# Moving to Bristol



## psycherelic (Jan 3, 2006)

I'm finishing uni in wonderful stoke-on-trent this summer and am quite keen to go somewhere (anywhere!) else. For a while we thought about manchester, but weren't sure so then we considered brighton, dublin, sheffield, berlin, and all kinds of other places.

Two poeople have both randomly suggested moving to bristol to me and mrs psycherelic, so I though maybe I should looking into it. 

Where are good areas to live in bristol for a young couple who want to be somewhere near the action but don't have bags of cash and a fancy job in marketing? Is it all as expensive as I'm lead to belive?

Where is good for finding out about Bristol and exciting things happening there?

ta very much potential new neighbours!


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## WasGeri (Jan 3, 2006)

It depends how near to town you want to be - not many areas 'near the action' are likely to be cheap. Cheapest parts of town tend to be south or east of the city centre, and a couple of miles out, anywhere closer tends to be a bit more pricy.

For houses/flats check out the Bristol Evening Post, for things to do, Venue magazine is your best bet (it's a weekly 'what's on' guide).


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## kalidarkone (Jan 3, 2006)

psycherelic said:
			
		

> I'm finishing uni in wonderful stoke-on-trent this summer and am quite keen to go somewhere (anywhere!) else. For a while we thought about manchester, but weren't sure so then we considered brighton, dublin, sheffield, berlin, and all kinds of other places.
> 
> Two poeople have both randomly suggested moving to bristol to me and mrs psycherelic, so I though maybe I should looking into it.
> 
> ...





Hiya  

I can vouch for Easton as I live here and have done for the past 9 years- I live in the posh end mind!!  
There is lots going on art wise, politicaly and places to drink and dance on your doorstep with out having to venture into town. Easton is also pretty culturaly diverse-for Bristol   and there is good food shopping to be had-a mix of health and ethnic gastro delights.

The best thing to do is to come to the bristol mash up in Feb then you can have a good look around  http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=136801

Also I love Bristol cos its close the country and not far to London,Brum, Devon and Cornwall- the best nearest beach is prob a half hour drive... and of course there are lots of lovely urbies here


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## Sunspots (Jan 3, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> For houses/flats check out the Bristol Evening Post, for things to do, Venue magazine is your best bet (it's a weekly 'what's on' guide).



Bristol Evening Post

Venue


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 3, 2006)

psycherelic said:
			
		

> Is it all as expensive as I'm lead to belive?


In terms of accommodation yes - you'll be looking at about £600 a month to rent somewhere even in the cheap bits.
Everything else (except perhaps transport) is as cheap or expensive as you make it.
Oh and wages (if you're temping or doing menial shite) are also crap.


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 3, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> you'll be looking at about £600 a month to rent somewhere even in the cheap bits.



or half that if you score a council or housing association flat


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## astral (Jan 3, 2006)

psycherelic said:
			
		

> I'm finishing uni in wonderful stoke-on-trent this summer



Same move that I made two years ago, god was I glad to get out of Stoke.  Most of Bristol is lovely after s-o-t.  I moved to Bishopston, generally considered quite an expensive area, but if you're prepared to share houses then you should be able to find something reasonable.  I would recommend looking round the Gloucester Road area.  There are usually loads of rooms on easyroommate.com.

Hope you find something soon xx


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 3, 2006)

bristle-krs said:
			
		

> or half that if you score a council or housing association flat


There's the small matter of the 10 year waiting list though!


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## butterfly child (Jan 3, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> There's the small matter of the 10 year waiting list though!



If it was that simple, we'd all have one!


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## WasGeri (Jan 4, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> In terms of accommodation yes - you'll be looking at about £600 a month to rent somewhere even in the cheap bits.



You can get houses/flats in Easton/Eastville for £300 - £400.

Psycherelic, I know of a landlord who has decent properties and reasonably priced in most parts of town. If you do decide to move here, PM me and I can get you his number from a friend who rents from him.


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 4, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> There's the small matter of the 10 year waiting list though!



i think not


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## easy g (Jan 4, 2006)

a mate casually enquired about a housing association 2 bed semi around the corner from us in Easton during the summer....they'd moved in by November!


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## FruitandNut (Jan 4, 2006)

I once had a house in Paddock Gardens, Whitchurch that I bough brand new at the end of 1978 for £15,150, it sold recently for £250,000, prices are just stupid.    They are driving excluding a lot of people from reasonable housing in such areas.   First time buyers need a blo*dy good income or a legacy or a lottery win.    It is driving up demand for bigger wages and salaries and fuelling general inflation and social anomie.     I also owned a v.large house on Fishponds Road that was converted into a nursing home, gawd knows what that is valued at now!


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 4, 2006)

easy g said:
			
		

> a mate casually enquired about a housing association 2 bed semi around the corner from us in Easton during the summer....they'd moved in by November!


Strange this, 'cause when we approached HA's a couple of years ago we were told to join the council's housing register...
I'd be interested in more 'info on this.


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## WasGeri (Jan 4, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> Strange this, 'cause when we approached HA's a couple of years ago we were told to join the council's housing register...



As far as I'm aware most housing associations in Bristol only take referrals from the council. It was definitely the case when I enquired a few years ago as well. I always thought there was absolutely no chance of getting social housing unless you are in an emergency situation. My sister was pregnant and had to go and live in a hostel for single mothers in order to get a council house. That was in North Somerset and the situation is nowhere near as bad down there.


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## WasGeri (Jan 4, 2006)

FruitandNut said:
			
		

> First time buyers need a blo*dy good income or a legacy or a lottery win.



Very true.

I bought my house for £38,000 in 1997 - at that time I was earning £13,000 a year so I could borrow 3 times my salary. I took out 100% mortgage at quite a high interest rate as I didn't have any money for a deposit.

A friend of mine told me I should save up a deposit and get a 95% mortgage.
He did that, but by the time he had the deposit, prices had risen so fast that by the time he had the deposit, he didn't earn enough to get a mortgage for the rest of it. He said to me that he wished he had done what I did.

I'm so glad I bought when I did - I earn £20,000 now and my house (which is one of the cheapest in Bristol) is worth over £100,000 so there is no way I could afford to buy at today's prices!


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> As far as I'm aware most housing associations in Bristol only take referrals from the council. It was definitely the case when I enquired a few years ago as well. I always thought there was absolutely no chance of getting social housing unless you are in an emergency situation. My sister was pregnant and had to go and live in a hostel for single mothers in order to get a council house. That was in North Somerset and the situation is nowhere near as bad down there.


This is exactly what I understood. In Bristol you have to be an 'emergency case' to get housed - that means homeless, serious social problems, disabled etc.
Even 'priority' cases don't get a look in. There's approx 19,000 people on Bristol's housing register of which 10,000 are 'priorities' at present.
Having said that, due to the lack of 2,3 and 4 bedroom council/HA homes and a huge amount of flats, it is a little easier for single people to get housed than families.
In the circumstances it might be unwise to be encouraging graduates to move here and get housed in social housing.


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## WasGeri (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> You can get houses/flats in Easton/Eastville for £300 - £400.



Hmmm...having looked in today's Evening Post, I should revise these figures to £400 - £500 per month.

Scandalous!


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## fractionMan (Jan 5, 2006)

They'll be a room spare in my house in a few weeks, but it's in Bath, not bristol


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## Isambard (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> and my house (which is one of the cheapest in Bristol) is worth over £100,000 so there is no way I could afford to buy at today's prices!



That still seems quite "cheap" for a city Geri. Down in the sticks where my house is and it certainly ISN'T the "nicest" town in Somerset, there's nothing under £100 K.

I'm on a not bad salary and I just managed to buy my place, I think FruiandNuts right, it is almost impossible to buy now if you are a first time buyer without a lotto win or legacy. Particuarly as wages in Somerset certainly have matched the rising cost of houses.


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## WasGeri (Jan 5, 2006)

Isambard said:
			
		

> That still seems quite "cheap" for a city Geri. Down in the sticks where my house is and it certainly ISN'T the "nicest" town in Somerset, there's nothing under £100 K.



Probably because no-one wants to live in an area where prostitutes, pimps and dealers hang out.


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## Isambard (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> Probably because no-one wants to live in an area where prostitutes, pimps and dealers hang out.



LMAO! I thought you were having a go at where MY house is!   
OK it's between 2 estates with a wee bit of a reputation but its not THAT bad!


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> Probably because no-one wants to live in an area where prostitutes, pimps and dealers hang out.



apart from edgy filmmakers 

re housing lists: i was always under the impression that whilst there is a single, city-wide housing list that incorporates the council and housing associations, the housing associations also manage lists individually, meaning you can apply to the main list, but also to specific housing associations. 

different h.a.'s tend to serve different constituencies - solon seems to focus on single and/or vulnerable women, self-help gets homeless/ex-homeless/'former' chaotic drug users etc into short-life rental housing, knightstone favours a mix of families and single people, etc... 

areas like st. paul's, hartcliffe etc tend to have lots of empty 'hard-to-let' properties, because the reputation of the areas (deserved or otherwise) turns people off.


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> Hmmm...having looked in today's Evening Post, I should revise these figures to £400 - £500 per month.
> 
> Scandalous!


I'd say £500 - £600 for a house. When we were looking 2 years back we didn't see anything worthwhile house-wise for less than £600.
That's why we bought in the end (HA shared ownership - the only way anyone on normal wages can afford anything in Bristol).


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 5, 2006)

bristle-krs said:
			
		

> areas like st. paul's, hartcliffe etc tend to have lots of empty 'hard-to-let' properties, because the reputation of the areas (deserved or otherwise) turns people off.


These are all flats. Houses in Hartcliffe are like gold dust. Long-term Hartcliffe families can no longer expect to live in Hartcliffe.


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## astral (Jan 5, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> I'd say £500 - £600 for a house. When we were looking 2 years back we didn't see anything worthwhile house-wise for less than £600..



However, if you are prepared to houseshare then you should be able to get something for between £200 and £300 per month.  Not quite as cheap as Stoke but still totally manageable and leaves you with enough to have fun in a new city.  For a reccent graduate and someone moving to a new city, its a good idea and an easy way to meet new people and make friends.


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 5, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> These are all flats. Houses in Hartcliffe are like gold dust. Long-term Hartcliffe families can no longer expect to live in Hartcliffe.



that's as maybe, but there are plenty of family-sized hard-to-let flats in st. paul's going empty. empty properties benefit no one.


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## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2006)

Geri said:
			
		

> I'm so glad I bought when I did - I earn £20,000 now and my house (which is one of the cheapest in Bristol) is worth over £100,000 so there is no way I could afford to buy at today's prices!


snap !






My house - or one rather like it photographed at the turn of the *last * century proving that they were ruins long before I started laying into mine with a sledgehammer


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## bristol_citizen (Jan 5, 2006)

bristle-krs said:
			
		

> that's as maybe, but there are plenty of family-sized hard-to-let flats in st. paul's going empty. empty properties benefit no one.


There's a story there!


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## fizzerbird (Jan 5, 2006)

bristol_citizen said:
			
		

> These are all flats. Houses in Hartcliffe are like gold dust. Long-term Hartcliffe families can no longer expect to live in Hartcliffe.



That's so true. Many of the young families I work with have to eventually move out of Hartcliffe, away from their close knit families as there just isn't adequate affordable housing for them.


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## easy g (Jan 6, 2006)

bristle-krs said:
			
		

> the housing associations also manage lists individually, meaning you can apply to the main list, but also to specific housing associations.



that's what the folks I know did...
just saw the advertising board on the houses as they were being done up and rang the H.A direct not really expecting anything....but lo and behold there was one left...

not sure which association it is....the houses are just off Easton Road...round the corner from The Plough...


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## strung out (Apr 8, 2006)

Bristol is a lovely place to live, try somewhere reasonable central. Cheaper cos you don't need to use the extortionate buses then


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