Moving to a new city is exciting right up until the logistics land on you. When you are relocating to Edinburgh, one of the first problems to solve is where you will actually live in those first few weeks, before you have found a permanent home, learned the neighbourhoods and worked out where you want to put down roots. Relocation accommodation bridges that gap, and getting it right takes a lot of stress out of the move.
This guide covers what relocation accommodation is, why a serviced apartment tends to beat a hotel or a rushed rental, what to look for, and how to settle into Edinburgh once you arrive. It is written from the experience of hosting relocating professionals, families and insurance guests at Ocean Serviced Apartments in Leith since 2009.
What counts as relocation accommodation
Relocation accommodation is temporary, fully furnished housing that carries you through the transition of a move. It sits between the two extremes that catch people out: a hotel, which is comfortable for a weekend but expensive and cramped over weeks, and a permanent tenancy, which locks you into a twelve-month contract in an area you may not know yet.
A serviced apartment is the middle path. It is a furnished home with a kitchen, a living room and proper bedrooms, booked on flexible terms with the bills, WiFi and housekeeping included. You get somewhere to live from day one, without signing anything you might regret once you know the city better.
People use relocation accommodation in a few common situations:
• Starting a new job in Edinburgh before the family and belongings follow
• Moving from overseas and needing a base while sorting a longer-term rental
• Selling one home and buying another, with a gap in between
• Being placed by an employer or a relocation agent for a fixed assignment
• Staying somewhere while an insurance claim on your own home is resolved
If your move is being handled through an insurer or a relocation company, our insurance relocation page explains how we work with the paperwork and longer bookings that come with those stays.
Why serviced apartments suit a move
Space to live, not just sleep
A relocation is not a holiday. You are working, house-hunting, maybe enrolling children in school and unpacking your life in stages. A single hotel room makes all of that harder. A two-bedroom apartment gives you a bedroom to sleep in, a living room to relax in and a spare room that can double as a home office or a space for the children. Our two-bedroom apartments are the standard at Ocean, so there is room to breathe from the start.
A kitchen makes weeks affordable
Eating out for every meal wears thin fast, both on your patience and your budget. Fully equipped kitchens let you cook normally, keep to a routine and feed a family without the higher cost of relying on restaurants every night. Over a month, the saving is significant, and after a long day of viewings it is a relief to make a simple dinner in your own space.
Flexibility while your plans firm up
Moves rarely follow the plan. Completion dates slip, job start dates change, the right rental takes longer to appear than you hoped, so short term relocation accommodation booked on flexible terms lets you extend when you need to, rather than being turned out on a fixed date. At Ocean we will always try to keep you in the same apartment if you need longer, to ensure you are not forced into another move before your plans are clear.
One cost, no set-up with a reservations team
With everything included in a single price, there are no utility accounts to open and close, no deposit tied up for months, no council tax to register and wi fi included. When you finally move into your permanent home, you simply check out. Our extended stays page sets out how longer relocation bookings work in practice.
What to look for in short term relocation accommodation
Not all temporary accommodation is equal. A few things are worth checking before you book a stay of several weeks or more. Edinburgh’s long-term rental market is competitive and often requires in-person viewings, which is one reason temporary accommodation can be so useful.
Parking. If you are arriving by car, or bringing one for house-hunting across the city, parking quickly becomes a headache in Edinburgh. Ocean includes complimentary underground parking on site, which is unusual and genuinely useful when you are here for a while.
Location and transport. You want somewhere calm to come back to, with an easy route into the centre and out to the areas you are considering living in. Leith and Western Harbour give you both: a quiet waterfront base with the number 11 bus from the door and the tram a short walk away. Our transport page has the details.
Genuine flexibility. Ask about extending, cancellation terms and payment options before you commit. Relocations move, and your accommodation should move with them. If you move on to a longer rental, take time to understand your rights and responsibilities under the law in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s Tenant Information Pack is also worth reading before you sign a tenancy.
Room for everyone. If the family or a pet is joining you partway through, check the apartment suits before you arrive rather than after. On pets specifically, it is always best to ask first: see our pets FAQ.
Value over a long stay. Look for accommodation that rewards a longer booking. At Ocean, stays of 30 nights or more come with 25% off, which changes the maths on a monthly relocation budget considerably.
Using your first weeks to learn Edinburgh
The quiet advantage of relocation accommodation is time. Instead of buying or renting blind, you get to live in the city and work out where you actually want to be before committing.
Edinburgh rewards that. The New Town and Old Town have the history and the buzz, with different restaurants, shops and local attractions helping each area feel distinct. Leith, where Ocean is based, has become one of the most characterful parts of the city, with easy access to a strong food scene, the old harbour at The Shore and the waterfront on your doorstep. Stockbridge, Morningside and Bruntsfield each have their own feel. Spend your relocation weeks visiting a few, at different times of day, and you will make a far better decision about where to settle.
While exploring, our local’s guide to Edinburgh’s hidden gems points you beyond the obvious tourist trail, and our location page gives you the lie of the land around Western Harbour and Leith. If your move is work-related, our corporate travel page covers how we look after professionals here on assignment, and our guide to staying a week or more has more on settling in for the longer haul.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I stay in relocation accommodation? As long as you need. Guests stay with us from a couple of weeks to several months. Longer stays attract better rates, and we will try to keep you in the same apartment throughout.
Is it cheaper than a hotel for a long stay? For anything beyond a few nights, almost always. A kitchen cuts your food costs, there is no premium on space, and our long-stay discounts of up to 25% bring the nightly rate down further.
Do you work with relocation agents and insurers? Yes. We host relocation and insurance guests regularly and are used to the booking and billing arrangements involved. Start with our insurance relocation page or get in touch.
Can I bring my family and my car? Yes. Our apartments have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, with family apartments available, and complimentary parking is included on site.
A simple first-week checklist
The first week in a new city sets the tone for the whole move. A few small things done early make everything afterwards easier:
• Register with a GP in the area you are staying, or near where you expect to settle
• Sort your commute with a trial run into work or the school run before day one, so there are no surprises
• Open a local account if you are moving from overseas, and get your address paperwork in order
• Walk your neighbourhood at different times of day to get a feel for it and help you decide whether it will suit you longer term
• Find your basics: the nearest supermarket, pharmacy, GP, gym and a decent coffee are worth pinning on a map straight away, so the area starts to feel like a practical everyday place to live from day one
• Keep one evening free to simply rest, because moving is tiring and a good first weekend does wonders for morale
Because a serviced apartment is sorted from the moment you arrive, you can spend that first week on these things rather than on assembling flat-pack furniture or waiting for a broadband engineer. That head start is the real value of relocation accommodation, and it is why so many people who could technically manage a hotel or a rushed rental choose an apartment instead.
Make your move to Edinburgh an easy one
A good relocation apartment does one job above all: it gives you a calm, comfortable base so you can get on with the move and enjoy the new city rather than firefighting the logistics. That is what we aim to provide at Ocean.
Tell us your dates and we will sort the rest. If your move is less straightforward, the University of Edinburgh also offers short-term rental accommodation on its website. If you need emergency or temporary accommodation, contact the City of Edinburgh Council’s Homeless Prevention and Housing Options team. The council provides emergency and temporary housing support and runs an out-of-hours emergency service if you do not have safe housing. If you are homeless, the council must offer temporary accommodation the same day you need it. Shelter Scotland offers free advice and a helpline, and specialised charities in Edinburgh may also provide support with emergency accommodation. You can also call the team on 0131 553 7394 to talk through a specific move.
