moving out of parents - flat advice wanted

[stamp92]

im moving out of my parents soon in the next few months once i get back into work and have a steady income ( i have been studying at college for last 2yrs ). I am getting married in september to a girl from Guatemala and I need to find my wife and myself a flat to live in ( this is part of the requirements of a spouse settlement visa).

can anyone who lives in cardiff/bristol advice me about getting myself accomdation in either places.

i have signed myself up to wales and west housing association but i have heard that their waiting list is very very very long so in the meantime i must find myself privately rented accomdation.

studio flat / 1 bed room flat??
furnished/unfurnished?
best websites/agencies to search for flats in cardiff/bristol?

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by stamp92

im moving out of my parents soon in the next few months once i get back into work and have a steady income ( i have been studying at college for last 2yrs ). I am getting married in september to a girl from Guatemala and I need to find my wife and myself a flat to live in ( this is part of the requirements of a spouse settlement visa).

can anyone who lives in cardiff/bristol advice me about getting myself accomdation in either places.

i have signed myself up to wales and west housing association but i have heard that their waiting list is very very very long so in the meantime i must find myself privately rented accomdation.

studio flat / 1 bed room flat??

- 1 bed if you possibly can. Studios are bad enough for one person, let alone two. We all need a little space.

furnished/unfurnished?

Personally I prefer unfurnished, but if budget is tight, furnished is OK. But you may pay a bigger deposit.

best websites/agencies to search for flats in cardiff/bristol?

Local newspapers are the best. Soemtimes you can find owners advertising rather than agents, which means fewer charges such as agency fees, credit checks and deposits. Good luck!

[Croker]

Originally Posted by stamp92

.

can anyone who lives in cardiff/bristol advice me about getting myself accomdation in either places.

Do you have any sort of budget?

i.e how much are you looking to pay?
Would you prefer the bills and council tax included etc?

[stamp92]

well im thinking of earning abt 650-750 a month

i guess id pay between 250-350 rent a month. 60 council tax...i dont know how much water, gas and electric will cost. 30 a week food ....

i would prefer the bills and council tax included if its better value for money.

[Silent Wings]

Why not check on www.rightmove.co.uk

As I don't know the areas you are talking about I don't know what might be dodgy, but it would give you an Idea of what you'd get for your money......

[Croker]

Originally Posted by stamp92

well im thinking of earning abt 650-750 a month

i guess id pay between 250-350 rent a month. 60 council tax...i dont know how much water, gas and electric will cost. 30 a week food ....

i would prefer the bills and council tax included if its better value for money.

as a sort of yardstick in the cardiff area - you could probably get a self contained flat for about £100/week not including any bills. If you went for shared facilities (bathroom down the passage type of thing) you could get it about 50/60/week Good idea if you can deal with the landlord direct as you could avoid the dreaded letting agents