Worried about my son who can’t find anywhere to live.

[justacastle]

(nc for this)
DS finished university and has spent 18 months applying for jobs (450+). A few interviews who say they recruited internally or need someone with more experience (that old chestnut). Most just never reply. We live in London.

He finally gets a job but it’s in Oxfordshire. The company will let him stay at their accommodation (usually for customers) for a maximum of two weeks.

He cannot find any accommodation after this time. He has tried spare room app but when he gets a response people are asking for females only or more often there is no reply. He messages them a couple more times but nothing.

He doesn’t drive but willing to walk/cycle. He does have T1 diabetes so that is a consideration with distance.

He then put an ‘I’m looking for’ ad another site and a woman contacted him to say that, following throat surgery, she would be renting out her 2 bed house and moving in with family. It looked amazing and the woman said that the bills & council tax. A 25 minute walk to work. Paid the holding fee and arranged viewing for Sunday (he starts work on Monday).

DS was excited about job & house finally the months of angst were coming to an end.

So this morning he received an email from the lady saying that the rental company (?) wanted an extra £750 deposit before they would let him view the property. She said that she would pay £500 but he would need to pay another £250.

DS asked who this company was (not found on companies house) and their contact details so he could discuss it with them. She replied that they ’do not speak to prospective tenants’.

She also sent him her passport details by email as proof of her identity. Trouble was that the Passport had a spelling mistake in her name 🙄 🚩

Bank notified & they’re dealing with it.

Big problem is now DS is starting work on Monday but will have nowhere to live by the end of the month. As it’s quite a tourist area the Airbnbs and bed & breakfasts are thousands. He’s on the list at local estate agents but he has no salary history yet. They are really out of his price range but we’ll help him.

Just as an aside UC have paid him nothing for months, just the odd £15 here and there.

He’s desperately worried that he will lose his job.

Any ideas folks?
I’m so sorry for the long post.

Would the company help him financially to get a bed and breakfast or something till he finds a proper place?

Is there any accommodation in nearby towns on the train line so he can commute?

Can you narrow down the area slightly - nearest town?
A lot of spare rooms are taken up with language students close to Oxford itself over the summer.

Has he tried posting on local community groups on Facebook? I see them now and again.

How many people work at the company? Do they have an intranet where he could post that he is looking for a house share/room as a lodger?

He wont lose his job. He can stay airbnb temporarily.
He just needs to go month by month and reach out on the company noticeboards
And do not fall for scams!
Try to stay calm for his sake.

Is it possible to carry on living at home and commute to Oxfordshire? My dd is doing this the other way around. She has a job in London and commutes from home. It’s about 1.5/2 hours each way.

That's what happened to me in a similar scenario years ago. Couple of times actually. Put me in a cheap Hotel for a while. Another time it was a B&B, and I done a deal with the owners for an extended stay till I found a rental.

He did ask about relocation packages and they offered the temporary accommodation. He will ask again once he’s started.

He has looked at nearby towns but the transport is awful. A 15 minute car journey is 2 or 3 buses and a walk taking over 2 hours.

It’s Wallingford, Oxfordshire

For now can he commute on Monday morning and stay 4 nights in a travelodge or similar b and b type place and travel home Friday evening?

I agree once he is in and settled he can ask colleagues about rooms to rent and if they do t people will know people.

Well Done him for persevering and securing the role.

Possibly but he can’t do anything until he starts on Monday. I’m hoping that they have some contacts.

Cheapest premier Inn or similar a bit further out if necessary in the short term. Once he has started in post he asks around at work - someone at work may know of a room going spare even if on a temp basis while he looks for something more permanent.

If its a largish company maybe someone there might have a spare room for a lodger on a short term basis?

But the cost of the Airbnb etc is huge! He’s only on a low wage and won’t get paid until end of September.

My mum and her husband had a lodger at one point, the chap worked with one of them. He was away at weekends .

Has he looked at any Monday - Friday options?

I assume the job is in his chosen career etc and isn’t just a job because he needs a job?

Really feeling for you OP.
Accomodation is crazy.
I am actually wondering if this the reason the company had difficulty recruiting.
He needs to talk to HR and explain the situation.
I had similar (in Tokyo) years ago, so completely sympathise.
The company needs to help him with this.

So nearby towns are a pain - but possible. So worse case scenario is he has to get two or three buses (or bike?) for a couple of months till he gets something nearer. Or he does an intensive driving course and gets a car….

Are their any Uni's or student accommodation nearby? I stayed in a short term let over the summer in Norwich which was usually UEA student accommodation. Had to be out by September 1st mind you, but it might be 2 weeks breathing space.

The other benefit was that it was really reasonably priced compared to other options.

There's this Facebook page for Wallingford but the average rent for a double room is £750 per month. He's undoubtedly already looking at it but maybe worth another try OP.

https://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/oxfordshire/wallingford?miles_from_max=1

Has he looked at didcot? Easy bus ride (no changes) and should be plenty available accomodation

Any caravan sites around? They might let him negotiate a long term let that would give him a few months wiggle room.

Wallingford is lovely. This idea is a bit out there but I’ve known it done before (temporarily) for someone who was desperate.
There is a lovely camping site within walking distance of the town. It’s a good small site with clean toilets and showers. He could consider there whilst he finds something else.
I also think there is a permanent static caravan site in Wallingford. Might be worth looking to see if they have any units to rent.
I hope he gets sorted - it’s a nightmare getting a job so he’s done well.

m.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/oxfordshire/didcot