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Flat Hunting

It is unlikely you will find something suitable immediately and we therefore advise you to allow plenty of time to look around.  There can be a shortage of good accommodation as students start 'flat hunting' before the start of a new session, in direct competition with every other student as well as the general public.  If you are coming to the West of Scotland with your family, you may find it particularly difficult to obtain suitable self-contained accommodation at a price you can afford, so we recommend you come alone in the first instance whenever possible.

As a rough guide, you expect to pay £70 - £90 per week for a bedsit, excluding bills, varying according to the district in which you choose to live.  You will probably have to provide your own bedding, crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils.  Don't forget to take account of your travelling costs when budgeting. Glasgow Underground is a fairly cheap form of transport and anywhere close to an Underground Station is convenient for the city centre. It is your responsibility to check that the accommodation is satisfactory and your tenancy complies with regulations.   Don't sign until you have seen and inspected everything!  If you have problems with accommodation secured from pad, please notify the Accommodation Office of your institution immediately.

Types of Accommodation in the Private Sector

There are a number of different types of accommodation and you should consider which one suits your needs:

	Room in the landlords home Families or single persons sometimes let a vacant room in their home to students.  Meals may be provided, or alternatively you may be given access to cooking facilities.  An advantage for international students is the opportunity to improve one's English and become part of a family.  Some may find this arrangement gives them less independence.
	Bedsit A bedsit is a room which provides sleeping and living/study space and occasionally a cooking area.  The bathroom (and often the kitchen) is shared with other tenants and may well be cleaned by the landlord.
	Room in a Flat This is different  from a bedsit in that there may be a separate lounge within the flat.  This is popular option is often advertised by a student or single person owning a flat or a group of students who have taken on a flat and have a spare room.
	Self-Contained furnished flats These are flats or houses with one or more bedrooms where you will be expected to sign a lease for the entire property rather than a room within it.   This option is popular with groups of students who wish to live together. While these flats are furnished you will often be expected to provide your own bed linen, crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils.
Statutory Regulations Landlord Registration In Scotland all private landlords letting properties must apply for registration in the register of landlords. This is to ensure that all landlords are ‘fit and proper’ to be letting residential property. Resident landlords letting part of their own home are exempt from this scheme. To check whether the property you are interested in has been registered see www.betterrentingscotland.com or telephone 0800 0270414. Landlord Accreditation A voluntary accreditation scheme for Landlords is also available and details can be found at www.landlordaccreditationscotland.com Houses in Multiple Occupancy Properties which house more than two people who are unrelated are called Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) and the local authority requires the landlord of these properties to maintain certain standards of repairs, services, fire safety etc. Before signing any tenancy agreements you are advised to check with the landlord that the property has planning permission for multiple occupancy use and, more importantly, that there are no enforcement notices prohibiting multiple occupancy use. An owner operating an unlicensed HMO will be liable to prosecution so it is important to confirm with the owner that he or she has a licence or has applied for one. To verify this, contact Glasgow City Council’s Licensing Section on 0141 287 4535, or www.glasgow.gov.uk.