My son is moving to Northern Birmingham-anyone from there?
 

My (US) son is moving from London to Northern Birmingham this fall for the next three years and I was wondering if any Fodorites live up in that area that could provide any info concerning letting agents,areas to live,etc.? Thank you!

Anyone live up in the Midlands of the UK?

Hi, Dutyfree. I'm in Derby which is somewhat close but probably not what you have in mind. Doubt I'd be much help anyway -- my company helped with our relocation.

A quick search netted this link, but I bet he could find a lot more info out there:

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=751820

Good luck.

I lived in the centre of Birmingham for 12 years and would be delighted to help. However, Birmingham UKs 2nd largest city and I have never heard anywhere referred to as "Northern Birmingham " any clues as to exactly where he would be working. Budget, size of place he is looking for,village -v- city centre, age?

Lots of letting agents in the city some good, some not so much but many tend to specialise e.g. city apartments.

I am originally from 'northern' Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield, to be precise, which is an extremely nice part of town. One of the nicest, in fact. Do you have the precise name of the place he will be working or studying? Where he lives will certainly depend on his budget and mobility - with a car, Birmingham is really his oyster. Would he prefer city living, suburb or countryside?

hey there,

Would he ne interested in city centre. My parents have a newish flat there (build maybe 23 years ago) in the city centre which they are looking to let if something comes up (they are too scared to push trigger as there furniture is very pricey and worried if=t might get ruined by a tenant but i keep telling them not to worry!) but they really do need to let it by end of year.

If he is interested in city center, give me a shout it might save on letting fees :-). Its a lovely modern 1 bed with wrap around balcony on top floor in a new build called "Lattitude"

http://www.latitudebirmingham.co.uk/

apologies that should have sai build 2/3 years ago!!

Thank you so much for the replies everyone! He is actually going to be working at the U. of Wolverhampton but wants to live in Birmingham and thought that the centre or northern part of the city would be easier for him to commute as he won't have a car.He will be up there until 2015.
He has lived in London the past two years and various other big cities around the world so enjoys public transportation and the various cultural opportunities of larger cities.
He was interested in renting a 1 or 2 bedroom and furnished if possible.Any suggestions about what letting people are good to work with and what area of Birmingham he should look into would be greatly appreciated!
HG001London-I just forwarded your info to him in London so will let you know after he receives it. I would love to contact you off of Fodors for more details as this sounds perfect? My email is:momflys at aol dot com Thank you! The website for your parents' place looks lovely!

hey duty, have sent you an email :-)

Dutyfree one of the better letting agencies in Birmingham is:

http://www.accordproperty.co.uk/?vlsrc=gaw

The biggest property website in the UK which most agents use for rentals and sales is http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...irmingham.html

You can set up personalised searches for properties and get email alerts as new ones come to market. Demand for rental property is high in the city so he will need to act quickly when he sees something he likes.

Given his interests, the city wins hands down loads to see in terms of galleries, concerts, exhibitions, bars, clubs the best food in the UK outside of London.

Commuting to Wolverhampton is easily done by train from New Street Station so a place within 15 mins walk would be good.

As for areas, HG001 place is close to the Markets/Chinatown an up and coming area just 5 mins walk from the station. I don't know the building but looks like a great place

Other areas to consider are http://www.brindleyplace.com/ and around. Right in the middle of things and the centre of the canal system. Which is where I lived and walked (15 mins)daily to the station for the train to London). Avoid anywhere too close to Broad street as it will get VERY busy at night.

The area around (and in) http://www.mailboxlife.com/ is also a good location and only a 5 min walk to the station,

As for getting a furnished apartment, these are more difficult to find in the UK (except for student type accomodation which is often not in the best locations). If he is staying for three year it might be worth paying a visit to Ikea where he coul;d fit out the palce fairly cheaply. Most apts will come with white goods waching machine, dryer, refrigerator etc.

Just checking in to agree with crellston. Given his working location, living in a north Birmingham suburb makes little sense as he would need a car and rentals will be scarce. A much better option would be the city centre of Birmingham within walking distance of New Street Station, giving direct rain to Wolverhampton. Here there's a plethora of new build apartments, built as part of a regeneration of the centre.

If it were me, I'd quite fancy a rental in the rejuvenised Jewelry Quarter, mainly because historic warehouse/loft living appeals to me.

Thanks for the info Kate and Crellston-I will pass the info on to him. He hasn't had a chance to get up to Birmingham to look for a place so the information above is most helpful!