Brighton FAQs
The below questions and answers have been compiled based on Reddit (/r/brighton) posts asking for similar info (plus some of our own input); thanks to everyone who shared their wisdom. Links to the posts used are at the end of each section. Please let us know if anything we’ve said is now incorrect!
RESIDENTS
I’m looking for…
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Brighton is expensive. It’s also getting younger and has a large student population which can make job hunting especially tricky for entry-level roles. Hospitality, Healthcare, Retail and Financial Services are generally the biggest employers in the city.
Given the (theoretically) good transport links here’s also the option of commuting up to London, but that’s also expensive and in reality, the trains are often unreliable. I’d suggest that a good proportion of working from home days would be preferable…
Job availability can fluctuate over time (especially in hospitality), however there are few good starting points:
Write a good CV! If you don’t feel confident about doing that from scratch, there are templates available online. You could also try using an AI to generate one but, in either case, make sure you check it’s correct before sending it anywhere! Maybe get someone else (preferably someone who has conducted job interviews) to review it first. Make it easy for a reader to see what you’re good at.
Once you get an interview, look up the company and learn about it. Question one will often be some version of “why do you want to work here?” so make sure you have an answer; note that it’s generally considered bad form to reply “for the money”…
Take a look at the big job sites like Indeed.com or Reed.co.uk. However, these sites will likely also receive the most applicants…
Brightonandhovejobs.com is a local cross-sector jobs site.
For healthcare / care work, you could try jobs.NHS.uk or trac.jobs. There’s www.curamcare.com/ for freelance carers.
For community / public sector work, there’s communitybase.org/jobs and www.charityjob.co.uk. You can also look over the Brighton & Hove Council jobs site.
For hospitality work, harri.com is worth a look.
The big hotels are often looking for staff, so you could check those.
There are plenty of coffee shops / pubs in town, however they will usually want staff with some experience. For newbie baristas, look up Pro Baristas. Prospective bartenders should sign up for the Brighton Bartenders Association (BNBA) Facebook group.
Hit the streets! There are a lot of independent business around the city, and some will just put ‘staff wanted’ signs in their windows. You can print CVs off at the library if you don’t have access to your own printer.
Sources:
struggling to find work : r/brighton
WHATS going on with the job market in this town? : r/brighton
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Property prices in Brighton are high, for both renting and buying. This is a reflection of how “competitive” the market is at the moment. This is unlikely to change soon, so check current listings for prices.
One general bit of advice would be to go and view the property before agreeing to anything! Even if the listing isn’t a scam, there’s no telling how old those photos in the listing are…
Buying
In short, sign up for Rightmove and Zoopla. The local agencies all seem to use one or both of these sites.
One Brighton-specific thing to bear in mind is the use of bungaroosh as a construction material in 18th /19th century buildings. In short, it’s a material made from lime and whatever else the builder could get their hands on at the time.
This doesn’t appear to have impact building insurance premiums, but it might be worth asking about if you’re buying a property from that period - if only because it can make it tricky to put up shelves!
Renting
First and foremost, check the current regulations around renting. This guidance is a great summary but always keep in mind that tenants have rights and your landlord / letting agent has responsibilities.
Rightmove and Zoopla are good places to start if you want to rent a whole property.
Gumtree.com seems popular with private landlords and smaller agencies, but obviously more caution should be used with classified ads.
Spareroom.co.uk and Gumtree.com have listings for existing house shares with spaces, or groups looking to start a house-share.
UniHomes.co.uk specialises in student rental listings.
Debates over good and bad letting agencies are often popular on r/Brighton! There’s one example here, but it’s always worth checking for current opinions on the different agencies. Just bear in mind that different people can have very different experiences of the same agency, not least because the issue might actually be with the landlord!
Sources:
House Hunting Advice : r/brighton
Bungaroosh and Building Insurance : r/brighton
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Whether you’re new in town or you’ve been here a while, trying making new friends can be intimidating. You’ll need to be willing to put yourself out there, but Brighton has a lot of possibilities when it comes to meeting people.
Most of the below is copied directly from u/bluthboys comment on the first link in the sources below, so thanks for that!
Search the r/Brighton sub on Reddit for similar posts, you're not the first to ask and there are always great suggestions.
Try the Brighton & Hove section of Meetup.com: https://www.meetup.com/topics/brighton-hove/
Or the Brighton & Hove Eventbrite section: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--brighton-and-hove/brighton/
There are several Brighton groups on Facebook which post social events for various interests.
People often suggest Dice Saloon and Boulder Brighton as good places to meet people.
You could try Bumble app's BFF friends feature.
There’s also the Loop Meetups app; this allows users to organise spontaneous meet-ups around Brighton: https://loopmeetups.com/.
Obviously only for girls, but the Brighton Girl network has been around a long time and remains popular: https://citygirlnetwork.com/brighton-girl.
Go to some gigs, and you might meet some people who you click with! We have that covered too: https://www.rivalcults.com/gigs.
You could join the Brighton RPG Meetup Discord and see if you can join / start a game. On a related note, there’s also the Brighton Pub Boardgamers on Meetup.
Join a club that covers your interests (or something you're not into yet but curious about). Could be sports, fitness, arts and crafts, a local choir, a community workshop, a chess club, etc. Great way to meet people who are passionate about things you are into too. This seems like somewhere you could get some ideas: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/directories/activity-providers.
Or you could try taking a course to meet like-minded people, for example a watersports course at Hove Lagoon, a ballroom dancing class, or an evening language course at BHASVIC. Also, The MET has a variety of evening classes. There's plenty more out there if you Google it!
Also try volunteering for a charity, if you're into that, it can be a good way to meet lovely people. A useful starting point: https://www.communityworks.org.uk/volunteering/volunteer/.
If you're university age, maybe you could check out some of the Students' Union events at the two big unis; the University of Sussex and Brighton University. Not all of them will be restricted to students of that specific uni. Check in advance, but all you'll need is some form of ID, as far as I know.
You could use this great cinema listings app that a fellow Brighton Redittor created, you might strike up a convo with people after the film: https://cinemaguide.co.uk/brighton.
Or check out the Brighton Open Air Theatre (weather permitting).
The Brighton Festival, Brighton Fringe, and Artists Open House festivals take place in May and June - check out some events that suit your interests and you might make some friends along the way.
Sources:
New in town wanna make a friends? : r/brighton
I have a problem with…
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With so many rental properties in the city, it’s perhaps inevitable that there are also a lot of tenants who have issues with getting their landlord and/or letting agent to live up to their responsibilities.
Obviously, the first point of contact should be your landlord / agency. Don’t be afraid to chase them up if they’re not replying. Also worth remembering that most agencies will have offices you can walk into…
If you’re still having problems though, then there are a few organisations that could help:
Brighton & Hove Council: Private tenants
The Citizens’ Advice Bureau: Home | Citizens Advice Brighton and Hove
ACORN, which is a “community union” which can support renters: ACORN || Union for the Community
Sources:
ACORN at the Bevy, Saturday : r/brighton
Has anyone taken their letting agent to court here? : r/brighton
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Firstly, it’s worth speaking to your neighbours directly if you feel safe doing so. They might not even be aware they’re causing an issue. If they don’t answer the door, you could try leaving them a note.
It can be nerve-wracking, but this might be the quickest way to resolve things.
If they’re renting and you know who their letting agent / landlord is, you can try raising a complaint with them. Landlords aren’t generally fond of tenants who cause them problems, so they might be motivated to help resolve things.
Failing that, you can contact the environmental health team at the council. This can be a lengthy process, however they’re also able to arrange mediation between you and your neighbour: Report a noise problem
Sources:
Dealing with LOUD neighbours : r/brighton
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You can report missed collections to the council here: Report a missed bin or box collection
VISITORS
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North Laine is an area dedicated to independent shops and cafes. There’s a fair amount of turnover in businesses here, but this area includes some longstanding Brighton institutions like Snoopers Paradise (and indoor flea market), Daves Comics, Ju-Ju (new clothes) and Dirty Harry (not new clothes).
The Lanes were expanded a few years ago. The older part contains a lot of jewellery shops, with the newer part home to a variety of boutiques and galleries. The Brighton Armoury has a lot of antique weaponry to gawp at, with a Warhammer shop, Cult Hero Records and the Stanley Road makers’ store located around the edges of the Lanes.
London Road has a lot of (increasingly shiny) charity shops. Dice Saloon, a board game shop / venue is here too, along with the Open Market which has a variety of stalls and food options.
Churchill Square is the city’s shopping centre, holding a selection of whatever high street stores still exist. The cities other larger shops exist around this area too.
Sources:
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Brighton and Hove has a lot of pubs! Most of them are pretty good, however many are quite small. Those in the less touristy parts of the city might turn away large groups and / or stag and hen do’s.
Most of the city’s nightclubs are on the seafront, between the piers. There’s also Pryzm on West Street, a street which also has a number of large chain pubs / bars.
If you’re looking for a spot to watch sports in then the King and Queen will be showing whatever football is on (and occasionally other stuff). I wouldn’t take my mum there, but it has big screens and can hold large groups. The New Unity has a lot of screens and can cater to more niche sports if you ask. The Exchange in Hove is a good option for rugby union.
There’s a list of upcoming gigs right here! https://www.rivalcults.com/gigs.
Check out the Brighton & Hove Eventbrite section if you’re looking for a more organised experience: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--brighton-and-hove/brighton/