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Private rented accommodation
With four universities and over 100,000 students studying in the city, Edinburgh has plenty of private accommodation available to students.
Unfortunately, we can't arrange private accommodation on your behalf as flatmates/landlords prefer to meet prospective tenants before signing a Tenancy Agreement.
The shortest tenancy in private leased flats is 6 months.
Finding private rented accommodation
Useful websites to visit are:
- Studentpad – website for students looking for rooms, flats or flatmates.
- Accommodation for Students – website for students looking for rooms or flats.
- Letting Web – a letting agency offering private rented accommodation in Edinburgh.
- City Lets – a letting agency offering private rented accommodation in Edinburgh.
- Landlord Accreditation Scotland – the accreditation scheme for landlords in Scotland.
Where to stay
Map of Edinburgh showing the best places to live (click to enlarge)
The best places to stay are on the west of the city, in areas such as Haymarket, Dalry, Gorgie, Chesser, Slateford, Currie, Juniper Green and Balerno.
If you are using public transport to get the campus, then you should look for a property on the 25, 34 or 45 Lothian Buses routes.
Costs
You can expect to pay £275 – £330 per room or £475 – £575 for a 1 bedroom flat.
These prices do not include bills, so make sure you budget for these in addition to your rent. The cost of your bills will depend on the kind of property, type of heating and the type of windows. (If you'd prefer to pay for your accommodation and bills all together, you should consider private student-only accommodation, which usually includes all living costs in the same way as halls of residence.)
Finding a flatmate
There are several ways you can find a flatmate to help share the cost of living in a privately rented property:
- Visit the Student Support & Accommodation Office to look through the "Flatmates" folder, which contains details and contact information of students who are looking for flatmates. You can also complete a form yourself and send it to us for inclusion in the folder.
- Attend the Accommodation Office's information session at the start of each semester to meet other students who are looking for accommodation. (Events are advertised in the student enewsletters.)
- Post an advert on the message board on Studentpad.
- Check if Bryant Residential Services has any rooms available in their private rented flats.
More information
Download our Flats for rent guide to find out more about our private rented accommodation and to see a checklist of things you should consider when looking for a flat to rent.