Accommodation for International Students

If you are not a European national, the Immigration Rules state that you must be able to meet the cost of your accommodation in the UK without working or claiming welfare benefits. If your family is with you in the UK, the accommodation must be adequate for their needs.

In addition, it is very important for you to have suitable accommodation while you are studying. The standard of your academic work and your health can suffer if your living conditions are not satisfactory. In many areas of the UK there is a shortage of student accommodation, so you must start making arrangements as soon as you have been accepted on your course. This is particularly important if you are planning to bring your family with you to the UK.
It is important that you arrange some form of accommodation before you arrive in the UK, even if it is only temporary. It is best to do this before you leave your home country. There are two main types of accommodation:
i) accommodation owned, managed and provided by your institution;
ii) accommodation owned by organisations or private landlords, which you will
have to find and arrange either by yourself or with the help of advice and suggestions from the accommodation office at the institution.

What types of accommodation are provided by your institution?

Accommodation provided by your institution might be the most suitable type if you are coming to the UK for the first time. It will provide you with opportunities to get
to know other students and become involved in the social life of the institution. There are two main types of accommodation provided by institutions:

i) Halls of residence: These are usually large buildings occupied by many students. Residents live in study bedrooms, either alone or sharing with another student. Bathrooms and other facilities are usually shared, but some rooms have these attached to them. Telephones are normally provided on each floor, but some institutions may provide one in each room. Halls can be single sex (male or female only) or mixed (taking both male and female students). Halls of residence sometimes provide breakfast and an evening meal, but the food may be basic
and not familiar to you.

ii) Self-catering halls: This accommodation is similar to halls of residence,
but you can buy and prepare your own food. You will share a kitchen with several other students. Many international students prefer this type of accommodation. Some institutions have a small number of self-catering flats for students
with families.

How do I apply for accommodation provided by the institution?

In most cases accommodation provided by the institution has to be arranged before you come to the UK. When you are offered a place on your course, you will usually be asked if you would like your institution either to provide accommodation or to arrange alternative private accommodation for you. Make sure that you follow the college’s application procedures, and in particular, that you meet deadlines for booking accommodation. When you are making enquiries about accommodation provided by your institution you should ask the following questions:
What types of accommodation do you have?
Will I be offered accommodation each year?
Will I have to leave my accommodation during the vacations?
Will I have to provide my own bed-linen, towels and kitchen utensils?
How much will the accommodation cost?
Will accommodation be available for my family?
(if family are coming to the UK with you)

Suitable accommodation for students with dependants, especially those with children, is more expensive and particularly difficult to find in many parts of the UK. You will need to start making arrangements for family accommodation as soon as possible. Do not travel to the UK with your family unless you have booked accommodation for them in advance.

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What other types of accommodation are available?

i) Hostels: Hostels are normally owned by charitable organisations. Some hostels provide rooms for both single and married students. They usually provide some meals or have cooking facilities and allow students to prepare their own food. Staying in a hostel can give you the opportunity to become familiar with the area where you are studying and this is an advantage if you want to find private accommodation later.
If you wish to apply for a place in a student hostel, you should do this in advance because many hostels have long waiting lists. Your booking will only be secure after you have paid a deposit. In some parts of the UK it is difficult to find hostel accommodation, although hostels are more common in London. Lists of hostels are available from the British Council office in your home country. The British Embassy or High Commission will give you the address of the British Council office.

ii) Lodgings: This means renting a room in a private house. The landlord/landlady will also live in the house, perhaps with their family. You will probably have to share the bathrooom and kitchen. You may have to fit in with the family’s lifestyle and respect the customs of the household. For example, if there are small children, they may wish to have quiet evenings. Meals may be provided or you may be able to use the kitchen to cook your own food. Lodgings can provide you with good company and support but you will not be completely independent.

iii) Bedsits: This is a single room, in which you will have to live and sleep. The building will be divided into several bedsits which will be rented by other people who may not be students. Cooking facilities may be in the bedsit or elsewhere in the building, in which case, you will have to share them. You will also have to share a bathroom with the other people living in the same building. You will have to clean your own room, do your own laundry and provide your own bed-linen and towels. Heating can be quite expensive. In a bedsit you will be independent and have a
lot of freedom, but it may be lonely. Bedsits vary in size and quality so you should never take a room without seeing it first.

iv) Flats and houses: After you have been in the UK for some time and have found a small group of friends, you may wish to share a furnished flat or house together. You will share the rent, heating and lighting bills, the food bills and the cleaning. This sort of accommodation can be cheaper than the other types but large houses can be difficult to find. Again, you will have to provide your own bed-linen and towels and do your own cleaning. In the case of bedsits, flats and houses, do not sign any contract you do not fully understand. If you are unsure, take a copy of the agreement to your college accommodation officer or welfare officer for their advice.

Most adult residents in the UK have to pay Council Tax, which is related to the property that they occupy. In certain types of accommodation, full-time students
do not have to pay the tax because the property is exempt, but in other types of accommodation they will be charged. For further information on the Council Tax, ask for advice at your institution.

What temporary accommodation is available?
There are hotels and guest houses. Guest houses are similar to hotels but instead of having a restaurant, they may have a dining room where you have no choice about the meals served. Living in a hotel for a long period of time will be expensive. However, hotels and guest houses provide useful temporary accommodation which you can reserve while still in your home country.

How do I find accommodation?
When you are looking for accommodation, first ask the accommodation or
welfare office, or the students’ union at your institution. They have lists of local accommodation which is available for rent and they may help to arrange the accommodation for you. UniAdmission.com inspect the accommodation of its affiliated universities to check that it is suitable and we can help if you have any problems.
Accommodation agencies, local newspapers (for example ‘Loot’ in London) and advertisements in shop windows or on institution notice boards are useful when
you are looking for somewhere to live. Agencies usually charge a fee so you should find out how much they will charge before you ask them to look for accommodation for you. If you take private accommodation you must read any document carefully, before you sign, and get a copy for yourself. You must also get receipts for all payments. If you need help with your legal rights, you can get free advice at a
local Law Centre or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

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The London Tourist Board
Tel: 020 7604 2890
(Telephone Credit Card Booking
Accommodation Service 9.00am-7.00pm everyday)

The London Tourist Board
Also to be found at:
Victoria Station, London.
Liverpool Street Underground Station, London
London Heathrow Airport, Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
(Helps visitors find accommodation when they arrive in London.
Operates every day)
See “Arriving in the UK” Guidance Note

British Tourist Authority
Thames Tower
Blacks Road
London W6 9EL
Tel: 020 8846 9000
(Info on hotels and short-term accommodation)

International Students House (ISH)
229 Great Portland Street
London
WlN 5HD
Tel: 020 7631 8300
(ISH is a club for British and international students which provides or helps students find accommodation)

London Conference on Overseas Students (LCOS)
publishes a London student hostels directory that can be accessed on the Internet.
Tel: 020 7631 8309
Web: http://www.lcos.org.uk/

London Goodenough Trust for Overseas Graduates
Mecklenburgh Square
London
WC1N 2AB
Tel: 020 7837 8888 (24hrs)
Fax: 020 7837 9321
(Provides long-term and short-term accommodation to postgraduate
students in London)

London Hostels Association Ltd. (LHA)
54 Eccleston Square
London
SWlV lPG
Tel: 020 7834 1545
(Runs hostels for students)

Women’s Link
1st Floor Suite
89 Giltspur Street
London EC1
Tel: 020 7248 1200 Mon-Thurs 10am-1pm
and 2pm-4pm
(Advice and help about accommodation for women and girls in London)

ShelterLine - Housing Advice Line
Tel: 020 7404 6929/08 08 800 4444
(24 hour advice line)
(Advice on accommodation in London)

Alone in London
188 Kings Cross Road
London
WC1X 9DE
Tel: 020 7278 4224
(For information on emergency accommodation.
Only gives limited advice to students)

Young Men’s Christian Association
(YMCA)
642 Forest Road
London
E17 3EF
Tel: 020 8520 0931 (Provides temporary hostel accommodation for people of any religion, throughout UK)
Web: http://www.ymca.org.uk/

Young Women’s Christian Association
(YWCA)
133 Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX2 6HW
Tel: 01865 552021 (Provides temporary hostel accommodation for people of any religion, throughout UK)

Youth Hostels Association
(YHA)
Trevelyan House
8 St. Stephen’s Hill
St Albans
Hertfordshire
ALl 2DY
01727 855215
(Provides lists of Youth Hostels throughout the country,
for temporary accommodation.)

Published by UKCOSA, The information in this Guidance Note is given in good faith by UKCOSA and has been carefully checked.

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