Student house hunting season: A guide to the top places to live in Bristol

Whether you’re a first year, second year, or an imminent graduate, looking to move into a new home next year is always a daunting prospect. When choosing a house to live in for your whole year of study, you want to make sure you cover all aspects and find one thats right for you.

To help with your search, here is an (almost) extensive guide to the best places to live as a Bristol University student:

1. Clifton

Average rent per person: £600-£1050 pcm

Living in Clifton will definitely help you to romanticise your university experience. You’ll be close enough to Clifton Village that you can head to the East Village Café for a coffee, and you’ll be able to walk to campus in 20 minutes.

Living in Clifton means living in around both residential and student houses, which means that it won’t be hard to find a quiet corner to live, while still being walking distance from the Triangle for your Wednesday night antics.

2. Redland

Average rent per person: £725-£1100 pcm

Similar to Clifton, Redland is a combination of student and residential houses, so you can feel part of the city as well as not being too far from campus. Redland is surrounded by green spaces, including the Clifton Downs and Redland Green, so there is plenty of space to get some fresh air when you need a break from studying.

Redland is also nicely situated in between Gloucester Road, Whiteladies and the Triangle, so there are plenty of options to go out to the pub, a restaurant, or a club and still be able to walk home.

3. Kingsdown

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Average rent per person: £650-£900 pcm

Having a place in Kingsdown means you’re the closest to campus, you can live at the library (or at the White Bear) and you’ll have easy walking access to the city centre if you fancy a shopping trip, and the Triangle for a fun night out, as long you don’t mind the hills.

Being a stone’s throw from Cotham Hill, living in Kingsdown makes it easy to feel part of Bristol’s independent café and shop culture!

4. Bishopston

Average rent per person: £600-£800 pcm

Bishopston is a slightly further away from campus, but being located just off Gloucester Road gives you plenty of access to the bustling street full of shops, pubs and restaurants. Gloucester Road is also well known for its variety of charity shops, so it’s great for maintaining a sustainable wardrobe and not breaking the bank as a student.

5. Horfield

Average rent per person: £500-£800 pcm

Despite being slightly further out, Horfield is a great place to live if you’re looking for somewhere with a slightly lower rent than those closer to the centre. With easy bus access into the city centre and into campus, Horfield is a great way to save some money, and with it being so close to UWE it is still an area with lots of students, so luckily you won’t feel too far out of the city.

Living here also means that you’re a lot closer to huge green spaces such as Stoke Park Estate and Horfield Common, so it is a lot easier to get your daily dose of fresh air.

6. City centre

Average rent per person: £750-£1025 pcm

If you’re looking for a bit more of the city life, there are plenty of places to be found in the city centre. While these places may be more expensive, they allow for a much more central lifestyle, being close to Cabot Circus, the Habourside and Castle Park. Despite the walk up Park Row to get to university, you would also have access to easy public transport to get you around Bristol, including buses, trains, and plenty of electric bikes and scooters.

Finding a student house always feels difficult, and especially if this is your first year trying to find a house you may have no idea where to start.

Here are a few of the most popular agencies that advertise student lettings, helpful when beginning your search:

Bristol SU Lettings

The SU has a great selection of good quality houses across all areas of Bristol, and it also has a link to register for alerts on the website. You can find it here. The SU is also hosting a housing fair on November 21st, where you can find out all about house hunting and essential information if you choose to go through its lettings.

Bristol Property Centre

With a wide array of properties that they manage, this company’s been said to have good service, quick responses to tenants and speedy resolutions to issues. You can find more information here.

CJ Hole

While CJ Hole tends to manage properties more towards Bishopston and Horfield areas, it has plenty of properties on offer, as well as reviews to suggest they resolve problems quickly. Its website is here. 

These are just a few examples – there’s also loads more. Just remember to do your research, and thoroughly check the houses upon viewing for any issues – you don’t want to run into any problems further down the line!