Practical English

Finding Accommodation
Plan For Today
• Warnings
• Vocabulary for finding
accommodation
• Places to find accommodation
• Telephone Calls
• Taking accommodation

• We know some of you have got

accommodation already, but things can
change and you might have to move.
Please be patient and use this as a
chance to improve your English speaking
and writing!
 Warnings!!!

• If you are looking for private accommodation, there are a couple of things you need to be aware
of:

• If you look on websites, make sure that you always go and see a flat before you pay anyone any
money. There have been scams in which people pose as landlords, put an advert online (with
pictures and everything) and ask people to put money down before viewing the flat (for
example, because the flat is so popular, they claim). These flats then turned out not to
exist/already be let out etc. So NEVER EVER pay anyone any money before you have seen that a
flat really exists and is free.

• Secondly, do not pay your landlord large amounts of rent in advance of signing a lease.

• “…you cannot be asked to pay the rent before the start of the rental period to which it
relates. If the rental period is longer than six months, you cannot be required to pay
earlier than six months before the end of the rental period”.
(http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-
Environment/Housing/privaterent/landlords/money/tenantsmoney, accessed 07/09/2015)

• In other words, don’t pay any rent before your lease starts.

• Some landlords can ask you to pay a year’s rent. This is legal. However, be careful paying this.
Remember, you still need to pass your language exam in order to continue at University and
stay in Edinburgh!! If you want to be safe, do not sign a long term lease until you have your
language exam results. Once you are in a contract you cannot get out of it (and, therefore, you
are paying rent!) unless you find someone to take over your lease.
 What is Your
Accommodation Like in
Your Home Country?

• Do you live in a house or a flat?

• How many rooms does it have? What kind of
rooms?
• Is there a garage? A garden?
• What are the local amenities like? e.g. shops,
parks, transport.
 Flat Wanted

• Get into pairs and look at the words on the next slide. Do
you know all the vocabulary? Which words do you not
know?

• With a partner, write a short ‘Flat Wanted’ advert for a flat

in Edinburgh using some of this vocabulary. A ‘Flat Wanted’
advert is a paragraph which gives details of the
accommodation that you would like.

• Here is an example: I am looking for a three-bedroom flat

near Craiglockhart. The flat should be fully furnished with
single-rooms and double-glazing.
Gas Central Heating
Studio flat
Flat Double-room

Apartment Single-room

House Three-bedroom

(Fully / Part / Un ) Furnished

Bedsit

Double-glazing
 Flat Wanted –
Abbreviations

• Look at the abbreviations (shortened forms of words) on the

next page
• With your partner, replace some of the words in your ‘Flat
Wanted’ advert with the abbreviation
• For example, if you wrote
‘I am looking for a three-bedroom flat’
change this to
‘I am looking for a 3-BED flat’
 Abbreviations
• PCM - Per Calendar Month
• GCH - Gas Central Heating
• N/S - Non Smoking
• GF - Ground Floor Flat
• DG - Double Glazing
• FUR - Furnished
• FF (F/F) - Fully Furnished (or Fully Fitted Kitchen)
• UF (U/F) - Unfurnished
• DBL - Double Room
• SNG - Single room
• LRG - Large Room
• BED - Bedroom
• HMO - House of Multiple Occupancy
http://www.napier.ac.uk/napierlife/accommodation/Documents/Private%20Sector%20Accommodation%20Brochure2010
.pdf
A Real ‘Flat for Rent’
Advert
Ashley Place, £800 PCM
3 Bedrooms - Available now
12/6 Ashley Place, Leith, EH6 5PX
Spacious bright 2nd floor flat.
Lounge, kitchen/ diningroom, 3
double bedrooms, bathroom with
shower, DG, GCH, Communal
garden, HMO licensed. Suitable for
professionals and students.

From the property website of Hadden Rankin (solicitors and estate agents)
http://www.haddenrankin.com/let-at-hrpm/properties-to-
let.aspx?page=2&sort=none&maxrent=100000&minrooms=0&thearea=
Edinburgh City
Centre
 Areas to Look For

• Tollcross
• Fountainbridge
• Leith (far away)
• Gorgie
• Dalry
• Bruntsfield (more expensive)
• Marchmont (more expensive)
• Morningside (more expensive)
• Polwarth (more expensive)
• Newington (more expensive)
 Telephoning in the UK

Talk to someone you do not know!

• What are the potential

problems of
communicating in English
by telephone?

• What can you do to make

telephone communication
easier?
 Telephone Tips
What Can You Do?
• Please! Sorry! Thank you!
• Slower speech will make it easier for your listeners
• Speak in short sentences
• Pauses are fine
• Make a quick note of questions you want to ask. For
example:
– Is the flat still available?
– Do I have to pay any rent in advance?
– How much is the rent per month?
– Does the flat have an HMO license?
 Accommodation
Questions
• What is important to you when choosing accommodation?

• What things should you look for when viewing accommodation?

• What things should you look for in the documents you sign to
rent a property?

• What should you do if you are unhappy with something to do

with your accommodation?
What To Look For...
• Locality
• Amenities
• External appearance
• Internal appearance e.g. signs of
mould or damp.

• For Safety...
• Go with a friend to view a flat; do
not go on your own
• Is the area well-lit?
• Locks?
• Smoke alarms?
• Gas safety certificate?
 Landlord
Registration Scheme

•All private landlords should

be registered to show they
are a good standard

•Details of landlords
registered are found on:
www.landlordregistrationsco
tland.gov.uk
 Contracts should
include:
• Length of tenancy – start date and finish date
• How to end the contract e.g. You give 1 month written
notice
• Rent - when and how to pay
• Information about the deposit (usually = 1 month’s rent).
• Other special clauses. For example:
– no smoking
– no subletting
– no pets Short Assured Tenancy
– no redecorating
– no blue-tack on walls.
 Contracts
• If you are renting privately you need to CHECK YOUR
CONTRACT. Many contracts require 1-2 months
notice IN WRITING to leave, or else you will not get
your deposit back.
• Contracts are difficult. Let one of the teaching staff
check it if you are not sure.
• If you want to apply for University accommodation
keep in touch with April.
• DO NOT be homeless. We are here to help. If you are
stuck please tell us.
 Inventory

• ‘Inventory’ = a flat content list. Every flat should have one.

• Check the inventory when you move in, before you sign it.
• An inventory should also note any damage (e.g. stains on
carpets)
• If there is no inventory, create one. Sign and date it, send a
copy to the landlord, and keep one yourself.
 Inventory

• If you ever need (legal) advice on anything

property related, Shelter Scotland is a charity
(i.e. free) that deals with housing. On their
website you can also find example inventories
you can use if your landlord doesn’t provide
one.
 Renting websites
• Letting web

• www.lettingweb.com/flats-to-rent/edinburgh

• Rightmove

• https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Edinburgh-City-Centre.html

Zoopla

https://www.zoopla.co.uk

Citylets:

https://www.citylets.co.uk/flats-rent-edinburgh
 Homework

•Find a suitable property to

rent as soon as you can!

•Tell others in your class

and on the course what
you did to find that
property!
Questions?