Queen Mary London Accommodation help!!

[Positivelypatient]

My DD got her insurance offer at QML in East London E1 - and has applied for what was left from their onsite halls accommodation - yet to hear back but understand its unlikely she'll get a room.

We have been looking all evening for alternative halls in East London but the prices Omg, £250+ per week and that's cheap.

How on earth are students supposed to live in London? Has anyone else been in this situation and how did you resolve it?

Anyone know how likely she is to actually get accommodation on campus?

I'm starting to think she won't be able to take her place as we can't afford to pay up to £300 pw in accommodation.

I'm not keen for her to go into private rental in her 1st year as its been a tricky road getting her to uni with her not getting her 1st choice so disappointment is already a big factor.

We are in this situation too - DC is thinking about deferring for a year due to the lack of accommodation!

@PlumpAndPlain oh no I really feel for you, faced with having to defer purely because of accommodation seems crazy doesnt it.

We finally managed to secure a room at Stratford One near Westfield at about midnight. We'd spend all evening trawling online and sending enquiries before giving up and going to bed... only to continue the search from bed where I found literally the last room at the above halls. Managed to book it there and then but by golly the price! Eye watering. Her full maintenance loan doesn't cover it and both myself and her dad will be heavily supplementing her living costs.

She is planning on getting a job and budgeting so it's just about doable.

Hope you manage to find something too.
Still haven't heard from QML about the waiting list for accommodation or any of the enquiries we sent on Tues evening.

Glad you got sorted. DC's university won't let us know about their accommodation until 5th Sept at the earliest. Not heard back from any other enquiries yet either - very stressful! Proposed the idea of a different uni rather than deferring but think issues with accommodation might be similar in other places e.g. Brighton

Its ridiculous isn't it, universities must be missing out on students with the lack of affordable accommodation. I can only presume that students attending London unis are rich.

My other DD lives in Brighton until recently and yes accommodation is very tight there too but not sure about students accom.

I hope you find somewhere soon. 5th sept is way too late.

My son is at QM and he got campus accommodation in his first year. He paid it from his maintenance loan, plus savings from his summer job. All his housemates work at weekends as well

@Polimolly unfortunately for DD, QML was her insurance choice and they don't guarantee a space in uni accommodation. Yes a job is definitely on the cards.

@Positivelypatient London is awash with overseas students. Many are well off. Just look at the fees. On a general point,, putting a London Uni as insurance with no halls is an expensive option snd needs research before putting such a university as insurance. If you cannot afford London prices it’s a high risk strategy. I think schools need to give much more advice on picking what you can afford in all circumstances. Insurance and clearing being the obvious ones.

@TizerorFizz that's a very good point and i had come to the same conclusion about this.

My eldest DD has already been through QML but did get 1st yr halls but I do remember she had high accommodation costs in 2/3rd years.

Unfortunately for me my DD made her insurance choice without much consultation with me and tbh I had forgotten the total PITA that London accommodation can be. My fault entirely.

@Positivelypatient
I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself! It’s something lots of people don’t think about as DC look at the course and not the ramifications of insurance choice. I say this as a parent who also had a DD go to insurance! No hall available! She did get offered a “shared” room in the end but the university organised a “find a shared house with other insurance students” day. She couldn’t go because we were on a family holiday and it was a nightmare I remember well. This was 2010!!! So many more students going to university now so it’s worse and should be flagged up as a possible huge issue.

Regarding the point on affording London, many London students live at home and commute. QM has been in the forefront of outreach and like many universities has been overwhelmed with students.

Long ago, the main halls were actually based in South Woodford and there was very little accommodation in Mile End. Some students had house shares just outside central London on the central line.

Hey OP, not a uni accommodation specialist but a Londoner - there are schemes (the name escapes me, sorry) where pensioners open up their homes and spare rooms to young people in exchange for 5 hours a week's help (shopping, help in the garden, sometimes just being another friendly presence in the house). Rent is half or less the going rate. I know it's not for everyone but I thought I'd mention it.

This thread is very timely 😬

DS has just been advised that all accommodation has been assigned. He will be put forward for private housing clinics from tomorrow.

The choice is 100% down to him but I'm not thrilled about him going into private rented in his first year (particularly with the rising energy prices) At this point I haven't given my opinion as there are already mutterings about deferring for a year.

He also categorically denies any knowledge of being advised about the advisability of having a London uni as your insurance offer.

I guess this is the upshot of students deferring for the last couple years due to Covid 😢

@Champagneforeveryone
I agree with your DS. Very few teachers have any idea about student housing when advising about universities. Universities tend to say they will have accommodation for firmed students but don’t make comments about accommodation for the others. It’s not just London either. Many universities cannot offer insurance accommodation. Yes, deferrals and huge numbers now going to university have outstripped housing.

It’s very hard not to be in a hall. My DD faced the same situation and she was adamant she wouldn’t defer. Just wanted to get on with her life. Az I said, she did get a room in the end. I agree that costs in private accommodation will be huge so will he work? That might now be the conversation to have.

Private housing clinics are a lottery at best.

Has he tried AA4S housing?

He's waiting to hear back from them.

Personally I've always advocated a gap year but he's been dead against it. He's seriously considering it now in the hope he will get halls accommodation next year and will have the option to save a little more money

Agree with PPs about that lack of info about London unis as insurance choice. Even with DD1 already having been to QML in on site halls I was completely blindsided this time round.

It doesn't get any easier finding accom in 2/3rd year but at least they can look early and secure a room before next year's intake.

I hope your DS finds somewhere @Champagneforeveryone it puts a real dampener not to mention added stress on what should be a happy step to uni.

This has fallen nicely alongside completion of my first house purchase and subsequent move, not to mention the busiest time of the year at work.

In one way it's a good thing as I've got other things to stress me out distract me 😉

@TheWayTheLightFalls There is a scheme called www.sharemyhome.co.uk/ which sounds similar.

The spare room site is also useful but this doesn’t guarantee a student house and is aimed more at working people. I would defer rather than do that. However when my dd was faced with no hall room she didn’t want to defer either. I get that they are ready to go mentally.

I think that's the problem tizer

DS is a hard worker with a strong sense of responsibility, but he's also a naturally gregarious chap on his own terms! I've tried my best to explain the difference between being in student halls and a house share and he's definitely less keen on the latter. I think if it comes to a proper grown up house then he will likely defer for a year.

It's not just London though. Bristol and UWE are sending students to Newport, Wales, 90 minutes away. Manchester and Manchester Met to Liverpool, Huddersfield and Preston, 45 minutes away. Glasgow literally advised students on Results Day not to come unless they already had accommodation confirmed. St Andrews is housing many students in Dundee. Bath have told students who had them as insurance or came through clearing that there is no accommodation left. York sent students to live in Leeds last year - haven't seen anything about them this year though.

My DS had Manchester as his insurance. They supposedly guarantee accommodation for all First Years, hence why he chose them as his insurance. Luckily he got his firm, UCL, and has been allocated a room in Bloomsbury, otherwise he would now also be scrambling for a solution.

For the next few years, I think students should be advised to be cautious about their firm offer being realistically achievable. The system as it stands isn't working, and is causing a vast amount of stress and heartbreak to youngsters who really don't need it.

@Whalesong You are absolutely correct. When universities say students should go to other cities, is that to hall accommodation? Why would you be 90 mins away when you could get a room much closer?

I now think universities must reduce the number of offers they make and bd totally clear that there is no accommodation for clearing students. If they over offer in future, they just have themselves to blame. It’s not fair that potential students don’t know it’s so bad. The universities need to slim down I’m afraid and match offers to accommodation snd assume grade inflation and take account of deferrals.

Yes, from what I've seen they're being offered halls in other cities, as far as 90 minutes away. I guess that way the university fulfils its promise to guarantee accommodation??? But it's hardly what those students expected!
They're doing it because all the halls in their own town are full.

"don’t make comments about accommodation for the others. "

I disagree with this. Most Uni's make it very clear. Schools aswell. On threads I've been on parents are aware and it's all over WIWIKAU. You should know that not guaranteed accommodation for your insurance.