What are the Cheapest areas to rent a flat in Greater Manchester?

September 7, 2012 9:26 AM

Whats the cheapest area to rent an apartment in the greater manchester region?

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for any help provided.
I am currently in the process of moving to the greater manchester area and would like to know which boroughs should I be looking at that would provide easy access to Salford along with cheap rent.
My budget is 200-500 GBP but I would prefer to stay in the 300 pounds area.

I am currently using rightmove.co.uk for my hunting, any other sites would help immensely

posted by rtmfeng to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Much of Salford borough itself is cheap, but often isn't such a great place to live. Yet most of the places which are a bit nicer and cheap tend to be much further out. It really depends on exactly where in Salford you need to be, how you mean to travel, and whether you're happy with a bad area. Public transport isn't cheap, so if you're expecting to keep costs low, you want to be near enough to walk or bike.

That said, £300 isn't going to get you much more than a room in Manchester (or at best a dodgy bedsit apartment), so you're maybe looking at sharing?
posted by Jehan at 9:57 AM on September 7, 2012

Services like spareroom and gumtree should help you to find somewhere to share, which I'd recommend if you're new in town. Mind if I ask why you're moving to the area?

Seconding the advice that Salford is cheap, but that tends to be for a reason. However, moving further out will increase your transport costs and while the options for getting there are plentiful, some are easier than others. Areas that are considered nice are Didsbury and Chorlton, they usually have a few house shares for young professionals that might squeak into your budget. You should also be able to get the tram from those areas into Salford, but be aware that it gets more than a bit busy at rush hour. Failing that, you could look at Old Trafford, Stretford and Urmston. Sale and Altrincham are also on the tram line and the right side of south Manchester to get to Salford fairly easily, but might cost a little more. Fallowfield is popular with students but avoid Moss Side at all costs.
posted by peteyjlawson at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks all for the reply, I'm going to be working and my gf is going to be attending uni of salford. Were both on a very tight budget so were trying to plan it all down as best possible. I didn't realize salford was that dodgy but it doesn't bother me.

For transportation we were thinking of getting a monthly bus pass instead of the tram since it seems to be more cost efficient.
posted by rtmfeng at 2:50 PM on September 7, 2012

If you're not picky about the area, then staying in Salford might be the best idea to keep costs down. It's close enough to Manchester and has good transport links for getting around.

Is your girlfriend an undergrad or postgrad? If she's a postgrad, they have halls set aside for couples and families (Matthias Court, I think) that you may be able to apply to. If she's an undergrad, well, it might be worth a shot anyway if they're not all taken. Have you tried the accommodation office for help? They may be able to point you in the direction of some reputable letting agents in the area. http://www.accommodation.salford.ac.uk/
posted by peteyjlawson at 3:44 PM on September 7, 2012

I wouldn't stay in Fallowfield - partly because it's a student ghetto and I didn't like that, and partly because there is a LOT of burglary around there. Withington feels more like a 'real place' and is nicer. Both aren't particularly close to Salford, though.

My ex rented a studio in Chorlton for £400 per month back in 2004, and it was pretty dodgy - infested with mould and damp and rotting windows. It's probably more expensive than that now. Hulme is a short walk from Oxford Road and the city centre, and despite the proximity to Moss Side has become really nice in the past few years.
posted by mippy at 1:16 AM on September 8, 2012