Oxford student housing

[funnyperson]

Where is the best place to find a pleasant student house in Oxford: Large light rooms, large kitchen, heating which works, clean functional showers, period property, safe neighbourhood, walking/cycling distance to Parks Road. How much would normally be paid? Or is anything decent college owned?

funnyperson the Wadhamites almost all live in Cowley, there's a herd mentality, so would your DD be happy elsewhere? Other colleges congregate down there too. Hurst St and James St are favourites and it's very sociable but on the physical side of the properties you may have to do as I've done and seriously lower your sights - some houses are dreadful. It's a real shame that there's rarely any living room to relax in as the landlords designate it as a fifth or sixth bedroom. But the kitchens are large and they put a sofa in at the end and that becomes the hub of the house, just a bit squished.

The key is to get together with four or five like-minded friends and start looking now, with a view to securing a lease before Christmas. The nicest places go early. Premier proved relatively good as agents and if possible it's best to find a house which is actually managed by agents as opposed to simply let by them as there are always repairs and issues to sort and some landlords are bad.

I know that oxford brookes accomodation office hold listings of lots of privately rented houses which are mostly off the cowley rd. Larger houses are on divinity rd (busier traffic though) or Southfield rd (quieter). I guess you are looking for next summer in which case you should find something nice. Many of the houses on Morrell Avenue have been nicely renovated too and will be around 100 a week (I think).

I'll second Hurst and James street suggestion too. Oxford students tend to be drawn more to the iffley rd side of cowley. I think that you would be right in saying that all the large, light houses north of oxford would be college owned unless you look in and around walton street or in the new housing development just north of walton. HTH

Thank you - I had to look up HTH ( hope that helps)! Yes it does- The Cowley road seems a long road and there are hundreds of houses available for 'student lets' in the area. Its a long way from libraries etc though. I was thinking of Jericho as it seemed pleasant but yellowstone you are right about the herd mentality. I want to try and help them find a really nice sunny house- thanks for the tip about being managed by agents.

Well if a sunny garden helps then morrell ave houses have larger gardens If I remember correctly. Do you know Oxford at all? How are you dealing with 'they'? Are they going into first yr and straight into a house - am a bit confused?

I'm pretty sure that funnyperson is helping her DD and her DD's friends find a house for their second year. Funny they're going to love you if you do as much for your DD's house as your done for your DS's! I shall ask specifics of mine funny, and see if there are any especially sought after houses in that area. DD1 liked hers and DD2 seems to like hers just as much, but I'm personally underwhelmed by them both.

I think Somerville tends to go down to Jericho and I much prefer it, but mine just went with the flow.

Yes, I'm trying to help DD and friends find a house for their second year ie next September. Its just that this term seems to be whizzing by and there aren't that many (packed) weekends left to find a house before the holidays start- thanks, yes any advice/pointers/specific houses are appreciated but the main things are; for DD to be safe; then for her to be comfortable and happy. The thought of her spending one of three precious years in a scary dark damp place doesn't appeal, as you can imagine. I don't know Oxford well. DD has a bike (my own old very nice Claude Butler as it happens) which she can ride.

Jericho is nice - but by far the best way to find a house (in my ancient out-of-date experience) is to find someone in the college already living in a decent one and bag it, quickly. Jericho houses tend to be smaller, so smaller group required, which makes life easier.

What college / department? There are some nice (by Oxford student standards) generally Somerville-occupied houses in Jericho, but since their new accomodation should be ready for next year (or is it already?) there would be less demand from them. Convenient for Engineering and (to a lesser extent) Chemistry.

My second year house was pretty grotty - out on Iffley Road, and convenience for the river was about all it had going for it, but that was important to me at the time.

I completely understand the worry about safety as well as the idea of a precious year - the years vanish, not just the terms.

In terms of safety, all one can do is take comfort in the statistics, that the overwhelming majority of students survive their year out unharmed. These streets in Cowley really are student ghettos, which provides a safety all of its own. I like other areas more, especially Jericho and North Oxford, but to not live in Cowley carries the real risk of isolating a student whose college peers tend to all live that way.

It seems the best thing to do is go with it, find the best house you can, make the best of that house, and cross your fingers for coming high up the housing ballot for the third year - which should produce a room on the front quad and a shower!

And also to realise that many students do actually like the experience, even if their mothers can't quite see why!

Premier does seem a reasonable agent. Its student list comes out anytime now. If your DD seizes on the list and she and her friends go and view asap, they should do ok. You ask for large rooms, but there's always a mix, since the houses are old. Most have long thin gardens and all can be cleaned up and prettified - whether they then stay that way is up to the students!

I'm not sure there's a much better option. Mine are clear that they'd hate to have been away from everyone else.

Abingdon Road is good (at least it was 20-odd years ago when I lived out there) - cheaper than Jericho and less dodgy than Cowley Rd. If your dd has a bike then easy to get to college, libraries etc.

Wadham is on Parks Road which is northish.
What about prevailing winds and so forth? Somewhere along the line I have picked up that in strange towns it is always best to live in the north west/central areas as in the UK the prevailing winds cause the southern/eastern areas of towns to suffer from air pollution.

Presumably Oxford has its deprived areas the same as any other city, where it is less safe for young girls in various states of inebriation/coming back from the library to wander around. There is a town/gown divide isn't there, so all the more reason to want somewhere safe - DD, though normally sociable, has been relatively sheltered and isn't that street wise. I totally get the point about wanting to be with other students from the same college. I don't know why I assumed there would be lots of picturesque old edwardian or similar buildings which some batty old lady rented out to students from time immemorial.

funny I've certainly heard that to be the rule of thumb in Eastern Europe!

The houses in Cowley are Edwardian, for the most part. Or Victorian. Some at least must have batty old lady landladies. I completely share your concerns but these girls are strong minded and have a habit of knowing what it is they prefer to do.

I personally like the Iffley side of Cowley far better than I do the Abingdon Rd., but each to his own. It's a nicer bike ride to college apart from anything else (down the Iffley Rd., roundabout by Magdalen, Longwall St etc. - 10 mins?). On late nights out they tend to share taxis rather than bike or walk.

It's difficult. Mine are very unLondony/ uncityish if that's any help. I'm now trying to convince you in order to mollify myself....

Honestly off Cowley rd is fine from a safety point of view, I'd not go any further out than divinity Rd/magdalen Rd, it does start to get rougher/less studently beyond there. Yes most of the houses are poorly maintained but provided it is safe (ie gas elec certs etc) then it's only a year. I lived off Cowley Rd in my 2nd year and it was great fun, the house was a dump but we had a great time there.

Jericho is lovely yes but v expensive and houses small and poky. Off Abingdon Rd houses are similar to off Cowley Rd but generally a bit better maintained however there is nothing to do by way of restaurants/pubs etc so your dd would end up going onto town loads and it's quite a trek also much quieter going back late at night. Cowley Rd there are always lots of students around.

West Oxford (botley Rd) is ok but quiet and more 'town' and often
floods!

The 'town' 'gown' thing I never found to be an issue especially in terms of living there, it's more lads from surrounding villages/towns coming in on a fri/sat night that tend to cause the trouble!

On agencies - some are v dodgy and others are a rip off. Decent houses do go v v quickly though so you/your dd should get on as many agents lists as possible and then you'll get the housing list when it's released. Second the advice above about finding people in year above who have a good house - that's how we got ours.

Try not to worry too much though, I'm sure your dd will have a great time living out (though I'm sure I'll worry when Ds is old enough to do that!)

You really don't have to worry about the whole town /gown thing, I've never heard of any real issues there. (in this century at least!) Cowley Rd not as far as it looks, especially by bike!

Argh, posted too quickly. "No go" areas in Oxford are generally further out and tend to be council estate areas: Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Barton... there are others, but those are the biggest.

Oh well, DD appears to want to live in Cowley with friends. One of whom I disctinctly feel is unsuitable and far too extrovert. Sometimes I wonder why I (having had a shy geeky childhood) don't have a shy geeky DD. I also wonder how on earth it is possible to do work and socialise to the extent that she does. Anyway, she's looking for a 6 bed house in Cowley.

distinctly

I don't think that students ever find their way to the really insalubrious parts of Oxford. All the student areas are as safe as anywhere. Is she at Somerville? (if so, hurrah!) Jericho is obviously convenient and trendy but expensive. How about Osney Island? It's just beyond the train station so a little bit further our but no worse than the Cowley/Iffley road and much more charming

Just noticed that she seems to have opted for Cowley. If she means the Cowley Rd, that is fine. If she means Cowley itself, that is not- miles out and a bit rough.

I agree with whoever said that the best way of finding a house is to bag it from the existing incumbents. They're almost all pretty grotty; but at least most have central heating these days .....

No, Wadham.

Cowley road area

I would like her to live in Summertown/Jericho and go to the law society ball, the rag ball and play nice classical music in the orchestra, and get engaged to someone from Christchurch/New/Balliol doing economics and management or law or possibly medicine.
DD prefers to live off the Cowley Rd in Iffley fields, go to queerbop or whatever they call it, and thinks the only acceptable college is Wadham. If someone proposed (and a few have) she would probably be really embarrassed for them and turn them down in order to live the life of Riley/travel the world/do postgraduate research. Though she is a fan of Kate and Wills I doubt that she will be sharing a house with anyone destined to be her future husband as the friendship group literally seems to be the group they were put in for the freshers treasure hunt. Which is nice.

Oxford is stonkingly expensive now. Many of the old run down student houses we lived in 25 yrs ago now sell for £1 - 2 million. Even Jericho is expensive. Summertown used to be a place you lived if you were desperate as a student - now its full of middle class families squeezed out of the better parts of town.

I think you need to look much further a field than North Oxford or go for purpose built college accomadation. If she can get a small college room in town go for it.

funnyperson your prevailing wind concept is completely correct! Heavy industry has always developed downwind of the original city, and Oxford is no exception: the Morris / BL factories were all in Cowley, downwind of the city. The only exception I can think of is Belfast - no surprise there...

Cowley Road is really not very far out (well not the bit students congregate in, especially by bike).
An old non-flashy bike is best. Wadham isn't really "north" at all, I'd only call St Hugh's that really, and there is a nice cut through towards the Cowley Road right by it.