London student accommodation - eek!

[LittleRedRidingSnood]

Any current London uni parents worrying about September accommodation? And the cost!

Ds just lived at home to save money

Oh dear @Waitingfortulips , that is what I fear. I didn't realise the apartments could go to bidding. Oh no!

@LittleRedRidingSnood can't offer much help. But I hope Ur DC finds a place.

I know some people at DS's uni lived in halls again. Some (who were not disabled) when got the catered halls again.

@doubledogdare I'm afraid it isn't an option for ds to stay at home; we're in Scotland! I actually think him and his friends would like halls again, we just presumed they'd be too highly sought after and he doesn't have a particular need in terms of disability.

DS had friends at imperial. Could Ur DS live in the imperial accommodations that are a tube journey away from the Uni?

@doubledogdare I think there are only certain halls available to 2nd years and they are told to apply stating why they need them, i.e. disability. So, not sure.

@LittleRedRidingSnood I think he can apply to private halls. Not all just take y1 s. You are panicking very early though. London is not the same as elsewhere re rentals. If he gets a lease for 12 months from now, it’s of no use. Many do wait until later next term and are looking much further afield and commuting.

@TizerorFizz Thank you. Not panicking, just trying to get a feel for the timings in London. Other students we know elsewhere have been advised to move very quickly, for example in Durham and Glasgow and have already signed contracts for September. So, just getting the lay of the land.

They do go to bidding with the most shark-like agents, yes - e.g. avoid Dexters if possible because their agents are trained to squeeze every penny out of you.

My son tried for a Dexters flat. They wanted all our personal info upfront - the lead tenant had to collate it all, including salary details of the parent guarantors, so no privacy - then Dexters said there were other parties interested and advised them to offer more. They refused, so lost it.

@BrassCeiling Ah, good to know. So are they advertised at a guide price and then take closed offers afterwards?

See my edit in previous post for what happened in our case. They are usually advertised at a fixed price.

Definitely too early for London. My DS1, currently third year UCL secured his current flat in about May of first year. I was cross because he went to view it during the first 4 hours of a 48 hour exam but it has worked out very well. There were about 10 other pairs looking at it - first day of viewing and it was just first come first served on who out their deposit in first so he pounced.

I think I have been v lucky (I pay for it) as it is £214/week each for a double bed with en suite, 2 people but also they have a sitting room big enough for a dining table and big sofa. That’s a lot of money, but many pay more, so he chose well. It is on the Caledonian Road, about 10 mins walk north of Kings Cross. A lot of his friends live around there

But not v helpful for Imperial!

At UCL, first year students do have priority for hall places, but a couple of weeks after the start of term they open up for swaps, and this year there were definitely spare hall places advertised.

Not sure if it will be similar at Imperial though.

My son and friends secured their Year 2 flat in August.

Not very helpful but my daughter in the second year and January intake seems to find students accommodation pretty easy. Last year she found one within 3 weeks and then this year found a studio flat very quickly and this year was quick as well and it’s really nice and moved in last week Thursday.

@Mumof3girlsandaboy Very few undergrads are Jan intake. That’s just competing with people working.
@Revengeofthepangolins The Piccadilly line goes straight from Caledonian Road to South Ken! Could be a worse journey!

This is all very interesting with London being different. I had no idea. Thanks

good point! Should have thought of that, as that is our tube station so that route has had a lot of use int he last few years :-)

I did think about moving away from London but if DD chooses a London uni (September 2025) I might stay so she can continue to live with me.

I saw a student room in Stratford for £1400 a month. It's ridiculous. The cheapest I found was £800. Still ridiculous. When I had a student room in 1997 it cost me about £80 a week (Hackney).

London has lots to offer young people but it's so expensive.

My DD is also second year at imperial. She was also in the Paddington halls and loved the area and the walk through Hyde Park to campus.

She's renting a 2 bed flat in Bayswater with one other girl. It is an eye watering £1200 per month but there are no travel costs as she can still walk to campus. We knew her second and third year were going to be expensive.

She was very proactive in looking for accommodation from around May time. It did mean she had to pay rent over the summer. She paid 3 months upfront to secure the flat.

Definitely not the case in the Kensington area - agents told them to go away and come back in the summer term. They ended up in a flat in Gloucester Road which was the second they saw. However as I said above the only way they were able to secure it was by everyone paying six months rent upfront as international students have to do in order to be attractive tenants.

My DS is also in UCL. Halls was fine- if grubby- but house sharing has been a nightmare, and hugely expensive. One of his housemates left the bath on and flooded the entire house! Another dropped out just before they signed the contract.Also doing a punishing course so no time for a part time job except over the summer.

So he is moving back home, even with a longer commute.

Another dropped out just before they signed the contract

😬 Was it a "joint and several" contract? Most contracts seem to be, and they're a nightmare because if one person pulls out or doesn't pay their rent, the rest of the tenants have to make up the shortfall. Good for landlords, not for tenants.

Gosh, I can;t remember now. They got someone else in the end before signing, but they had to run around, and flats were fast disappearing. He had to pay more than we budgeted.

I do think it's good for DC to live away from home, but it doesnt seem to make economic sense any more as we live in London Though in a tiny house, which means we will be crowded. I have moaned about this on the Parents with Adult Children thread. 😀I think London parents need to be prepared to offer housing for a few years. Food and transport also through the roof.