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PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION
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.
Private accommodation may be
owned and run by organisations (such as charities), by private companies or
individuals (a landlord). There are several types available:
>
Student Hostels
> Flats
and Houses
>
Lodgings
>
Bedsits
> Youth
Hostels
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Flats and houses
This is a popular option for groups of two or more students who are
willing to share costs.
In this kind of accommodation you will
usually 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 may have
to pay an initial deposit as security, in case you break or damage anything.
Depending on the arrangement, you and your friends may also need 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.
Ask the accommodation office at your
college or university for help and advice.
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Lodgings
Living in ‘lodgings’ means that you rent a room 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.
In this kind of accommodation 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.
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.
Ask the accommodation office at your
college or university for help and advice.
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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 bed sits are located in someone’s home.
In this kind of accommodation you will
usually get a single room
containing living, sleeping and sometimes cooking facilities. If
cooking facilities are included, they are likely to be fairly simple –
for example, perhaps a small refrigerator, an electric kettle, and a
microwave oven and/or a hotplate. 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.
Ask the accommodation office at your
college or university for help and advice.
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Youth hostels
Youth hostels are used mainly by tourists on a tight budget.
You will get fairly basic
accommodation. You may have to share a room with several other people, and you
will certainly have to share the bathroom. Some youth hostels provide meals, and
others provide simple cooking facilities.
Youth hostels can be a useful source
of inexpensive short-term
accommodation – for example, if you need a place to stay for the first
few days while you look for more permanent accommodation.
Ask the accommodation office at your
college or university for help and advice.
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