Think about the areas within Bristol and what you will be looking for from that area (https://visitbristol.co.uk/about-bristol/areas) e.g: Transport links, Schools, Nurseries, Parks, Shops, Restaurants/Cafes/Pubs, Libraries, Places of interest, Churches, etc.
Think about the style of property you wish to live in. There are areas of Bristol that have magnificent houses from the Edwardian and Victorian terrace era, or City Centre living which is becoming more popular with new properties being built. You should be aware that some areas such as Clifton, Redland, Cotham and Westbury are nearly as expensive as London. You may therefore want to think about widening your search radius to areas with good transport links. Rightmove provide a lot of this information when you search for properties through their site (www.rightmove.co.uk).
Deciding where you want to live, or perhaps more importantly, where you don't want to live, is essential in narrowing down your property search. Here is some information on popular residential areas in Bristol.
Clifton, Cotham and Redland are all very close to the University campus but tend to be in high demand and more expensive due to the area and location.
There are lots of other areas that are within walking distance or have a good public transport route:
20 - 30 minute walk: City Centre / Harbourside / Spike Island / Wapping Wharf / Redcliffe
30 - 45 minute walk: St. Phillips / Totterdown / St. Jude's / St. Paul's / St. Werburgh's / St. Andrew's / Gloucester Road / Montpelier / Southville / Bedminster / Windmill Hill / Sneyd Park / Stoke Bishop
45 - 60 minute walk: Bishopston / Henleaze / Westbury-on-Trym / Horfield / Filton / Brislington
The University's Staff Residential Lettings team can provide further guidance on how to approach the rental market in Bristol.
If you would like to use a Relocation Company South West Relocation come highly recommended and can provide a full home search service. If you make an enquiry, ensure that you state you will be working for the University of Bristol. Relocation services start from £250. Generally, it makes sense to allow a lead time of at least 6 weeks to find a suitable home. They can also offer advice on moving in, orientation, schools, pets, furniture and white goods, car, healthcare, banks, utilities, internet providers, leisure facilities.
A new staff member had this to say about South West Relocation "South West Relocation was an immense help with our house purchase when we moved here from abroad. Andrew's knowledge of traffic routes and density into Bristol from different locations helped us narrow down the areas we were interested in. He added to the list of houses we had compiled from the internet and drove us around for days, viewing properties and discussing options. Possibly his greatest strength is knowing the industry from the other side. This allowed him not only to discuss aspects of individual properties and their pricing but to negotiate successfully on our behalf."
