My DS been offered a job in Bristol-huge relocation for him- where could he live? Anyone local able to help

[RockyToad]

He didn’t go to uni- started an apprenticeship and for the last 18 months the has been doing so well in his chosen field. That said - he’s had mine other DCs support- we help him a lot emotionally . He has Asperger’s and I’m very concerned for him. When you go to uni you go into halls and have freshers and are guided - my son struggles socially and doesn’t have a friends network just a girlfriend who will live a couple of hours away.

if anyone has gone through similar or can suggest reasonable/safe areas he could live - if he takes the job we won’t have long to find somewhere. He’s really trusting and I worry about how he will get on - I guess that’s natural but I’m so thrilled for him and this could be such a great opportunity that I’d love to be able to advise him as best I can

thanks for listening

Can you give the general area of the job and budget? Traffic and public transport is not Bristol’s strong point so being nearer to work may take some of the anxiety out of travelling for him.

Either way, if he's renting, it's common knowledge it's hard to find accommodation in Bristol, so definitely look at his options might now. Can't recommend any areas, but obviously as and when accommodation comes up, he can look at local transport to see if that works.

Thanks
he’s going to be an apprentice so not the best salary- looking at about £27k corporate city centre

The Bristol rental market is horrible, it's an expensive place to live. You'd realistically be looking at a shared room in a house rather than renting a flat or place outright. Does he have to live in the city centre? You get more for your money a bit further out in the less fashionable areas (not like Clifton etc obvs) and you can walk/cycle/Voi scooter/take public transport. The areas around the universities have a lot of shared housing for students, but I don't know what the rules are for apprentices and council tax - do they get the student discount? As if they don't, he wouldn't want to live with students or he'd be liable for council tax alone.

According to a rent affordability calculator of "annual income 30 times your max rent" the most he'd be looking at is £900 a month. You probably want to aim lower than that to save more. I'd consider some areas like Bedminster, Fishponds, a bit out of the centre. Browse on Zoopla and see what's available, check out local FB groups.

Our son also has Asperger's, although he is a little younger. We also sometimes have to support him emotionally with flare-ups of OCD for instance. I wouldn't be keen on him moving to Bristol without support networks and without parental oversight to be honest.

Have a look at www.spareroom.co.uk as it will give you an idea of costs/what you get for the money.

It might be worth putting an ad on there himself saying he's looking for lodgings within a family household if you think that would suit him better than a young house share?

Having said that, if it is a really great opportunity, you could put support in for him such as talking him through and preparing, returns home to touch base that sort of thing .

There are also Facebook pages - look up "Bristol - housing, apartments,rooms"

Perhaps looking for lodging on spareroom is a good idea, an older home owner who needs to take in a lodger is going to be a quieter environment than a random house share. Another option is Co living buildings which are essentially like student halls but for non students. As to areas it depends on his attitude to travel, I'm 50 mins from the city centre and it's a brilliant safe friendly place to live but I work outside the city. If he's travelling to see his girlfriend a fair amount, i recommend he gets used to the national express, excellent service from Bristol to many locations.

I know it’s making me feel so ill but he’s determined to do it

Well, with good planning and support, if he's determined, it's probably worth pursuing. You could make sure that he's got as much structure as possible and work together on a list of things that he needs to do if living independently in order to reduce anxiety. I was worried about my son going overseas on school trips, but he loved them :)

DS is at uni in Bristol. Accommodation is really expensive, we’re currently paying £750 for a room in a shared house. As previously mentioned, travelling is a nightmare through the city so being close to work would be very helpful. It is a great place though, so many things to do and see. DS lives in Fishponds at the moment but says he feels the area has gone downhill quite a lot from when he was there previously. He loved Clifton but that is really, really expensive!

Yes, my family come from Fishponds and it has gone downhill quite a bit. Clifton is obviously gorgeous, however hugely expensive, is Bedminster/Southville a good option still if working in the city centre?

It might be worth him having a look at rentals in the satellite towns that have a railway station with direct links to Bristol Temple Meads . Yate Nailsea and Keynsham all have stations. Public transport is limited to buses and taxis in Bristol (no tube or tram system unfortunately).

Have you considered looking for a homeshare for him i.e. renting with an older adult. A quieter environment might suit him a lot better than a family or young people and you might be able to find someone who has some experience of neurodiversity or even neurodiversity/shared interests. There are lots of different organisations doing this now e.g.

https://twogenerations.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4fi7BhC5ARIsAEV1YiZQ3iPPliYfXv9A4L7zT9TyIR6Pss7xyxGLKzzgPXiGUie22kfVcjAaAhpSEALw_wcB

https://homeshareuk.org/

https://www.sharemyhome.co.uk/

Does he have a car? Traffic is horrendous in Bristol anyway and so it's car parking and there is also the ULEZ charge. Like someone else mentioned, he might be better basing himself outside of the city on a train route. Cam and Dursley maybe? Or even Gloucester?

My son is also a Degree Apprentice so I understand your concerns. When we were looking (not Bristol) we found some providers of young people's accommodation with some on site support, ideal for this kind of scenario. This was the company: https://feelgoodsharing.weebly.com/properties.html

Obviously they don't cover Bristol but I'm thinking there must be similar providers covering the Bristol/outskirts area if you do a bit of research. Good luck!

I live near Fishponds/Staple Hill and it’s much more reasonably priced round here - also a new direct bus to and from town that goes on the M32 which takes so much less time than the normal route! Would advise spare room to start looking, and to not pay a deposit til he’s visited somewhere as there are a LOT of scams on gumtree etc in the city.
But it’s a great, eclectic and diverse place to live with plenty of accessible things to do.

Spare room is very good, my ds did a huge move and managed to rent a room for a weekly cost, it gives them time to settle and the rooms are often low deposit. If he then wants to move on it gives him time to look around.

Agree with spare room.com

There are several middle aged or older people renting rooms out now the mortgage interest rates have gone up so he could live with someone a bit older or a family so he would have a bit of company/ support on hand.

As others have said, Bristol is expensive. A HMO may work as I believe all bills are included in the rental price.

On the whole Bristol is a safe place to live. The areas round the uni tend to be expensive (Clifton, Redland etc) but I’m not too familiar with other areas. If he’s working in the centre he should be able to travel in from wherever he lives.

I can’t suggest anyone, but would being a lodger be a better first step?

Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Is it a new job? who does he work for, and what level of the apprenticeship is he? He's now been asked to work in the actual city? As part of the apprenticeship? Do they not offer any suggestions or help with arranging accommodation with other apprenticeship employees?

Public transport is limited to buses and taxis in Bristol (no tube or tram system unfortunately).

Yes, but there are many city railway stations - Clifton Down, Redland, Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Bedminster to name but a few!

Which part of Bristol will your ds be working in, op?