Prepping for the move timeline

[jigsy]

Hi - if you haven't paid attention to me (which, why not? ) I am moving to Edinburgh in the fall for school! yay!

So I am on the path for my move to happen September 2020 - classes start the 3rd week, and I figure it is probably good to avoid FringeFest in Edinburgh (just for hotels and what not - I am excited to experience when I am actually living there!). But what I am wondering is if there is any reason for me to visit between now and then? Basically, I am looking for an excuse to justify a visit in April/May. I feel a bit of guilt just going over for fun because I should save as much as possible, but I have a friend who will be going out there in the spring, and it would be fun to join her.

So, is there a practical reason for an early visit? lol

It seems like so much of what I will need to do - line up housing, bank accounts, etc - really will need to happen basically in the weeks before classes start. It seems as though flats are let out just a few weeks or a month in advance. I can't get a bank account until I have an address. So...is there anything that I can do earlier that would 1 - make September easier and 2 - justify a trip 

Thanks!

[pittpurple]

Well, it's always fun to visit Edinburgh :-)

Practically speaking - well, you could go look at some neighbourhoods so you get a better sense of where you might want to or not want to live so you can pinpoint flat rentals. It's not impossible that you might be able to find a rental several months early - though it is a rarity! It might be worth visiting HSBC and seeing if you can get anywhere with a bank account (or seeing if it helps at all to open up an HSBC account in the states first?). Try walking from different neighbhourhoods to George Square (and then consider what it will be like in the dark with sideways rain!)

In short - not really, but it's a pretty time of year here so if you can afford it and want to come over, why not!?

[mrsukyankee]

If you can do it, then definitely do. You can get more a sense of where to live - centre yourself at your uni and then walk or take public transport as far as you'd want to travel. And have some fun! The banks suggestion is a good one cause getting an account is a pain in the tushy.

[Deleted]

Not sure how i missed this! You’re going to love it. It is a really pretty time of year (all summer is, really), so if you can afford it, I think it would be awesome to go and check things out, look at different neighborhoods, maybe check out a few flats. If you’ve never spent time there before, I think it would be helpful to get a feel for the size of apartments, what you’ll be able to afford, etc. it’s also a great time to sightsee — many sites go down to way limited hours starting in Oct-Mar (because it gets dark so early).

[jigsy]

Thank you guys! Going to try to tag but Im on my phone, so it might not work... pittpurple mrsukyankee @villainv

I think I’m just going to do it because why not. Flights are landing around $450-$500, so it’s not terribly expensive, and I’ll keep watching for deals.

I am concerned about timing, so I’d love to hear opinions. I get that September is probably the worst time to look for a flat because of all the students, so I was thinking of either trying to let something starting in July, basically letting for a month I won’t be there, if I do this, I am thinking that a visit in late May might be a possible time to find something that would have the lease start in July.

Or, I could rent something very short term, like and Airbnb for September and try to get something in October. Airbnb would likely be more than I’m planning on spending per month, but I guess it wouldn’t be so much that it equals the extra month of rent in July. My concerns with this is 1-I try to be mindful about using airbnb, and that includes not using them in cities where they are causing issues in the housing markets, which is certainly the case in Edinburgh. And 2- is October any better of a time to start a lease than September. I imagine there is still the issue of students flooding the market.

Anyways...thoughts? Thanks for reading my brain dump. Lol

[Deleted]

I’m not terribly knowledgeable about the specifics of the Edinburgh housing market, so hopefully someone else can help. I think air bnb for a month is likely to cost you more than rental of a flat for a month, so I would probably err on the side or starting your rental a month early. If you go in May, you can touch base with a letting agency and go see some things, and ask their advice. They can work with you to find something available when you want, and you may even trust their listings and agents enough to rent based on their photos/FaceTime tours, and advice alone, if something becomes available after your trip but before you want to start renting, especially if you’ve established a relationship in May and they know what you’re looking for.

[mrsukyankee]

Late May for early July would work out for flat rental. October is when most universities start so students will definitely be looking for Sept/Oct leases. Then again, they may not be looking for the same sort of properties that you are (except for grad students) as most uni students tend to live in multiples (4 to a flat or more to save money).

[pittpurple]

jigsy, it's not impossible to get lucky with a flat at any time of year. I do though highly doubt you'll be able to do this in the summer - mostly if people have empty flats in the summer, they triple charge for August and then relist it in September. BUT - that doesn't mean 'always' and if you're signing a full year's lease, that might be quite attractive.

I'm assuming you'll be able to pre-pay most of the rent for the year as otherwise it's really difficult without a bank account. So my concern with timing is around how to get a bank account set up before you're actually moving. But it might be easier than when we came over in 2006!

[jigsy]

Dec 2, 2019 4:32:18 GMT -5 pittpurple said:

jigsy , it's not impossible to get lucky with a flat at any time of year. I do though highly doubt you'll be able to do this in the summer - mostly if people have empty flats in the summer, they triple charge for August and then relist it in September. BUT - that doesn't mean 'always' and if you're signing a full year's lease, that might be quite attractive.

I'm assuming you'll be able to pre-pay most of the rent for the year as otherwise it's really difficult without a bank account. So my concern with timing is around how to get a bank account set up before you're actually moving. But it might be easier than when we came over in 2006!

Yeah, these are my concerns as well! I don't think it is any easier now, lol. The whole no bank account things was one reason to get an airbnb for a month. From what I understand, as long as you clear it with the airbnb owner, you can use that address to set up a bank account. 

But, yes, I had hoped that being able to pay 6 months of rent in advance would also help my case (I just have to wait for my Student loan for the second half of the year, lol)

This is stressful. It would be so much easier to move into the campus housing, but I just don't think I can do the dorm life. There are studio that are set up for students through private companies, but the cost is higher than what it would be to rent independently...so, I guess you are paying to avoid the headache. lol