I recently moved to Sheffield, UK. The first challenge was renting a place to live. Below are some tips on how to find house to rent in Sheffield given by my boss (millions thanks), I think it is very helpful for new comers to Sheffield.
A couple of good places to look for accommodation are http://www.zoopla.co.uk/ and http://www.rightmove.co.uk/. You can search for things that are close to the postcode of your work place or any desired one, that is a good starting point.
Generally speaking, the postcode areas S1 (central), S3 (inner north), S6 (inner north-west), and S10 (inner west) are generally convenient.
S10 is a fairly student area, but with excellent public transport. S6 is a mix of students and families; a lot of the university staff live there, and the tram directly from there to the university is convenient too. S1 is the city centre, and has a few apartments.
S3 is an inner-city area which includes some very nice little bits close to the river, but also some less-good areas which may not be so desirable; the prices in that area can be lower, but it is recommended that you have a careful look around the specific neighbourhood close to an apartment in this area to make sure it is OK before agreeing to rent.
S11 (inner south/south-west) also has some nice houses at a good price, but the transport isn’t so easy, it involves either a bus plus a short walk, or quite a long walk. I don’t really know the neighbourhoods directly to the east of the city, but there are some big council/social housing areas in that part of the city.
If you want to read about what is happening in Sheffield, or see people’s comments on specific areas, search the http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/ website for the name of the street or the area.
I have rented from a couple of different agencies in Sheffield – the one who treated us well was Martin & Co, http://www.martinco.com/lettings-agents/sheffield-city. The one who treated us badly was Sheffield Residential (located on West Street). Another very large one in Sheffield is Blundells, who are in the West One building, http://www.blundells.com/toletoffice/centro/1796/ – some people say good things about them, others say less-good things.
Good luck.