Can anyone offer any advice on finding a house in Oxford for 9 months?

[Flowerface]

DH has a visiting fellowship at the University and is very excited, but I am in a state of quiet terror as a quick survey of some letting agents indicates that Oxford is fiendishly expensive. We will have two DC, aged 3 and 3ish months (the second one isn't born yet) and I have visions of us being stranded in a bedsit 20 miles outside Oxford while DH dons and gown and goes to drink port with the great and good.

Does anyone have any advice? I had assumed that the university would be helpful but they have just pointed us in the direction of the student listings (which isn't generally family accommodation). I had naively assumed that some professor would be helpfully leaving for sabbatical in Japan for the year and bequeathing us his house, but I fear that this may not happen...

... dons a gown...

You're right, it is expensive. Thankfully for you, you don't have to worry about schools! What's your budget like for rent? Do you drive or do you use public transit? Avoid student lets like the plague, they will probably be unsuitable for children.

If you wish to rent privately, check out the listings on dailyinfo.co.uk

I agree with InvaderZim, but you could also try the listings section at the back of the Oxford Gazette - if someone is going on sabbatical for a year, they're most likely to advertise it here. The link is:
www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2011-2012/
and once you've clicked on an issue, you need to go to 'advertisements'. You could even put an ad in yourself to find somewhere if you fancy. The Gazette comes out once a week in term time, but goes quiet in the holidays. While you're in the 'advertisements' section, have a look at the Ox Uni Newcomers' Club ad - they might be able to help.

You could also check out the accommodation office - they don't have anywhere for visiting academics, but they do have a register of private landlords, and they might be able to give you some advice. They're really nice. Link is
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/accommodation/

Hope that helps - I don't mind if you want to send a message to my inbox if you need any more help (I don't check the threads here every day)

Thanks very much both.

Our budget is about £750/month (our current mortgage in inexpensive Wales!), but my quick review of letting agents indicates that this won't cover a two bedroom house - these seem to be at least £900... We do have a car, though only one, so I suppose one us would have to get public transport...

I am starting to wonder whether we will have to live somewhere else entirely and DH commute in...

There are plenty of nearby towns which are easily bussable into Oxford - Abingdon and Kidlington spring straight to mind. There ought to be other folk lurking around this forum who could advise better than I...

You could also live in a "less desirable" part of Oxford. My friends were recently renting out their 3 bed semi in Blackbird Leys for £750 a month. Now they live there again.

Is he attached to a college? A number of the colleges have "married accommodation", which is usually 1/2/3 bed flats. We lived in one for a year, it was cheap, clean and central. If DH is to be in Medical Sciences, the hospital has married accommodation which is also relatively cheap (by Oxford standards, anyway) which might be an option.
If you do have to privately rent, definitely stay away from student lets, they are grotty and expensive. Outside the ring road is cheaper than inside. We rented in Risinghurst, 5 yrs ago now, but paid about £700 pcm for 3 bed then. Bit of a trek into city centre from there (whereabouts will DH be based, if in a department outside city centre, you might want to live nearer that anyway?), but easy enough on the bus.
If you live in Oxford, you should only need 1 car (I don't have one, DC and I bike or bus everywhere, we only use the family car at weekends for occasional outings).

If you DH is attached to a college I would definitely contact the about accommodation, even if e college doesn't have it's own it may be able to get you into another colege's via the central horse trading. They are very cheap, and quite pleasant, and very very central on the whole. Definitely ask.

try "gumtree" as they offer a section on short term furnished lets. Good luck.