[HDNG]IN UNIVERSITY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Catered: 2,128 places [BULL] Cost: ú70(30wks) [BULL] Self-catering: 493 places [BULL] Cost: ú60-65(30/43wks)[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] The percentage of London students living in college accommodation varies enormously from college to college, but for those that the colleges don't accommodate, there's a limited number of catered places in the University's 8 intercollegiate halls, self-catering flats in 3 blocks and its 132 places provided through a head tenancy scheme. [ITAL]The catered halls are all centrally located and of a generally high standard (except the not-so-hot Lillian Penson Hall which is for postgraduates only).[EITAL] As a rule, they are only really available for 1st years and others who can claim special consideration (such as overseas students - particularly at International Hall). 2 of the halls are for women only and 1 just for men, and at these guests have to sign in.[ITAL] The self-catering places in 3 blocks of flats are even more limited. They are cheap (by London standards), but, 2 of the blocks (in Rotherhithe and Colindale) are not central enough to be ideal.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Amenities:[EBOLD] Conditions in each catered hall are different but, mostly, it's single rooms with shared bathrooms and [ITAL]minimal [EITAL]cooking facilities. There is also a selection of other amenities including bars, TV rooms, function, meeting and study rooms, libraries, launderettes, payphones and so on. Depending on the hall, you may be able to enjoy the delights of a squash court, dark-room, music room, bike sheds, gardens, videos and in College Hall (one of the all-female blocks), there is a hairdressing salon. In some halls, there is the chance to share rooms, sometimes even for mixed couples. Self catering flats are typically shared by 5 students. Each flat has single bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen.[PARA][BOLD]Car parking: [EBOLD][ITAL]Not recommended; spaces are limited.[EITAL][HDNG]EXTERNALLY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Ave rent: ú60[ESTAT][PARA]London Transport (buses, tube and trains) splits the city into several 'zones' which are concentric circles from the centre. Zone 1, for example, is the area within a radius of about 21/2 miles of Trafalgar Square. Zone 2 is the next 3 miles and so on. Obviously, rents get cheaper in the outer zones, but then travel costs to the centre go up accordingly.[ITAL] [EITAL]Travel costs should be taken into consideration when looking at rents because a Travelcard from Zone 3 to the centre costs more than ú15 a week.[PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Contrary to popular belief, it's really not that difficult to find accommodation in London, just buy a copy of the Evening Standard and there are hundreds of places. It is however a challenge of epic proportions to find anywhere that is both affordable and inhabitable. There's very little housing in Zone 1 even for yuppies, and students come a lot lower in the pecking order. Zone 2 is a bit better, particularly for single rooms in shared flats or houses in places like Wandsworth, Putney and Fulham and wherever the tube system is lacking. Zone 3 is relatively promising, but the catch is that it can take upwards of an hour to get to the centre. Zone 4 and beyond are not popular for the same reason, but, as they say, homeless students can't be choosers. Although there are many thousands of people living, quite literally, in cardboard boxes on London's streets, they aren't students. In fact, many students manage to find very comfortable flats for almost reasonable rents. There is also a growing number living in squats. To be safe, students coming to London should work out where they're going to stay first.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][BOLD]Housing help:[EBOLD] The University accommodation office with 8 full time staff is [ITAL]a formidable service with the formidable task of handling the housing requirements of the University's students[EITAL]. It offers a bulletin board, vacancies list and accommodation counselling. They can't check out all the places they advertise, but they do dish out the head tenancy properties (see above).
