Student accommodation in West End, Edinburgh

Student houses in Edinburgh’s West End are extremely popular due to the convenient location close to the city centre and campus, the affordability of properties, and the lively, trendy atmosphere.

Edinburgh is generally considered to be a safe city, so you should feel secure living in student accommodation in Edinburgh’s West End as long as you take appropriate and sensible precautions.

Unsurprisingly, the West End of Edinburgh is located on the western edge of Edinburgh's city centre. It is very close to Haymarket.

The University of Edinburgh’s main campus is not located in the West End, but it is only a thirty-minute walk away. The main campus is in Southbridge.

The West End is 1.4 kilometres from Princes Street. It takes approximately twenty minutes to walk there, or you can get there via tram in just over ten minutes.

The University of Edinburgh has halls of residence that house more than 9,000 students. Students will typically live in these halls for their first year, before moving into student accommodation in the West End and the surrounding areas for their second and third years.

Many student houses in the West End are now advertised with bills included in the price. Where this is the case, your rental price could include electricity, gas, internet, TV licence and water bills and this is clearly stated on the listing. Properties without bills included are also available, giving you the flexibility to choose your own energy and water suppliers and internet service provider.

It is normal for property managers to require you to pay a security deposit at the time of booking or before you move in. Where a deposit is required and you are signing a tenancy agreement, your property manager must protect your deposit in a legally recognised tenancy deposit scheme. As long as you look after the property and have no deductions for damage or unpaid rent, your deposit will be returned to you after your tenancy agreement ends. Whilst tenancy deposits are legally capped at five weeks' rent per person, it is more common for student deposits to be in the lower £100-250 range.

The majority of student accommodation in the West End can be rented for fixed contract lengths. For purpose built student accommodation, 43 and 51-week fixed-term contracts are the most common. For shared houses, 52-week contracts are the most common and generally start in July to September.

Short-term student rentals in the West End are becoming more popular every year. As a result, property managers are increasingly offering shorter tenancy lengths, whether for the summer period or for individual semesters and terms. This is more common in the purpose-built student accommodation sector than in shared student rental houses across Edinburgh.