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The options for SU London studentsAt SU London there are two housing options, pre-arranged or independent. We hope that by clarifying the process below you (and your parents) will feel better equipped to make your decision. Knowing that your housing is set-up before you come to London, not having to find roommates and being close to school is what attracts students to pre-arranged housing. Having the freedom to live where you want, with who you want, while almost certainly paying less is what attracts students to independent housing. We'll try our best to explain how the process works, and both options have their pros and cons, so think carefully before you make your choice. We've included advice from previous students - one from pre-arranged, one independent - who both think they made the right decision. PreArranged - what is it?Please be aware that we are changing our PreArranged Housing Provider as of September 2010. Please check back for the most up-to-date information.Our pre-arranged housing is managed by Acorn Properties and is conveniently located on Bedford Place, a safe, well-lit street with 24 hour security guards. Please note that it is NOT an SU London dorm - SU Abroad books a certain number of flats at Bedford Place, as do other American universities, and students must abide by Acorn's rules and regulations as well as by the SU Student Code of Conduct. With pre-arranged housing you move straight into your new London home upon arriving for the semester, which means you only have to unpack once. It is just a 5 minute walk from Faraday House, the home of SU London, and very close to the University of London library and Student Union, both of which you'll have access to (and you can join the University of London student gym for an additional fee). Bedford Place is within walking distance of the nightlife and entertainment of the West End; public transportation in London can be very expensive, so this central location and your ability to walk most places will help you save loads of money on travel. Weekly cleaning service, 24-hour maintenance crews and free laundry access are included in the price. Pre-arranged takes the pressure off of finding flatmates. After filling out a roommate-preference sheet you will be assigned like-minded people to share with, or alternatively, if you do know people coming you can suggest by name who you would like to room with. Most flats are two or three bedrooms and house between four and six people, sharing a bathroom and a kitchen and living room. Student liaisons have regular meetings with SU London staff, and help organize social events, like walks to nearby markets. All pre-arranged students have a mandatory "Living in London" Orientation the day after they arrive where you'll have a chance to meet Acorn representatives. For more information about pre-arranged housing, please see the SU Abroad website, or contact Gail Rich at SU Abroad. Independent Housing - How does it work?Let's start by saying that we've been doing this for a very long time and no one is ever homeless after the first week! All Independent Housing students stay in a hotel we've booked for your first six nights, so don't worry, you have somewhere to stay while you look. The "Living in London" Housing Orientation will begin the morning after you arrive. Our expert Student Life Staff and Student Guides will outline the process and the pitfalls of finding housing, negotiating contracts and dealing with estate agents. You'll be briefed on the areas of London preferred by former students and things to look out for when viewing a property. Following the Orientation, you'll be divided into smaller groups, each led by an orange-shirted Student Guide who'll reinforce the important considerations when choosing a place to live. Then you'll be provided with our housing list - with many available properties and student friendly realtors, and, equally important, some to avoid. Throughout the week, your guide will check in with you and help you liaise with other groups. There'll also be a drop-in Housing Desk at Faraday House where you can check for new properties and open spots in flats that other students have found. Even over the weekend there'll be Housing support available in the Student Life Office. We know it is easy to say, but please don't worry! OrientationEven if you start looking for housing before you come, we still require you to come to Wednesday's "Living in London" Orientation. Not only will there be general advice on how to get the best from the city, but also tips for dealing with housing agents and a full explanation of London's public transport system. When it comes to finding housing the choice is yours but the best advice we can give to any prospective students is 'Don't stress'. Students always find housing, often more easily than they anticipated and more luxurious than they dreamed! Keep an open mind. During Arrivals week there will be a certain amount of mixing and matching going on as students choose their flat mates. Sometimes groups splinter up for financial reasons, some students having a higher housing budget than others. But everyone always finds housing by the beginning of classes so it is really not necessary for either you or your parents to get over anxious. Here are the reasons we recommend you wait until you get to London before you start your housing search in earnest:
Housing list - why isn't it available ahead of time?At the end of each semester we process the results of online housing questionnaires, to make sure we have an accurate picture of the service the various Agents provide and how our students rate them. Also, the housing market in London turns over very quickly so many Agents will not know ahead of time what properties they will have on their books when you arrive. As a result, the Housing List is not finalized until a few days before students arrive so we can make sure that the listings are bang up to date; there's nothing more frustrating than making calls about flats that are no longer available. Some of the Agents on the list are independent operators, middlemen who help students find some terrific flats, yet they don't have websites. Similarly we sometimes get last minute calls from private landlords who much prefer to see their prospective tenants rather than negotiate online. One thing is certain, by waiting until you arrive, by using the Housing List and all the local help we provide during Orientation week, you stand a much better chance not only of finding a bargain, but finding accommodation that meets all your needs in terms of price, facilities and location. Please don't assume you will be able to shop around the High Street Estate Agents as they generally don't cater to the student market, nor do they offer leases under 6 months duration. GuidesEither students or recent graduates of British universities, our Student Guides will do their best to get everyone oriented and settled in their new surroundings as quickly as possible. They are an indispensable part of Arrival and Orientation week at SU London. As Londoners they understand the business of flat-hunting and will be your very best resource. From the moment you arrive at the airport (group flight only) they'll be instantly recognizable in their bright orange T-shirts. They'll happily help you set-up housing appointments, show you how to navigate London's public transport system and if you'd like them to accompany you to viewings for advice they'll do that too (and maybe even to help barter with landlords!). Besides the vital role the Student Guides play in the housing process, they're also there to answer your questions, to give advice on neighborhoods, shopping, eating, nightlife and communications. A great resource for those crucial first days in London, we encourage you to take advantage of our student guides as much as possible. Finding roommatesStudents come to SU London from lots of different American universities. Don't be alarmed if you're coming to London without knowing many people - there'll be plenty of new friends waiting for you here! The Student Life team and Student Guides will be doing their very best to smooth your path through the housing process so there's no need for you ever to feel alone. We'll provide opportunities to meet potential flat mates both on arrivals day and throughout the week. The day you arrive Faraday House will be open for students to use the Student Lounge as a 'drop in' center. You'll be mixing with other new arrivals both at the Orientation Dinner and the Meet and Greet party the next evening. There's also a Facebook group called SU London FALL '09!! which could be a great way to establish links with possible roommates. If you have roommates lined up already then you'll hit the ground running, but be flexible to have your numbers shift depending on what you find. As a general rule, you will be sharing bedrooms in doubles or triples and we find that larger groups (four to ten students) have an easier time finding a flat than smaller ones. What can I do before I arrive?We realize that many of you are itching to get started and the very first thing you should do is get to know the city. Spend some time on the Visit London website , thinking about neighbourhoods and what is important to you - being close to school or somewhere with a vibrant weekend nightlife, in the middle of the city or close to a park. If you make a list of what you want to see and do and think about the trips you plan to take, you'll quickly realize how little time you'll be spending in your flat. You're only in London for a few short months! If you've already got a group of flat mates organized or if you know that you intend to live on your own then we can give you a few suggestions to help you do some research. But we still strongly recommend that you don't commit to anything before you arrive and see the flat in person. Even if you have a firm recommendation from friends about a specific flat they rented during their semester in London remember conditions can change quickly and you might be in for a disappointment. SU London is here to fully support your housing search, but be aware that in the end a lease is a binding document, a contract between you and the landlord. Once any deposit has been put down, it will not be returned. You can't change your mind once you've signed on the line. Over the years we have cultivated good relationships with a few agencies who enjoy working with us and they unofficially 'earmark' flats for our students. If you wish to contact them by email, you might be able to set up appointments for when you arrive - remember, though, that the cheaper options won't typically be available until just before you arrive. Duncan McGlashan has had consistently good feedback from our students and has a number of flats housing 5/6 students. He can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Euracom has been providing student accommodation for many years and feedback is very good. They also provide luxury flats if you'd prefer something a little smarter. You can visit the Euracom website or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Anglo American Educational Services is another student housing specialist, much like Acorn, our pre-arranged housing provider. Check out what they have to offer on www.angloamerican.uk.com Blix Properties have housed many of our students over the last few years and generally offer large mansion flats near Hyde Park/Edgware Road. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. Their website however only gives details of studios and flat shares but feel free to look at that as well if that is your area of interest. If you're looking for something on your own, there are a number of providers who offer studios to study abroad students. Have a look at Liberty Living who manage a number of residences in London. Another good resource is a London listings website called Gumtree where a few of the more adventurous students find housing. But please tread carefully here, nothing beats face to face negotiation and unless you know the city intimately already, you could end up living in an area that really isn't to your taste, and with people who aren't on the same schedule as an American student. Also, please be aware that as full-time students you are exempt from the hefty residential Council Tax, but if you live with non-students, you may be liable to pay. During your semester in London you'll become very familiar with Time Out, London's leading weekly listings magazine. Time Out also offers a flat share service on http://flatshare.timeout.com/index.php Very often the properties advertised are out of the center of London and consequently less expensive. But if you're unfamiliar with the geography of the city, as with Gumtree, please tread carefully. On the plus side, it's a good website with clear photographs and descriptions so if you're anxious to have your own room and live with British people, you might just find what you need. But again you have to remember that unless all members of the household are full-time students you will be required to pay Council Tax on top of your rent. Student feedbackFall '08 student Zac Cummings says there are a dozen reasons he loved being in pre-arranged housing: 1) It's just five minutes away from the SU center. Many of the non-pre-arranged apartments are at least a 20-minute Tube ride away. Spring '09 student Pamela Galbato wrote the following for people looking for Independent Housing: Housing is probably what students are most anxious to take care of when they arrive in London. Some may try to avoid this anxiety by arranging living arrangements ahead of time, but I would advise against that. There were so many flats that sounded perfect on paper, but upon viewing them, we realized they were not for us. It's really important not to jump into anything too quickly, and to keep your options open. My five roommates and I looked at about a dozen flats. We found several we liked, but waited until we exhausted all of our options to make the final decision- we even explored flats through some real estate agents the school didn't suggest, but these were for the most part too costly. The flat we settled on was on Park Rd. near Baker St. right across from Regents Park. The location wasn't the closest to school we could have done, but it was good enough and was the nicest and largest flat we found. The price was over per diem, but by pointing out everything that was wrong with the apartment we were able to negotiate it down to per diem. Chances are the real estate agents are just as eager as you are, so it is definitely beneficial to negotiate. Some other suggestions I have include getting a feel for the area a flat is in. Walk around a bit, have lunch or dinner at a local restaurant, see what's nearby (grocery stores etc.); also pay attention to the tube and bus stops. Practice going to school, and ask someone at Faraday their opinion of the location. Also, check out the area at night and make sure you are going to feel safe. When you are viewing an apartment asks lots of questions, and check things out. Make sure the lights and windows aren't broken, and see what's included in the apartment (bedding, towels, etc.) Internet is a huge pain, and I would strongly suggest finding an apartment that is fully equipped- ours wasn't, and it was a huge hassle. When you are signing a lease it is even more important to ask lots of questions. Read the lease and make sure you understand all of the clauses, and use the questions Faraday supplies you with. Our real estate agent was annoyed that we had so many questions, but that just meant we were asking the right ones! Be assertive, because you don't want to end up owing lots of money in the end. Also, anything that can't be added into the contract that you agree upon, should go in a separate signed letter from the real estate agent. An example of this is, one year students got charged for marks left behind from hanging up pictures with tape. I asked our real estate agent how he would want us to hang things up, and had him write it in a signed letter so if marks were made we wouldn't be held liable. Another example of this would be making sure it was agreed you'd get your security deposit back before you leave London. This is something Faraday usually goes over, but basically you want to be done with anything involving housing before you leave. The truth is, it's a lengthy process, but it is exciting, and if you do it right, you will eliminate future frustrations and problems. Spring 2009 student Jen McCaffrey adds the following: I was so nervous to find my own housing in London but I honestly think it was the best decision I could have ever made! I knew I was going to be rooming with one of my best friends but we figured we would need at least two other people to room with. We ended up finding five other girls to room with at the housing orientation the morning after we arrived. Also at the Housing Orientation we met an SU student guide named Lewis who was so helpful! He took us to various different flats, giving us advice and suggestions. After much deliberation we chose a flat on the Edgware Road, about 25 minutes from school and I’m so glad that we did. Edgware Road is a very ethnic neighborhood with numerous hookah bars and Middle Eastern grocery stores. While I was skeptical at first because I was not used to the area, it definitely grew on me to the point where I didn’t want to leave the flat my last day. We spent the whole first day flat searching before making a decision, signed the next morning and moved in the following day. And finally Megan Woods states about independent housing: I decided to go with independent housing because I knew I wanted to "LIVE LONDON" and experience an area of London different from Faraday House and the Holborn area. I went on the prequel trip to Ireland (HIGHLY recommended) and met one of my future roommates. Between my friends and hers we started looking for a flat for 8 girls. I admit that it was little stressful at first to get to London and not know where I was going to be living, while also trying to combine 8 different opinions and agree on a place, but after a day of looking at flats with one of our student guides we found a place that was under per diem and could fit all 8 of us. |