housing issues...again...

Former Member

I went to look around the area that i'm going to be moving to for uni, and went to talk to the estate agents just to see what was available in the local area, and all of them said that i wouldn't find anything in July or august, due to the student uptake. i went to the housing officer and she said that that was true and i need to look around april time, to move in around end of may or june.

the problem being that if i move into somewhere before i get my student loan, i'm not sure where i'm going to get the extra money from. Social services will be providing £120 a week for rent but nothing towards bills or anything else. if i need to move in earlier, i'd have to pay anything else out of my income support, which i don't think is going to cover it very far.

i'm not to sure as to what i can do. I can't move into halls for 3 years, i can't share with people i don't know again, as that caused me a lot of problems which i'm not going into now, but i would share with friends.

any ideas as to what i can do?

Former Member

well, when i was a student i moved into a place at the end of june and didn't get my loan til october and bills-wise it was fine. didn't get a bill until september as it was and then we phoned up and said we couldn't pay it all as we were waiting for student loans and that was fine. same for rent actually, they adapted it to when we got loans. guess we could have been lucky though but i have found if you explain your situation to ppl and give definite dates when you will be able to pay, they're usually fine about it.

Former Member

I know your situation is complex, but is halls for the first year not an option, and then share with people you meet in first year for the rest of the course? Some halls do accomodation through from Sept-June.

Former Member

Whut about being cheeky and opening a student bank account (or two) and using the interest free overdrafts until you get your student loan through?

I've found looking on facebook actually has loads of houses with people who've had one person drop out - goldmine for housing opportunities on a whim for students.

Former Member

i (should) be sharing with the other half, and the interest free overdraft is a very good idea.

i really don't know when i should be looking for a flat though, cos i started having a look around last week and ended up having a row with the boyfriend....:(

Former Member

ShyBoy wrote: »

Whut about being cheeky and opening a student bank account (or two) and using the interest free overdrafts.

I second this. Actually, if you can survive on it, take out the overdraft and put half in a savings account and use the money in the savings account for emergencies.

As for looking for a flat - do it ASAP.

Former Member

Generally i find my bills for my uni house are all quarterly, so theoretically you wouldn't have to pay them untill after loan time! Though it is a good idea to check before you move in etc

Former Member

the whole thing about having to secure a place early is bullshit. Its the estate agents way of pressuring students into paying more.

There WILL be places later on, and they will be cheaper.

Former Member

Blah wrote: »

the whole thing about having to secure a place early is bullshit. Its the estate agents way of pressuring students into paying more.

There WILL be places later on, and they will be cheaper.

Really?

I hope so. I applied to a different uni for next year but have heard nothing so I'm panicking my butt off thinking that I might not have anywhere to live next year .

Former Member

Franki wrote: »

Really?

I hope so. I applied to a different uni for next year but have heard nothing so I'm panicking my butt off thinking that I might not have anywhere to live next year .

:yes:

This year I had nowhere to live and people were offering me rooms for £55 a week. The going rate in York is £65 upwards. When someone drops out they need someone to fill the space. The estate agents whip students up into a frenzy months before so it looks like all the houses are going to go, and so they pay the higher prices. Seriously, if you just look somewhere as innocuous as facebook now you'll find loads of houses that need someone urgently.

*just looked*

there's a room in one of the nicer areas of York right now for £45 per week .

Former Member

ShyBoy wrote: »

:yes:

This year I had nowhere to live and people were offering me rooms for £55 a week. The going rate in York is £65 upwards. When someone drops out they need someone to fill the space. The estate agents whip students up into a frenzy months before so it looks like all the houses are going to go, and so they pay the higher prices. Seriously, if you just look somewhere as innocuous as facebook now you'll find loads of houses that need someone urgently.

*just looked*

there's a room in one of the nicer areas of York right now for £45 per week .

Oh that's good then. Where did you find the rooms?

Former Member

If you go on facebook there's a marketplace application, that's where I've tended to look as you can avoid a lot of the spam (they haven't found facebook! yet...). It tends to just be ordinary people looking for roomates or what have you.

Former Member

Ah that sounds good, I will bear that in mind .