Female Sailor looking to rent a flat in Hamble/Warsash/Fareham/Southampton UK.

[Franziska]

Hey,

bit of an unusual request here, but I thought I give it a try.
Sailors help sailors [emoji4]

My next contract will take me back to Southampton and I need a proper place to live.

I will work in a yacht design office in Hamble.
It would be wonderful to find something close by.

I'm looking for:
+Single room flat with kitchen and ensuite bathroom.
+Preferably with furniture.
+I prefer sunlight so facing South or West would be fab.
+Ideally starting January 2nd or that week.
+Intend to stay long-term.
+I'd prefer to rent directly. Not through agent.
+Max around 625Pound/Month

About me:
+Friendly
+Well mannered
+Non smoker
+Have no animals
+Will be away on 1-2 weekends/Month

For more, please see my blog:

Welcome to the Woods Mira 35 - Catamaran Lady Rovers Website!


Thanks so much for spreading the word!

Franziska

[Franziska]

Anyone who knows anyone?
Details can all be discussed. Of course ;-)

[Polux]

Not able to help, but I love the spirit:
"Good girls go to heaven, brave girls go everywhere"

[Pete7]

Franziska, I live nearby so would recommend choosing somewhere in Southampton and walking bus distance to your new job. Fareham is nice but the motorway drive is a bit of a pain although there is a good train route into Southampton. Here is a typical weekday time table and cost for Fareham to Southampton.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servic...81116/1700/dep

If you are looking to keep the cost down then Southampton is a major University City so has lots of student accommodation, for example:

Student Accommodation - Studio flat to rent in Redhill,Southampton,SO16

If not, then Rightmove is one of the major players for advertising property to rent, though I here when you say you prefer not to use an agency which will likely charge circa £300 in fees plus the months deposit etc.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...REGION%5E11737

were is your boat? because there are some great marinas in the area if you fancied living on board.

Another source is Gumtree, however, please take great care with Gumtree as it is known for scammers as there is no check on the advertisers when they set up an account.

https://www.gumtree.com/search?searc..._number_beds=1

Another is the local Southampton newspaper:

Lettings - Properties to let in and around Southampton - Houses to rent in Southampton - Rent a home in Southampton

Edit: I have just seen you are working on the Hamble so have edited the links so they reflect the Hamble area rather than Southampton.

[Franziska]

Awesome reply already.
Many thanks so far.

I'm not a complete So'ton newby ;-) studied there 20 years ago and have just tried two weeks of commuting Woolston to Hamble by bus.

Got to get up early for that one ;-)

So anything around Hamble/Fareham/Warsash and Netley seems better.
Still Hamble seems really expensive.

Lady Rover is close to Nantes in France right now so not an immediate option.

In late spring I may be able to get her on a mooring close by and living aboard again would be perfect.
I'm not a Marina fan at all though.

Tried some online places like gumtree but thought someone might have some private contacts.

Would be great.

Thanks Fran

[Pete7]

Fran, sorry don't know anyone with a flat or small house to rent. The good news is Hamble harbour master has moorings for rent short and long term. There is a waiting list, however, they do offer sub lets for folk who are away for a whille. Dockhead on here uses the service regularly and it really works for him. Commuting to work by dinghy or canoe would be awesome Suggest you make contact with the HM and get your name down on lists for moorings and sub lets etc soonest if you plan to bring the boat back from Nantes.

If you took a 6 month short student let it would give you time to get the boat back and enable you to walk away at the end. The Government has just announced that letting fees are to be banned. However, they haven't given a date when it will be implemented so unfortunately you may still get caught. The other areas locally are Park Gate which is nice and Burseldon and certainly Fareham all within reach.

The Hamble is expensive because its posh and the centre of the world for sailing. Strangley just over the back is a former council estate now all probably privately owned and bought for a fraction of their value.

Pete

[Franziska]

Good advice Pete! Thanks again. Got a positive PM as well from someone. Fingers crossed I'll find something.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Fran, sorry don't know anyone with a flat or small house to rent. The good news is Hamble harbour master has moorings for rent short and long term. There is a waiting list, however, they do offer sub lets for folk who are away for a whille. Dockhead on here uses the service regularly and it really works for him. Commuting to work by dinghy or canoe would be awesome Suggest you make contact with the HM and get your name down on lists for moorings and sub lets etc soonest if you plan to bring the boat back from Nantes.

If you took a 6 month short student let it would give you time to get the boat back and enable you to walk away at the end. The Government has just announced that letting fees are to be banned. However, they haven't given a date when it will be implemented so unfortunately you may still get caught. The other areas locally are Park Gate which is nice and Burseldon and certainly Fareham all within reach.

The Hamble is expensive because its posh and the centre of the world for sailing. Strangley just over the back is a former council estate now all probably privately owned and bought for a fraction of their value.

Pete

Yes, this is all excellent advice.

Just live on board!

You can sublet a mooring from the Hamble Harbourmaster -- but get on the list NOW.

You'll need to rent a dinghy berth from one of the marinas, or join the Royal Southern if you are lucky enough to get a mooring within their coxswain's coverage area. The dinghy berth (cost less than 1000 euros a year) will give a place to land your dinghy, a car parking space, a place to get your mail, and laundry facilities.

Throw off the lines every weekend and go sailing. Incredible wealth of places to sail in the Solent and to the West of the Solent.

Cost will be less than a flat, and the views are FAR better!

Living on a Hamble River mooring is totally different from living on board in a marina (ick). The river is beautiful and most of the moorings have beautiful views of the tidal marshes which line the river. It is quiet and you feel like you are "out there"; as if you were at anchor.

Downside is no immediate shore access -- you have to get in your dinghy. No water or power, so you have to make your own electricity and go out for water from time to time. It's like living at anchor, basically.

But this worked really well for me over a number of years -- I would work during the week, making regular trips to London for business, then Friday afternoon off I would go -- get some water, maybe give the batts an overnight charge on shore power, do some sailing, put the anchor down somewhere, take some friends sailing -- ah, life sucks . . .

[SV Bacchus]

This might be a little off-topic but does this mean you won't be sailing for the next year or so?

[SaltyMetals]

Fran, I have a good friend who has lived in P Hamble for many many years. In the Yacht design biz (big boats!) . He might know somewhere convenient for you. Might cost a little more than elsewhere but then you would have no travelling time/costs.

Send me a PM if you are interested and i will give you his contact details.

[Franziska]

@Bacchus

Yes, got to pay the bills and safe up for the next legs.

Got an interesting opportunity and will work again for a while, pending how it works out, that while might turn out longer (years?) or shorter.

@Salty
Thanks for the offer, but I need to be frugal to some degree if I want to safe up effectively for the next legs.
If it's not to far of from what I posted in the first post it might still be an idea.
Or maybe he knows of something more down my line?

Many thanks for offering help!


@Dockhead
Pending how it works out I will definitely want to move back on the boat.
Still need to find time to sail her back up north.

Will see the harbour master once in UK in January.

Heard also of cheaper moorings towards Portsmouth.
Still might find nice neighbours afloat on the Hamble River.

Would boatsitting be an idea?

Thanks to you as well.

[SaltyMetals]

My friend has made his life in the Hamble and am sure he knows fancy lodgings as well as cheaper lodgings. Friends who might be away sailing and happy to rent out their pad, etc.

Swanwick, a bit further up Hamble river might be cheaper. If yr job is in Hamble then you could take the river taxi (can give you his number if you wish) or buy a bike. If you moor yr boat up the river you can use yr tender to go down to P Hamble. If yr job is Hamble Point then that is a lot further and you might find cycling a bit more than you expected. Swanwick-P Hamble about 15 mins in water taxi or w yr tender. Extra 10 mins to Hamble Pt.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Franziska

@Dockhead
Pending how it works out I will definitely want to move back on the boat.
Still need to find time to sail her back up north.

Will see the harbour master once in UK in January.

Heard also of cheaper moorings towards Portsmouth.
Still might find nice neighbours afloat on the Hamble River.

Would boatsitting be an idea?

Thanks to you as well.

Talk to Jane and tell 'er I sent you.

A Crown Estate mooring on the Hamble will not be more expensive than anything in Portsmouth Harbour unless you are willing to have a drying or semi-drying mooring, and there is far less infrastructure. If you're working in the Hamble, you'll want to be moored there too. Commute to work by dinghy -- whee!

Few people live aboard on the Crown Estate moorings, probably because it is relatively hard to do without walk ashore access, power, and water. But the community is marvelous -- many thousands of yachts (I heard the biggest single collection of sailing yachts in the world) but not crowded cheek to jowl in a marina. Lots of activity year around, lots of people visiting and working on their boats besides sailing. A number of epic sailors' pubs. You'll make lots of friends. There's hardly any better place in the world for a sailor.

Harbourmasters are extremely friendly and helpful, too.

And there is fabulous dinghy cruising up the river, which goes on for miles, into a nature preserve with wild landscapes.