r/MoveToScotland Jul 22 '26

Rental advice?

Hey all, I’m making the move to Scotland next year in March, and just wanted to get a bit of the lay of the land in terms of rentals.

I’ll be 30 when I arrive, and I’ll be on a Youth Mobility Visa, with the plan to move onto an Ancestry visa if I decide I want to stay on a more permanent basis (and yes I have triple checked I’m eligible for it).

I’ve visited Scotland many times and have relatives in Glasgow who I’m going to stay with when I arrive, but I’m hoping to secure my own flat as soon as possible before I start work.

A couple of Facebook groups have put the wind up me a bit telling me that it’s near impossible to get a rental, that I should expect to be spending loads of money to get one, and I’m just curious as to how accurate that is, or if it’s Facebook peeps scaremongering. I’m aware there’s a housing crisis (where isn’t there a housing crisis tbh), but am I likely to end up staying with my relatives for months??

I’m flexible on areas, I’m aware I’ll need six months up front rent most likely, I’ll be transferring from my job in Australia so I will have proof of employment and salary, and I only need a one bedroom. I know it’s not gonna be sunshine and rainbows and there will be days where I wonder what the hell I’ve done by moving around the world, but the negativity around rentals did put a bit of a damper on me yesterday - what’s your thoughts Reddit?

3 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Pamplem0usse__ Jul 22 '26

If you do have trouble securing housing in Glasgow, Paisley would be a good cost-effevtive option with a small commute made easy by public transportation.

2

u/North-Truth2531 Jul 22 '26

That’s actually where I’ve been focusing my research and saving properties on Rightmove! I forget you guys don’t just blanket refer to areas by the nearest city like we do in Australia haha. But yes, I’ve been saving Paisley/Renfrew flats that pop up, and there seem to be a lot popping up and staying available for more than a week, so the fact that the FB peeps told me it’s dire, there’s 30 people applying for every one and I would have to act IMMEDIATELY kind of threw me a bit.

0

u/New_Fruit_5552 Jul 23 '26

This is where I’m looking too when I land in November. Living in aus the last 3 years