Has the university provided any advice at all? I'm sure they have had a lot of graduate students move there from the US and they may have a standard packet of information for you that might help. Professors and students (in Washington DC, at least) sometimes rent out condos or sublet apartments for a year, because they are going to be gone, too. You might find something convenient to the university that way, through the school.

Also, does the Unviversity have any kind of graduate student housing as many schools do in the US? It might not be great, but for a year...