whisk for cooking, but other then that I never bothered buying furniture or anything because I never found the need for it. Flats in the UK are pretty equipped so you will find lamps, clothing hangers etc when you move into your flat. Also you can always go to Poundland, Poundsavers, and Marks and Spencers for all your housing needs if you really want to buy furniture.
Other things to note: If your rent contract says PCW it means Per Calender Week. If your rent contract says PCM it means Per Calender Month.
Hope this advice helps, and if there are any questions feel free to leave a comment on this blog.
Until next time, cheers!
Tina
Pros: you don't have to stay in a hostel or deal with finding housing once you're in Edinburgh.
Cons: you may not actually know how close you are to the Scottish Parliament, you can potentially be scammed, you don't know what the flat looks like etc. One of my friends did unfortunately get scammed, so my advice is just be careful when you're out and about finding housing.
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You can always try edlets.co.uk or www.gumtree.com for housing arrangements etc. Just be wary that most landowners won't want to deal with you or take you as seriously. If you are taken seriously you may be asked to pay for a security deposit (this is where you can be scammed so be aware of this.)
Student housing: This would be through UNITE and they maybe hesitant if you're not registered as a student of University of Edinburgh/ University of Heriot Watt/ Napier University etc. By the way for any uceap intern, you are NOT considered a student of the University of Edinburgh. I don't actually suggest using student housing because it's a pain in the arse trying to find temporary housing because they only offer year housing deals. Furthermore it can essentially cost more per month like £120 pounds more per month.
Finding housing AFTER you arrive:
This is probably the more sensible thing I would do because landowners are more likely to take you seriously. Anyways, I ended up staying at a hotel, searching gumtree.com, and finding housing through gumtree.com. I didn't want to stay in a hostel because I had bad hostel experiences, but a hostel is an affordable means of temporary housing. Where did I stay? Tunehotel in haymarket for £27 pounds a night. A bit far from city centre, but overall not too bad of a deal. Another option is try using Airbnb and seeing if they have any deals because sometimes they do. :)
Process: So once you check out websites and find something you want, call the landowner and arrange a meeting with them, and check out the flat. If you like the flat tell them what day you want to move in, and make sure to give them security + the first month's rent on the day you move in. Voila! That's the end of the process.
How much should housing cost? It honestly depends on the person, where you're living, landowner's contract, where you're at etc but I'd say roughly anywhere from £300-400 pounds/ month + utilities and council tax? Utilities (depends on where you're staying how much you use etc). Roughly £110 pounds for 2 months or less? maybe £170 on the high end (note this is assuming you're using the heater everyday.)
Council tax: If you're living in student housing then no you do not have to pay for council tax; however, if you are not then yes you may have to pay for council tax. For those who don't know, council tax is a local charge on all households and pays for local services. I actually did pay for council tax which yes does suck because I don't get financial aid and all, but the perk of paying for council tax....it enables you to quickly establish a bank account because to obtain a UK bank account you need some form of address: (council tax, electric bill, gas bill etc) + 2 forms of ID (passport + drivers license).
Supplies: Honestly, I think I may have bought a whisk for cooking, but other then that I never bothered buying furniture or anything because I never found the need for it. Flats in the UK are pretty equipped so you will find lamps, clothing hangers etc when you move into your flat. Also you can always go to Poundland, Poundsavers, and Marks and Spencers for all your housing needs if you really want to buy furniture.
Other things to note: If your rent contract says PCW it means Per Calender Week. If your rent contract says PCM it means Per Calender Month.
Hope this advice helps, and if there are any questions feel free to leave a comment on this blog.
Until next time, cheers!
Tina
