How to find student accommodation in Leeds for 1st year student

an1179

My dd has had to take her Insurance choice at Leeds met and cannot find any place in halls and all the usual communal accomodation. Only bedsits and shared houses are available she does not want to go into a house with strangers or live alone.

She is stressed and of course it is stressing us also we do not know what to say or do. Has anyone got any advice please??

MrsManda

Has she contacted the accommodation office at the university? They should be able to provide advice - she's not going to be the only one with her position.
The university's student support office may also be able to point her in the right direction.

an1179

MrsManda wrote: »

Has she contacted the accommodation office at the university? They should be able to provide advice - she's not going to be the only one with her position.
The university's student support office may also be able to point her in the right direction.

Thanks yes they have told her bedists or shared housing, OH wants her to defer till next year which is not really an option with the fees going up
There is an open day on Wednesday for students that have no accomodation sorted we may have to go see that I think

The_One_Who

I'm presuming Leeds will have private student accommodation providers like Unite? Very expensive, but might be the only option.

In halls she would be living with strangers. No doubt when she gets a job she will have to rent in a shared house with strangers. She doesn't want to live with strangers, but doesn't want to live alone. What does she want? To live with people she already knows?

Oldernotwiser

In her situation she really needs to get her head round the idea of sharing. As TOW says, she'd be sharing with strangers in halls so there really isn't a great deal of difference.

Vicky_Unipol

I assume your daughter is going to be studying at Leeds Met?

Leeds Met are working in conjunction with an organisation called Unipol Student Homes to run a series of house hunting events for first year students who have not got a place in halls. For more information and to book a place (booking is essential) visit the Unipol website. Unfortunately as I'm a new user on this site I can post a link, but if you search on google for Unipol Student Homes Leeds, you will see a news item on our home page called 'House Hunting events 2011'.

There is a surplus of student accommodation in Leeds, so your daughter will be able to find something, and the house-hunting events will provide her with the information and support to do this. There will also be a time for mixing, so if your daughter wishes, she can get into a group with some other students, and they can search for a property together.

Unipol is a not for profit organisation that has been working with the universities in Leeds for many years to provide events of this kind and other services. We will give impartial information to the students and parents that attend the event to help them make the best choice they can.

Hope that helps,

Vicky Loverseed - Unipol

sheilavw

Hi my daughter in same situation. She got in at her first choice Edge Hill but didnt get on campus. The alternatives were Pontins (laying daily bus on) Liverpool (contributing £500 towards travel) or we were given a list of approved houses in Ormskirk. This list was published January so in each house just one or two rooms. She has found a lovely house but is sharing with 4 3rd years and 1 second year (this girl went in as a fresher last year). The landlady text the other occupants who have all added her on facebook . If she didnt do it this year would have to do it next, at least this way will get pick of a bigger room when the 3rd years leave next year. I would just say go for it.

SuperHan

When I started at Leeds Uni 3 years ago there were a few students who couldn't be housed in halls. They arranged a day (like you mentioned) where a lot of students in the same situation got together and arranged themselves in to groups to find a shared house. So they weren't strictly strangers, and it wasn't dissimilar to halls.

But like someone else mentioned - a shared house is no different to halls really, and I spent my second year in a house with girls who I had never met before and it went really well!

My advice would be to look towards the Headingley area if she is looking at a shared house - I personally think it's a bit nicer than the Hyde Park area, and is a very student-y area!