EMPTY NEST SUPPORT THREAD - PART 4

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DD and her friends secured their house yesterday. There are 5 of them, and a new house came on, and they dashed over to see it, and then straight on to the Letting Agents to confirm they wanted to take it. As they were filling out the forms another group came in wanting the same property, and both groups' details were sent to the Landlord who confirmed they'd let it to DD and her friends. Small matter of immediate deposit of £430 plus agent's fee of £180 (per person). She's given our names and details as guarantors, and says it will just be for her room, not for the whole house! Presume we'll get something through the post soon and will need to check it carefully. She's in Catered Halls this year, which she has really been enjoying, but this should be much cheaper even though it still seems quite expensive.

That sounds about right for what DS was doing in the summer last year, he left it until late and then just slotted in with whoever, and it has worked very well for their household. I wasn't surprised they asked him for a retainer, just that he had to do it so early. The whole thing has been interesting to watch.

DD came home yesterday and went off to her live-in summer job today, so I'm not expecting to see much of her over the summer. She may be home for a week or so before she goes back in September.

I am remarkably relaxed about it considering what a tearful wreck I was when she went off to uni nearly 2 years ago. Amazing what we get used to!

I am slightly jealous my DS's exams don't finish until 10 June..... so he is still busy revising.

DD came home last week but she's working every hour there is so I've barely seen her. She's got the weekend off so she's going back on the train when her shift finished on Friday and the plan is I'll drive up on Saturday afternoon and bring back whatever will fit in my little car, I envisage several trips up and down the M6. Annoyingly her halls are letting returning students leave things in their flats if they'll fit in, or on top of, the cupboards - I'm tempted to phone and negotiate a year's storage

Goinggetstough. I feel your pain. Do doesn't finish till 11th June :-( and he is so disorganised he has no idea what he is doing this summer. omg however it's nothing to do with me, gulp, we are thousands of miles away so there will be no help from us to pack up. He hasn't organised a flat/house for September, he doesn't have a job. Hopefully we will speak to him tonight, he said last time he had some plans but .....
Much as I can't wait to see him (hopefully) I think it's all going to be downhill with lots of stroppy tempers with dh not wanting to fund him for dossing all summer.

DS only started his exams this week and finishes on 10th June. We are expecting to do the big move out a couple of weeks later.

DD3 has an exam today then she's finished although she's not coming home yet. She hss had a bit of a hard time over the past few weeks. Her Grandmother ( my Mum) went into hospital with pneumonia on May 12th and passed away on Saturday. This has affected DD3's concentration which affected her getting one of her big assignments finished properly. She has spoken to her tutor and is now applying for mitigating circumstances. Think it's for consideration for her grades when marking. She has actually done this herself and not asked me or DH for help. Which shows me she is growing up.

mummee.

DD1 is still doing exams and doesn't come back until mid June. Universities / courses have very different timetables don't they?

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isthiscorrect can your DS apply to go in to halls for the 2nd year. That's what DD3 did and she is doing the same for her 3rd year. Her university has a certain amount of halls kept for 2nd and 3rd years.

Isthis, what a pain. DS lucked out by finding a room in a shared flat with some people in the year above. So nothing to do except take over the tenancy from a third year who is leaving and only 7 mins walk to University. He will be paying close to £180 per week + bills, 52 week contract and no fares, for a nice flat and people he likes.

There are lots of private halls in London, however many cater for affluent overseas students and are seriously expensive. You might try the University of London Housing Services website as they have links to several. Equally the LSE housing office is helpful and will be used to overseas parents. The former is advertising single room in a hall in Zone 1 (Rushworth St SE1) for £211pw (£145PW if he is willing to share). Once you have taken out bills, fares (30 mins walk) and the fact you need only book for an academic year, and prices are comparable.

An alternative is to stand for a position on the Hall Committee which should give him a second year in Hall.

Rooms in shared flats will be cheaper still, especially if he does research into transport links and identifies cheaper areas with quick journey times to University. However I would be cautious if he does not have a group to go looking with. When our au pair was looking to move out she saw a lot of depressing illegal sub-lets of Council flats.

Be warned, a London oddity is that you often have to pay a 2 months deposits and six months rent in advance. Really because so many students are from overseas and so can't provide references or guarantors.

Oh mumeeee, what a difficult time for you and for your dd. And how grown up she is in sorting things herself. You must be very proud. I for sure never expected Ds to be as grown up as his is, although I realise my previous post makes him sound like an idiot ;-)
Thanks for your suggestions and assistance Needmore and mumeeee. I would be happy for Ds to apply for halls, and earlier in the year he was thinking to apply for the Hall exec. However that doesn't seem to have happened. We spoke last night and he knows all about the suggestions you offered Needmore. He wants to share with his group. There are 5 of them I think at various London unis. When I mentioned about guarantees he said oh things go so quickly you won't have time to read it! I said well papa won't be guaranteeing then because he will not guarantee the whole flat/ house. Ds says "it's ok, X's father is something senior in real estate". Sigh. I'm not sure that will help in day to day student lets. And I said about your son Needsmore, taking on a 3rd year leaving, seems eminently sensible to me. But hey what do I know? Good luck everyone.

Ah...puts London landlord hat back on. I mainly let to professional sharers, eg those starting first graduate jobs in London employed by name employers, though for the first time am letting one property to overseas students (for silly money, though I suspect they don't care.)

1. Demand for property in September is sky high. Not just students but former students starting work. I love it when a tenancy comes up then because I can charge more.

1. DS thought about sharing with school friends at different London Universities. Trouble is then identifying somewhere which is assessible for everyone and affordable. Certainly if you are looking at Kings/LSE and Imperial.

1. I've been surprised at how much better returns are renting to students. Mainly because they expect to use the living as a bedroom and are happy renting ex-Council or flats above shops. I used to assume it was much harder work and more wear and tear as they are home all day, plus dangers of illegal sub-letting etc. However students now seem to work so hard.

Seriously though, normal notice periods are 2 months. He needs to start looking as soon as he has finished his exams, eg before new graduates have recovered from their hangovers and before first years have their exam results.

mumeeee you must've been so relieved when DD said she'd spoken to her tutors without you having to prompt her.

I'm at London rents. DDs off to Tokyo in August and I've been dreading the extra costs but, according to her, her rent, including bills, will only be £300 pm and it would've been cheaper if she'd room-shared and/or shared a bathroom. I won't truly believe it until I see the contract, although I won't be able to read any of it apart from the kanji for yen.

DS has no accomodation sorted in Oxford and by the time he gets back from the US will only have a few weeks to find something. Just hope it works out.

mumeeee, so sorry to hear about your Mum. You must be so proud of your DD for speaking to her tutor off her own bat.

Thanks all. Those people who were here last year will know that although she is 23 she has Dyspraxia and another learning difficulties which makes her young for her age. We are amazed and very proud of how grown up she is getting.

Notsoskinny figures I am quoting are on the high side. An organised student willing to put a bit of leg work in and use buses ought to be able to find a room for around £100pw. Less if willing to share.

Private student accomodation providers recognise that not all students are organised, and many, especially those living overseas, will pay a premium for their children to live in safe and convenient areas. They price accordingly. Some of this type of accomodation is astonishingly expensive. The illustration for Isthis, was really that sort of fall back she could organise should her son not get his act together.

DS was in quite expensive University of London Halls. We were lazy and said he could have the same budget for his second year. We are lucky we can afford a choice, so he has been able to join a flat with overseas students, within a short walk of his University. The sort of location which would be really popular for new graduates working long hours at investment banks on huge salaries.

Yet rental returns on London property are often less than elsewhere. I looked up DS' flat on Zoopla, in part to check that it was legitimate and not a council tenant illegally sub-letting. A three bedroom ex-Council flat is worth £750,000. You could get a castle in other parts of the Country.

mumeee so sorry to hear about your mum. My dad died in January just as ds was starting semester1 exams. He put in an 'exceptional circumstances' form with a GP letter to back it up and his uni were very helpful.

Can't believe we are at the end of another academic year. Ds is moving house in a few weeks but the actual move date is while he is away on a compulsory field course. We will therefore be bringing ALL his stuff home and then carting it ALL back to the new house when he returns

Oh dear. DD has flu and is being violently sick. She will miss two exams and has filled out the forms online.

Is this likely to cause problems? What do universities do in this situation?

DD3 emailed student services when she was applying for mitigating circumstances. They assigned her a lady to deal with everything. Anyway she had to write a letter and say what evidence she was providing and when she could get it to her. She had to put on the envelope what assignments it affected. She had to go in person to give the envelope in it was a special one she had to pick up first. Anyway I was allowed to email a scanned copy of the original certificate to the person who is dealing with DD3's case.
You DD will probably need to provide a sick note or letter from her Doctor.
She also needs to find out the Dead line for applying for special circumstances is. DD3's deadline is Friday June 5th. She has got everything in now so we just have to wait and see.

Thanks Mumeeee. She had already e mailed and filled out their forms. The university staff concerned seem to be really on the ball. She rang the doctor who confirmed flu but she doesn't have a doctors note and hasn't been asked for one. I wonder if she should get one, but tricky as she isn't really able to go out.

Apparently they are fine with her doing the exams in August instead. Shame for her as it will wipe out the summer holidays a bit, but is for the best as she hasn't kept anything down for two days now.

If she hasn't been asked for a Doctor"s note that should be fine. Especially as she can take the exams in August.
DD3 was asked to provide evidence as she was applying for mitigating circumstances because her Grandmother's death affected an assignment she was supposed to be demonstrating and an exam. She did both as too late to pull out but didn't go well. The university will now consider this when marking.

Spoke to dd on fb last night. She has a week to go and is fed up.
Just waiting for last essay back to get final grade, so fingers crossed.
She has enjoyed the course but is struggling with flatmates a nd said she wishes she could do the year again in another flat-sob
think they need a break from each other. A few of ghem have real issues from the past and dd finds this difficult. This is the real world and I guess shes lucky that she and her college friends have fairly stable lives.
Feeling really anxious for her as she is desperate for a certain grade. Just want her home now.

Fingers crossed that she gets the grade she wants friday.

My dd is still ill but has stopped being sick. University happy for her to take the exams in August / September and she is looking on the positive side in that it will keep her language skills going through the holiday. The downside is that we may be on holiday (depending on the exact date) but her lovely Grandad has stepped in and said he will take her back to university if necessary.

Hope it all works out for her.