Accommodation, Groceries and Utilities

Accommodation in Plymouth is very limited and in high demand. We do not always have accommodation readily available on site and therefore it is advisable for you to start looking at sourcing accommodation as soon as you know you are moving to Plymouth.

 

Accommodation Around Plymouth

We have very limited hospital accommodation on site, which is only suitable for short-term stays and single occupancy units, this is not suitable for families. Find out about our hospital accommodation or contact plh-tr.accommodationofficederriford@nhs.net

These below examples are not intended to be a comprehensive list. We do not endorse any of these sites – you will need to do your own research and information gathering, particularly in respect of private rental arrangements, to ensure you are happy with any arrangement you are entering into.

• There are a number of agencies advertising accommodation around Plymouth – many of these can be found via the following sites or by looking at individual agency sites: Rightmove, Zoopla, On the Market, Relocating Doctors, and Air B&B, .

• There are sites that advertise individual rooms such as SpareRoom.

• Often, private rentals are advertised via social media sites such as Facebook and Gumtree property posts.

Helping you find accommodation in Plymouth 

To gain an overview of different types of accommodation available across Plymouth the Trust have developed an accommodation enquiry form. Once submitted, the contents will automatically be forwarded to organisations we have on our distribution list to help source suitable accommodation for you. Fill out the Accommodation Enquiry form

 

How to Rent Checklist

If you are looking to rent a private accommodation, you have certain rights and responsibilities if you’re a tenant in privately rented property. To ensure you understand these, please look over the below guidance prior to starting your accommodation search.

• How to rent: the checklist

• Private renting

• How to Rent Property in the UK

Please keep yourself safe from rental fraud by:

• Not sending money to anyone advertising rental properties online until you are certain they are genuine and you or a trusted contact have visited the property.

• Asking for copies of tenancy agreements and any safety certificates such as Gas Electricity or HMO Licence.

 

Buying a property in the UK

Buying a property in the UK can take some time and be a little complicated, but there are websites that help explain everything you need to know about buying a property in the UK.

• Find out about buying and owning a property

• Read which? magazine How to buy a house guide

• You may be able to get financial help from the government to buy a home. Find out more about Affordable home ownership schemes 

• Many of the medical roles within the NHS are considered to be key worker roles and, as such, you may be able to benefit from the properties that are reserved exclusively for key workers. Find out about Key Worker Housing Eligibility 

There are a number of websites that can help you find the perfect home in the UK. Here are some of the UK’s favourites.

• Rightmove property search site

• Zoopla property search site

• On The Market property search site

• Home property search site

• Prime Location property search site

• Compare Online Estate Agents

• Purple Bricks online estate agent 

 

Plymouth has a variety of options for your food shopping to suit different budgets and tastes. 

Most stores are open until 10pm and some offer overnight shopping on certain days. On Sundays, in England, we have Sunday Trading laws which mean many stores have restricted opening hours, typically 10am to 4pm. Some of these stores have options for you to buy groceries online and to have them delivered to your home.

Popular British food stores: 

Find a store near you and browse the range of food options

• Aldi groceries

• ASDA groceries

• Co-Op food store

• Lidl stores

• Marks and Spencer's food hall

• Morrisons groceries

• Sainsbury's Groceries

• Tesco stores

• Waitrose groceries

International Stores: 

• Asian Food Store & Uncle J Café on Facebook - cuisines from China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

• Asia Oriental Stores - cuisines from China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

• Food and More International Food and Butchers - cuisines from Iran, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus

• KW Brothers Oriental Supermarket on Facebook - cuisines from China and Japan

• Wonda African Food Store - all brands of Afro-Caribbean cuisines

 

A typical home in the UK should already be connected to electricity, gas, telephone, broadband and water supplies.

• Some rental properties, including hospital accommodation, include the cost of utilities in your rental payments and therefore the landlord will be responsible for the contracts with the utility providers. 

• However, if you are renting a property where utilities are not covered in the rental cost, then you will likely initially inherit the utility contracts from the previous tenants and will need to contact each provider to transfer the contracts to you, as the new tenant. You will also need to check with your providers about the payment process.

• Water in Plymouth and the South West is supplied by South West Water. 

It is good practice to take photographs of any utility meters (gas, electric and water) within the property when you first move in so that you are not billed for services used by the previous tenant. 

Once you have moved in, and are settled in your new home, you might want to consider running a price comparison on your utility contracts to see if you could save money with a different company or plan. There are a number of websites that can help with comparison including U Switch, which is a free website accredited by Government regulators for reliability: U Switch comparison site

Mobile Phones

Getting yourself set up with a working mobile phone is likely going to be high on your priority list when arriving in the UK. To do this you will need to consider:

• Whether your existing phone is Global System for Mobile Communications or whether you will need to have it unlocked/purchase a new device.

• Whether you want a pay as you go (PAYG), SIM only or, SIM and device contract.

• Which network provider you would like to use. 

This article through U Switch covers the above in more detail to support you getting set up: Read How to get a UK mobile phone and SIM card

Anyone over the age of 18 who owns or rent a domestic property in the UK will be required to pay Council Tax to their local Council to cover local services including social care, bin collections, street lights, police and fire services.

While council tax is normally paid by the person living in a property, there are a few circumstances where the owner/landlord is responsible for paying council tax including if you rent a room in a shared house where you all have separate rental agreements. 

Check how council tax works and if you have to pay