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housing issues...

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
I'm insure what to do...

I will be effectivly homeless when i go to uni, and the halls aren't available all year round, so i need to find somewhere i can be all year round. This also make sharing very difficult because most people have 9 month leases...

so where i'm planning on going to uni (harrow, north west london), a one bed flat is £120 + (normally £140 ish a week... I get £90 a week towards rent, and the rest has to come out of my loan, which will be top wack cos i'm having to completly support myself.

I have got a year to sort all of this out but it's going to take a long time to sort out all the paper work and i have to tell someone what i'm doing in a months time....

what would be
A) cheapest
B) most convient
C) work in the long run...

i don't particularly want to be moving about too much, cos i've had so much upheaval over the last few years, if i can stay in one place for as long as possible then i will!

any advice?
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really think you should move into Halls. When you move out the house you will potentially be sharing with your new friends will be ready to move into.

    I moved out of halls on June 9th and into my new house July 1st. My friend however paid extra to stay on the extra weeks.

    This way you will make friends with the people you're living with, if you live by yourself you may end up feeling lonely.

    I know you said you didn't want to move around and stuff but really it is so much fun when you're doing it with friends you love!

    Also if you are supporting yourself, you will be entitled to some sort of grant and maybe some money towards accomodation. I'm not supporting myself but I still get £600 extra a year to help towards books/travelling etc
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The house you're in now, is it really far for from the uni you're going to? Or could you stay there?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not to be a dick, or completely frustrate you but, have you checked that the halls aren't available all year round? Even if they definitely aren't, the university accomodation people must give advice to the foreign students who need somewhere to live all year round.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    Not to be a dick, or completely frustrate you but, have you checked that the halls aren't available all year round? Even if they definitely aren't, the university accomodation people must give advice to the foreign students who need somewhere to live all year round.

    I dunno about the University of Westminster (I take it that's where you're heading) but at Bristol the various halls had different terms. When I lived at the Hawthorns, for example, I definitely remember leaving my stuff in my room over Christmas (and I'm presuming Easter).

    Whilst I imagine they make a fair packet letting out the plush looking rooms at Northwick Park during the holidays, there may be other uni accommodation that lets you stay for longer.

    Otherwise, do a bit of research to find out where the students there tend to shop for housemates (noticeboards in the union for example) and start looking for notices earlyish in 2008.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Are you sure that they don't have any facilities for being in any of the halls year round? Or at least from the start of the academic year until 1st July when most student house lets start?

    I assume you've asked the uni, and the student welfare bit, and the international students bit of the uni for advice. You're actually in a very similar situation to most international students, so that's a good place to look for advice. I know you're not one of their students yet, but most unis are happy to give advice to prospective students.

    I don't know where you've found out about 9 month lets, they are pretty unusual, most student houses are on 12 month lets, even if the house is almost empty over the summer.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think you'd be able to find people to share a house with for a whole year. All my contracts have been for 12 months, either Sept - Sept or July - July.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    student houses you can usually egt a contract for a whole year - 52 weeks
    halls is usually only 39 weeks or so.
    whatever, even if you are able to stay over the holidays in halls you'll still have to move out at the end of the 2nd semester and find somewhere new to live.
    renting a house... you could stay in the same one for all of the 3 years you're at uni if you want to.
    halls are geared towards people returning home for the holidays etc
    i'd say given your circumstances you'd be better in a student house rather than halls or could you not stay where your living now?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tbh, i'd rather be on my own, because thats what i'm used to as i live on my own now...
    I have checked and because of the campus i'm at, there is no all year round accomodation.
    I can't stay where i am because my tenancy agreement ends next august and will not be renewed. and it's too far away...
    and plus there aren't that many foreign students at my campus....so i'm still unsure what to do....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What would be cheapest? Sharing, but you've said you don't want to do that.

    B) most convinent?
    Clearly somewhere close to your university and somewhere you can stay permanently instead of being forced to move.

    C) work in the long run...
    See B.

    Have you looked for any flats? Are there any housing associations in the area where you want to move to?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i can't seem to find many housing associations, and the really confusing thing is that there are huge price differences for 1 bed places (from £525 to £750 per month), £525 is affordable £750 isn't really...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can probably find a few studio flats around Harrow for little over £500. For actual one bed places you're looking at at least £650. I know, because I've been looking at the property pages in the local rags for aaaages.

    Or you may have to just lump it and live with smelly students for the next 3 years :D (rooms in student houses are gonna be far cheaper for you)
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    My brother used to live in Harrow, he rented a room in an old lady's house, where other people rented rooms also... I don't remember prices or where it was, but I could ask him if you think it might be useful.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i can't seem to find many housing associations, and the really confusing thing is that there are huge price differences for 1 bed places (from £525 to £750 per month), £525 is affordable £750 isn't really...
    Although you've probably done it already.

    If you want to rent on your own, you need to look at the local renting websites to see if you can find anything you like the look of and do a rough forecast of how much its going to cost a month and how much money your realisticly going to get a month. If your good with money you might just be able to find something. And as a full time student you wont have to pay council tax.

    I'm assuming you've tried Housing Association/ Social Services for anything you might be entitled to.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    socal services can only offer me money towards rent and nothing else...

    but i'm having another meeting soon with them to see what can be done...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do you have any friends you can stay with when it's not term time or anything like that?
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