Working in Edinburgh for a few nights or a few weeks? Here is our practical guide to choosing a home near your work, sleeping well on shifts, working from the flat and settling into the city.
Short stays for visiting professionals: how booking works
Most people who stay with us for work have the same problem. They know roughly when they need to be in Edinburgh, but not always exactly, and the dates can move. A placement start gets pushed back a week. A visiting post is extended by a month. A relocation depends on when the flat search comes good. We are used to that, and we would rather know the shape of your plans early than wait until everything is fixed.
When you get in touch, it helps to tell us:
- Your start date and a rough end date, and how likely they are to change.
- Where you will be working: the hospital, campus or office, and how you plan to get there.
- Your hours: early shifts, nights, long days or ordinary office hours.
- What you need to work: a proper desk, a quiet room for calls, or just a table and good wifi.
- Who is coming: just you, or a partner or family visiting at weekends.
- Who is paying: you, or an employer, university or relocation agent.
We reply within one working day (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm) with the homes that fit, the prices and how far each one is from your work. If your employer is booking for you, or you are arranging stays for a team, our pages on company accommodation and contractor accommodation explain how we work with organisations. If the paperwork matters, ask us what your employer needs before you book, and we will tell you plainly what we can provide.
How long you can stay
We look after stays of a few nights to a few weeks. We do not offer longer tenancies. If you need somewhere for several months, use a short stay with us to land, find your feet and look at areas in person.
Where to stay in Edinburgh for hospitals, campuses and offices
Edinburgh is compact, but the places people work are spread out, and a good base can save you an hour a day. Before you choose a home, look at where you will actually spend your days.
Hospital placements
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh sits on the south-east edge of the city at Little France, not in the centre. For placements there, homes on the south side of the city often make the most sense, with buses running out to the hospital. Other hospitals are spread around the city, so tell us which site you are based at, and we will suggest the closest homes we have.
University visits
The University of Edinburgh's central buildings are around George Square and the Southside, with other campuses further out. Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh campus is at Riccarton, on the western edge of the city. Queen Margaret University's campus is close to Musselburgh, east of the centre, right next to Musselburgh station. Visiting academics often stay in Newington, Marchmont or Bruntsfield for the central buildings, and further west or east for the outer campuses.
Office-based work
Much of Edinburgh's office life is in the city centre, around the West End, Haymarket and the Exchange district, and down in Leith. Homes in Tollcross, Haymarket, the New Town and Leith all suit a walk or a short tram or bus.
You can browse all our homes or our Edinburgh homes by area. If you are not sure, send us the address you will be working at and we will do the matching for you.
Shift work and sleeping well in a short-let home
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff on placement often have the hardest time with temporary accommodation. A night shift means sleeping in the day. An early start means leaving in the dark, and a late finish means coming home when everyone else is asleep. A home can make that easier or much harder.
What to ask for
- A quiet street. Tell us if you work nights. A home on a busy road or above a bar is the wrong choice, however central.
- Dark bedrooms. Edinburgh summer evenings are very long, and it is light early. Ask whether a home has blackout blinds or curtains if you need to sleep in daylight.
- A bedroom at the back. In many tenements, the back bedrooms face a quiet green and are much calmer than the front.
- Easy travel. A short, reliable journey to work matters more after a twelve-hour shift than a nice view.
Tenement stairs and your neighbours
Many of our homes are in shared tenement stairs. Sound travels on a stone stair, so coming and going quietly early or late keeps everyone happy. Neighbours are usually very understanding when they know someone is working shifts. Our page for neighbours explains how we look after the buildings our homes are in.
If anything in the home is keeping you awake, such as a dripping tap or a radiator that clanks, message us. Our team is on from 9am to midnight, and there is an emergency line around the clock. We would rather fix something on day two than hear about it at the end of your stay.
Working from a short-let home: wifi, desks and video calls
Every home we let has wifi, and most guests work from them without a second thought. If your work depends on it, it is worth being specific when you book.
Things to tell us
- Whether you need a proper desk and chair, or whether a dining table will do for a few days.
- Whether you will be on video calls for much of the day, and whether you need a quiet room with a door.
- Whether you need to upload large files, such as scans, data sets or video.
- Whether anyone else will be in the home while you work.
We will tell you honestly what each home has, and if something specific matters, we will check before you book. We would rather say a home is not right for you than have you hunting for a cafe with good signal on your first morning.
What to pack for working away
- A laptop stand and a separate keyboard, if you will be working for weeks rather than days
- A good pair of headphones with a microphone
- An extension lead, since sockets are not always where you want them in older flats
- Any work ID, passes or paperwork you need on your first day
If you would like a second bedroom as a study, or as space for a partner visiting at the weekend, ask for that too. Our stay with us hub shows every kind of stay we look after, and the reviews from guests will give you a sense of what working from our homes is like.
Relocating to Edinburgh? Use your short stay to choose an area
If you are moving to Edinburgh for good, a few weeks in a short-let home is one of the best ways to work out where you want to live. A weekend visit shows you the sights. Living somewhere for a fortnight shows you the bus at 8am, the queue at the bakery and how the street sounds on a Friday night.
A quick feel for some areas
- Marchmont and Bruntsfield. Tenement streets, the Meadows on the doorstep and an easy walk to the centre. Handy for the central university buildings.
- Morningside. Quieter and residential, with good local shops. Further out, but well served by buses.
- Stockbridge and the New Town. Georgian streets, a village feel in the middle of the city, and a short walk to the West End.
- Leith. By the water, lively, with good food and the tram into town.
- Portobello. Edinburgh's seaside, with a long promenade and its own high street.
- Corstorphine and the west. More space, closer to the airport and the outer business parks.
Making the most of it
Do your commute for real in the first week, at the time you will actually travel. Walk the area in the evening as well as at weekends. Visit the local supermarket and try the nearest GP surgery's website. If you want to try two areas, ask us to split your stay between two homes.
If you are moving with family, our family stays near the university page covers homes with more bedrooms and what to know about tenement stairs with children and older relatives.
Food, laundry and weather on a longer work stay
A few weeks in a hotel wears most people down. Having your own kitchen, a washing machine and a sofa makes a work stay feel like ordinary life.
Food and shopping
Most areas we let in have supermarkets and corner shops within walking distance, and online grocery delivery covers the whole city. Cook a proper meal, keep breakfast in the fridge and save eating out for when you want to.
Laundry
Our homes have a washing machine, and some have a dryer too. If laundry matters for a long stay, or for uniforms and scrubs, tell us and we will check the home you are looking at. Drying space in older flats can be tight, so a clothes airer is worth asking about.
Bins and recycling
Edinburgh collects recycling separately, and how it works depends on the street and the building. If it is not clear what goes where, or where the communal bins are, ask us. Following them matters to neighbours, especially in tenement streets.
The weather
Edinburgh is often windy and changeable, and it can rain on any day of the year. Bring a waterproof jacket with a hood rather than relying on an umbrella, and shoes that cope with wet stone pavements. Winter days are short and summer evenings are very long. Layers work in every season.
Weekends off
If you have free days, North Berwick on the East Lothian coast is about half an hour by train. Our pages on golf breaks in East Lothian and homes in North Berwick have ideas for a weekend by the sea.
Costs on a work stay: the Visitor Levy, licences and booking safely
When you are booking for weeks rather than nights, a few things are worth understanding before you pay.
The Edinburgh Visitor Levy
Stays in the City of Edinburgh include the Visitor Levy: 5% on the cost of the accommodation for the first five nights of a stay, for stays from 24 July 2026. Nights after the fifth are not charged, so on a stay of several weeks the levy is a small part of the total. Our Visitor Levy page explains how it works.
Licensed homes
Every short let in Scotland needs a short-term let licence. Every home we let is licensed, and the licence number is shown on the listing. If you are offered a flat for a few weeks by someone you do not know, check for the licence number and be very cautious about paying by bank transfer. Our licensing page explains more.
Prices
Prices depend on the home, the dates and the season. Edinburgh is busiest in August, at Hogmanay and in graduation weeks. If your dates are flexible, tell us, as moving a start date by a few days can sometimes open up better choices. When we send you homes, we include the prices so you can compare them easily.
Changes and extensions
Placements and contracts change. If you think you may need to stay on, tell us early and we will check whether your home is free. If your plans change the other way, read the cancellation terms on your booking, and message us as soon as you know.
If you're finding a home for a household displaced by an insurance claim, see insurance accommodation in Edinburgh.
In Edinburgh for the Fringe with a company? See Fringe accommodation for performers.
Message us on WhatsApp on +44 7898 116933, or get in touch. We reply 9am to midnight, and the emergency line is there 24/7.