Looking to lodge in Manchester

Following my landlord selling up I'm looking for a new place to live in Manchester.

Ideally, I'd lodge somewhere, rather than sign a 12-month contract through an agency.

I'm in the early days of buying my own place (viewing places and submitting offers) so hopefully I'll be getting that done sooner rather than later.

I work full-time, standard hours. During a typical week I go into the office three or four days, although it would be nice to have the option to work from home now and again (but not a dealbreaker).

Outside of work, I'm into live music and walking (out in the Peaks and such places a lot of weekends). I'm typically out the house a couple of evenings during the week and I'm often away at least one weekend a month as well. Not a room hermit when I'm at home and always enjoy eating / spending time with flatmates.