Clearing 2016: How to find last minute accommodation

If you’ve just found out that you’ve got a place at university through clearing, congratulations! You might now be panicking about where you’re going to live. If you can’t get a place in halls of residence there are still lots of options you can choose from.

But where do you start? Time to get organized. First of all make a list of your basic requirements and set yourself a budget. Remember you don’t want all of your monthly money to go on accommodation, university is a time to enjoy yourself and whilst you might really like the look of the luxury flat with a wet room and underground parking, would you not rather have a few extra pounds to spend on meeting new friends?

You might find that your new university is hundreds of miles away, but it’s so important that you don’t hand over any money for accommodation until you’ve seen it. It’s worth booking a couple of days to view flats and check out different areas of the city that you’ll be living in.

When looking for a flat, you need to make sure that is it HMO compliant. That means that it is a House of Multiple Occupancy, i.e. living accommodation occupied by 3 or more unrelated persons as their only or main residence, and who share kitchen and/or bathroom facilities.

Once you have found a flat, always read the contract thoroughly before signing, and check your deposit is being protected in one of the 3 government-approved schemes. When you move in make sure you take detailed photos of the property and complete an inventory.

If you’re wondering who you’re going to live with, don’t panic. There will be lots of other students in the same boat. Take to social media to join groups relevant to your course and forum websites like the Student Room and you’ll be able to find people in a similar position. They might not just be freshers, second and third year students may have a room which they need to fill.

Where to find accommodation? Well, you’re in the right place. Lettingweb has a wide range of HMO accommodation throughout Scotland.

Here is a selection of flats, which are currently available (as of 19 August 2016):