Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Cinnamon]

We need your help!

 

My daughters boyfriend,who is 21 years old & a theatre student,has 9 months or so of work placement starting next month in London,as part of his degree.

The trouble is,after getting this very sought after position,he can't find anywhere to live

Obviously it needs to be cheap....................

Places just don't bother calling/emailing him back & he is getting desperate now - he hasn't even been able to secure a single viewing.

 

Does anyone know of any good sites to find flat or house shares in town,or if there are local papers that might be online,which he can look at too?

He is from Norwich,so doesn't really know the best places to look.

[lizinsa]

1st the good news: well done him! Please pass on my congratulations, London is definitely the place to be for theatre experience

 

2nd the bad news: flat hunting in London is incredibly competitive and made worse in August when students try and find places for September. The Olympics have also created problems as people have sub-let or have done short lets over the summer so it'll be tougher to find somewhere. Having done it many times, he has my sympathies.

 

If I were him I would come down for a few days, does he know anyone whose couch he can crash on? Being there makes it so much easier. The 2 websites I found really useful are spareroom (it's worth paying for) and moveflat. He then needs to contact them on the day the adverts come up. People on there often write about themselves so it's best to write a personal email so you sound genuinely interested rather than a standard reply that they will gets lots of. Gumtree can be useful but I've never really had much success with it.

 

Renting in London is EXPENSIVE! If you live close by, the rents can be astronomical (even for a single room) and if you live further out, you have a long and sometimes costly commute! If he doesn't know London, I would come down and mooch round areas to see what they are like. I also chose where I currently live partly because it is on my bus route to work, so although its quite far, it's a really easy journey.

 

If he has any more questions, please PM and I'll be more than happy to answer them!

[ohcarolina]

As a Landlord I've used Spareroom and have found it excellent. You might find rooms via Gumtree too.

 

You do need to be quick though as they do go almost same day. You never know someone on here might come up with a friend of a friend of a friends friend, child, sibling....

 

Good luck

[Space Chick]

Wouldn't Henley on Thames be commutable to London

 

Get yourself a paying housemate for 9 months

[merlina]

Presumably he's still a registered student so qualifies for student accommodation?

There are a lot of specialist agencies for students (usually based near the various campuses around London)

It's worth browsing round student unions for 'fourth person wanted' type notices

His own University accommodation office should also be able to help

[Cinnamon]

Thanks all

 

He is in fact staying here for a few days if he gets any viewings,as its easy enough to get to London from us.

 

Hadn't thought of the student accommodation thing......................