Hi to everyone, and I need some and advice please

It is very likely that you will be asked to pay one months rent in advance and a minimum of one month as a bond.  The bond is returned when you leave unless it is required to make any repairs. That is only fair and this is the system worldwide.

Nowadays, credit references are also sought, as once you are a tenant, it is very difficult to evict you if you do not pay your rent.  So landlords and agencies need to know you have a good credit record. 

But they also realise this is difficult for people overseas, so my advice would be to bring bank statements and references with you.  They will be checked.

As to finding a flat, once you have an idea of which area, I would google estate agents in that area and contact them by email.  I am sure they will be happy to help.

The work situation is not good at all, regardless of which work you do.  For every job there are at least 50 people chasing it.  I am Scottish, but not living there at the moment.  I would love to return, but the job situation for people like me - even with a degree - is terrible. I am stuck here in NZ.  Have you thought about coming here?  At least there is work and the weather is warmer.  But even here there are problems.

I wish I could give you happier news on employment, but it would be wrong to say everything will be fine, only for you to find out different once you are here. 

Crime - well there is crime in every country, but I do not think it is as bad as in South Africa, at least not according to my SA friends.

Stabbed - no - mugged - yes.  But again just don't walk about alone in bad areas.  Are you both white SA?  I think we have less racial problems in Scotland compared to other countries, at least I would like to think so. 

And yes we have domestic violence and alcohol problems, but then so does every other country.

Soccer hooligans?  Definitely more of a problem in England.  Our tartan army (Scotland followers) are welcomed all over the world.

I hope someone comes along soon with an idea of which areas you should live in.

Good luck

Hi Bob,

I completely agree with Colin. The more references you have the better. An ex-landlord reference is one of the best and you must be prepared to show bank statements proving you are in a sound financial position. You really have to put yourself in the shoes of the landlord and ask yourself what you yourself would be happy to accept if you were a landlord. You may also have to be prepared to have someone act as guarantor for you.

As to the Glasgow rental market, generally the closer to the city centre you are the more expensive the rent. The average monthly rent, at the end of 2010, for a 2 bed flat in Glasgow was £607 and £444 for a 1 bed. There has been a slight increase in demand for flats throughout the city recently with the time taken to let falling, so you have a little more competition. Generally it takes around 30 days on average for a flat to let in Glasgow - but the best ones will always be snapped up a lot quicker than that in usually just a few days!

Generally, the most expensive areas to rent are Park & Woodlands; Bearsden & Milngavie; Kelvinside & Dowanhill; the City centre and Partick & Glagow Harbour.

The cheapest average monthly rents are in postcodes: G31 (Dennistoun, Haghill, Parkhead), G32 (Carmyle Tollcross etc), G40 (Bridgeton, Calton) G42 (Battlefield, Govanhill etc), G44 (Cathcart, croftfoot etc.) and G51 (Govan & Ibrox). This is just a very general guide as rents will even vary in these postcode districts.

Some relatively affordable areas I would consider would be:

1.Dennistoun. Often referred to as "the East End's West End", the flats here are slightly more affordable than in the real trendy West End.

2.Anniesland. This is a reasonable area to rent a flat in and has fairly good access to the West End of Glasgow.

3.Kinning Park. Has become ever more popular with the close proximity to Pacific Quay and the SECC, BBC Scotland and STV. It's not far to get into the city centre either.

4.Shawlands. A very popular area, so prices have risen, but worth a look.

5.Whiteinch. Located between Partick and Scotstoun, this is still a slightly more affordable area than some nearby.

6.Although close to the city centre, Woodlands is a very convenient location which might be slightly more affordable.

It's impossible to list every area that might suit. The above are just some possibilities and you will generally just have to visit and decide for yourself. One area can be a dream for one person and a nightmare for another - it's highly subjective!

With regard to violence, I love Glasgow and have never felt at all worried or unhappy there. It's problems are no worse that any other city in the world and you've just got to take the same common sense precautions as you would in any other city. I personally regard it as the friendliest city in the United Kingdom and, besides London, probably has the best shopping in the UK (The Glaswegians like to look good!)

Hope this helps a little.

Good luck

David

Thank you very much colinsmum and David for your very comprehensive answers. The reason we chose Scotland is because it is close to my wife`s family.Luckily I have an excellent credit record and have good references concerning renting.
Unemployment here where I live is above the 40% mark, so odds are still better for us job wise.

We will also correspond with some recruitment agencies and see if they will entertain applications from overseas.

The first time I went to the UK I jumped on the plane without even a place to sleep.Basically phoned my friend up when I landed at Gatwick and went from there.But things are quite different when you are married.Will just try my best to organize as much as I can before hand and keep the faith.

If you plan on touring Scotland, I recommend joining The Youth Hostel Association.

You can stay in castles, lodges, or even little huts in the middle of nowhere

You might even be able to use the Glasgow one for a week if it is cheaper than a hotel - but I have never stayed there so have no idea how good it is.

Just a thought.

Thank you.Will have a look. Another option I thought about is to find a live in "summer job" in a hotel as they are willing to hire people from overseas. Quite a few of my friends got jobs that way when they did their gap years. The advantage is that you have a job and a place to stay when you arrive. You can then organize finding other work,flat and build up some type of credit record. The disadvantage is the working hours and the pay is min wage. It is however not long term and at least you will make friends. I do not think it will work if you have children.

Luckily my wife and I are still young and we both have working experience in UK hotels. So I think I might take this route as it could solve the trouble of finding a flat and job and and and.

The employment situation is worse that you could possibly imagine. I have a stirling resume, and it took me about 9 weeks of constant searching to get a job (retail management) (I applied for over 120 jobs) But this is in Edinburgh.
Many of the Aussies I have met over here opted for live in jobs in smaller towns about the place with great luck.
Wish you the best for your travels