Private Accommodation

Lodgings and Bedsits
Many householders in Edinburgh let out rooms in their homes to students in the form of lodgings. Student Welfare Services keep a register of such lodgings and these households are regularly visited to ensure that the facilities are of an acceptable standard.

Householders provide either a bedroom with study facilities or, occasionally, bedroom with study facilities in a separate room. A few householders provide bed and breakfast and an evening meal seven days a week, but in most cases only breakfast is provided. No cooking facilities are available in this type of accommodation. However meals not provided by the householder can be obtained in the University refectories or student snack-bars. The rooms are normally cleaned by the householder. All bedding, including sheets and pillow cases, is provided and laundered at no extra charge, but you are expected to provide and launder your own towels. Arrangements for heating vary, but are normally included in the price.

Self catering rooms are also available. However this type of accommodation is in great demand, and therefore more difficult to secure. Normally the householder offers the use of the family kitchen to make your meals (occasionally the facilities are in the same room). In most cases, cutlery, cooking utensils etc, are provided by the householder. You would also be responsible for your own room cleaning. Again, you would be expected to provide and launder your own towels. Bathroom and toilet facilities are shared with the householder. (Normally bed linen is provided but occasionally, householders ask you to provide and launder your own.)

In most cases, the rooms are single. Occasionally twin rooms are available (the beds themselves are always single). If a shared room, the rent is reduced accordingly. You may have to pay rent weekly, monthly or termly according to the arrangement made between yourself and the householder. Similarly, the notice you will have to give if you intend to leave varies in different lodgings. Terms of payment, notice to the householder to leave, rules of the house and vacation fee, if any, should always be discussed and agreed with the landlady before accepting the accommodation.

Please note that many householders ask students to commit themselves to stay in their accommodation for a minimum of one term.

Who is eligible
Any student is eligible to apply for lodgings. Those not successful in their application for University residences are usually offered lodgings as an alternative.

Vacations
Lodgings where meals are provided: during the Christmas and Easter vacations students are nearly always expected to vacate their room, and if they wish to return the following term a small retaining fee is often charged.
Rooms with cooking facilities: full rent is often charged during all vacations whether the student is resident or not. Again, check this prior to accepting the accommodation.

Flats and Houses in the Private Sector
Many students choose to live in privately rented flats or houses, the majority of this type of accommodation being situated in and around the city centre, and nearly always fully furnished. Private landlords often use Student Welfare Services to advertise vacancies and these are displayed on notice boards in both the offices. A number of Accommodation Agencies/Estate Agents also keep in touch with the office, sending lists of their current vacancies.

Because the turnover of rented properties is usually high, students seeking rented accommodation are encouraged to visit the office to collect up-to-date information. During the summer vacation, however, mailing lists of vacancies are sent out on request to those students who may not be in a position to make regular visits to the offices.

Since private landlords nearly always wish to meet students to whom they rent property, and as you will presumably wish to view the property before making any commitment, it is not usually possible (or advisable) to arrange this type of accommodation before you are actually in Edinburgh. This means you will either have to arrange to visit Edinburgh during the summer, or if this is not possible, organise yourself to arrive in Edinburgh at least two weeks before your course commences. This will also give you the opportunity to get some general advice from Student Welfare Services on renting property in Edinburgh, popular student areas, availability, prices and so on.

Generally speaking, competition for rented accommodation in Edinburgh is high and it can take some time to find suitable accommodation at a reasonable price. September and October are particularly busy months and wherever possible, it strongly recommends you take steps to organise your accommodation before this time. It can usually, if you wish, arrange temporary accommodation whilst you are flat-hunting.

Unfortunately, Student Welfare Services staff do not have the opportunity to view the properties advertised. It should also be noted that the office does not act as an agent for private property owners and cannot enter into any form of agreement on behalf of a student. Wherever possible, however, the office will be willing to help with any difficulties which may arise between students and landlords.
An information leaflet giving further information on the above is available on request.

Who is eligible
All students are free to seek privately rented accommodation. However, it suggests that students without the experience of living in a flat should first seek advice from Student Welfare Services.

Edinburgh Campus Residences
The Riccarton Campus offers catered, standard self-catering, self-catering en-suite residences and self-catering flats. Each room has telephone and computer links.

The residences are well furnished with all bed linen provided and most rooms have wash-hand basins and shaver points. The rooms are between 10 and 12 square metres in size. Within each hall there is a television lounge. Personal effects insurance for a maximum claim of £3,000 total, individual item value £750, is included in all Residence fees.

Catered Residences - Midlothian, Linlithgow and Pentland House, consist of eight sections providing in total 346 places in single and twin study bedrooms. University Central Catering provide full meals and a snack service to students in these halls and limited facilities allow for the preparation of snacks and hot drinks. NO FACILITIES EXIST THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO COOK MEALS FOR YOURSELF. Meal deals are offered on advance purchases of meals which are discounted. Any other meals required can be purchased on a pay-as-you-eat basis. The period of let for catered halls is 33 weeks.

Self-Catering Residences - Leonard Horner Hall consists of three halls providing in total 161 single study bedrooms. The study bedrooms are grouped around kitchens for the use of either 4, 5 or 6 students. The kitchen/dining areas are furnished but no cooking utensils, crockery or cutlery is provided. The period of let for self-catering residences is either 35 or 39 weeks.

Self-Catering En Suite Residences - Robert Bryson Hall consists of a total of 189 single study bedrooms. The accommodation is like that in Leonard Horner Hall except that each room has its own en-suite shower and toilet facilities. The period of let is 35 weeks. George Burnett, Robin Smith, Lord Thomson and Lord Home Halls provide another 800 self-catering en-suite places, with periods of let of between 35 and 50 weeks.

Self-Catering Flats on the campus at Edinburgh accommodate a maximum of five students each. There are 35 flats on the campus, grouped into three "Houses" - Caddon, Ettrick and Yarrow. Each flat is fully furnished and most consist of one twin bedroom with three single bedrooms, kitchen/dining/sitting room area and its own bathroom facilities. The period of let is 39 weeks.  

Campus Services and Facilities
The charges for the Edinburgh Campus residences include heating and power.

There is a resident Warden for each hall or block (usually a postgraduate student familiar with the life of the University) who is on hand to deal with questions of welfare as well as matters of discipline. Residences staff look after the day to day management of the residences.

The Edinburgh Campus residences are within a few minutes walk of the academic departments and the University's excellent sporting facilities. Social, catering, health, banking (The Royal Bank of Scotland) and commercial facilities are conveniently located together in the Hugh Nisbet Building, which is the main concourse linking together departments and buildings. The Students Union is the base of the Students Association, of which all students are automatically members, and a centre of student social life. The Sports Centre, the Riccarton Residents Association and the University Chaplaincy are also important focuses of social activity.

Who is eligible
Most new students (undergraduate and postgraduate) whose courses are based at Riccarton are eligible to apply for a place in the Riccarton Residences. (See Allocation Policy)