Student accommodation

[Ineedcoffeenow]

DD is at uni in Edinburgh and is currently looking for private rented accommodation with friends. I’m not sure what the rules are regarding the length of time for tenancies. I think I’ve read that they all are based on a month by month basis so she wouldn’t need to pay for accommodation over the summer. Can anyone help?

Mine is in the same situation in Glasgow and starting to look at flats for second year. Most are available from end of June which means they would have to pay over the summer.

Tenancies in Scotland are essentially open-ended. The tenant must give 28 days’ notice to leave, and the landlord must give 28 days (up to six months) or 84 days (after six months). The landlord must have grounds for eviction at any point, for example wanting to sell the property or the tenant being in rent arrears of at least three months.

The landlord wanting to rent the flat to tourists in the summer is not acceptable grounds for eviction, so the onus would be on your DD and flatmates to give the appropriate notice.

Are you sure she doesn’t want to stay over summer and work, including at the Festivals? Seems a shame to miss the full Edinburgh experience!

No, she’s doesn’t want to stay. She’d be on her own the whole time as her flatmates won’t be staying.

In law it's the 28 days notice described above. But in practice most student properties become available in June so if you were to wait for a let starting in Sept it will be very slim pickings. The Edinburgh rental market is brutal!
Some properties do come up later because the landlords want to cash in on short term lets for the festival but in general student private rentals become available in early summer when the current cohort leave or move.

Your DD might be able to find someone to sublet over the summer (my DD sublet from friends of friends for 2 summers as stayed in uni accommodation term time). My DD found it easy to get summer work in Edinburgh so she might be happy to stay. Even if other flatmates aren’t around there are plenty of young travellers (especially Aus/NZ/HK) working the festivals. DD actually had a good social life even when no one in the flat.

Agree with PP about less choice in early September. DDs BF and engineering mates left it until September to save money as they were on placements and ended up in an expensive hovel miles away.

If they take on a private tenancy it is for an indefinite period, not monthly, with a month’s notice period. You can’t just come and go though. If she doesn’t want to pay over the summer you can either try to sublet(but the market is pretty hit and miss judging by openrent and fb group meadowshare) or wait until nearer the time to look as properties available in September will be advertised from June/July onwards. Is staying over the summer and working in a seasonal job an option?

No, she doesn’t want to stay over the summer as she’d be entirely on her own. While she gets on with her flatmates, they’re not great friends, whereas she has some very strong friendships at home.

Technically, you are right, they don't have to take a tenancy over the summer.

But she (or her flatmates) will find that most places get snapped up by June (if not sooner) so they risk not being able to find anywhere if they wait until Autumn

Many thanks.

I have another question! When’s the best time to be searching for accommodation? They’ve been looking, but most places (bar one) are only available now.

Start End of May/Beginning of June. Ask around final years on your course to see if anyone is giving up something good. Agents are generally lazy so if there if previous tenants say they know people interested they go with them.

Your dc needs to be looking, from April/May onwards. Usually viewings are very quick turn arounds. Quite useful to make friends in other years who may be moving on and releasing properties. If Uof E they have their own rental arm via Domus. Otherwise try openrent, rightmove, facebook groups like Meadowshare, register with agents.

thank you! Looks like they need to wait a little longer. She’s at Napier so they’re looking around Fountainbridge and Bruntsfield — around the Merchiston campus.

Her best bet would be to find a flat of students who are moving out this year and take the lease over from them. The agents prefer this way to as it saves them having to market and do viewings. There are fewer and fewer rentals coming up each year. If she waits for a Sept lease she may not find anything at all in those areas.