Frequently Asked Questions

Most of our accommodation is open to students of the colleges at the University of London, however, we do have some options that are open to full-time students at public universities. 

When asked about your Federation Member while browsing our rooms, please select it from the drop-down menu. This way you'll ensure you are shown accommodation that is available to you.  

Please check How to Apply page for more details.

You are eligible to apply as an exchange student as long as you will be enrolled on a full-time course at one of the colleges of the University of London. We are normally unable to offer accommodation to exchange students studying in London only for one term. If you are arriving is September, please apply through your college. Students arriving later in the academic year can contact our team directly.

Once you have selected the room that you wish to book via the Accommodation Portal (whether you do it directly or through the quota system) you will be required to register your details and provide proof of student status. This document can be any current, official correspondence from UCAS, your university/college or a student loan company that states:

• your name,
• the university,
• the course of your choice,
• the length of study, and
• whether the course is full time.

Everything listed above must be on the document for it to be approved. You may contact your college and request a copy of proof of student status. Once we have verified your student status, you will receive an e-mail from us asking you to proceed with your booking, please note you will have 24 hours to complete your booking.

Students with medical conditions are encouraged to contact us and discuss their needs with a member of our team so we could advise on the best solution. 

Please email us with your requirements.

Unfortunately, the accommodation at the Intercollegiate Halls is limited and not every student is going to be successful. Your college might be able to offer you alternative accommodation or help you in finding one. Any rooms not booked will be offered on our waiting list.

Each college of the University of London manages the application process individually. If you have questions regarding the process or the decision, please contact the accommodation office at your college. Any rooms that have not been booked by the end of August, will be offered on our waiting list.

Normally, students wishing to stay at the Intercollegiate Halls have to apply directly through their college. Each college within the University might have a different application deadline. Please contact the accommodation office at your college for more details.

There are some accommodation options offered to full-time students at any public university. Please check How to Apply page for more details.

If you would like to find out more about policies, procedures and what to expect from living at the Intercollegiate Halls, please visit our Useful Documents page and explore the section that relates to the year of your entry. 

If you are accepted you will receive an email from the Intercollegiate Halls with your accommodation offer.

Before you accept the offer you will have to review a licence agreement that has the contract start date. This is the date from which you can move into your room. This is also the date from which you will start paying the rent.

We are normally able to accommodate early arrivals; however, the contract start date cannot be delayed. 

The bedding is not provided as standard. However, prior to your arrival, you can purchase a bedding pack from UniKitOut. Packs contain a duvet, pillow, duvet cover, pillowcase, and sheet. They also sale kitchen and bathroom packs, and individual items for your room.

Rooms are allocated at random, the time and date you arrive at the hall has no connection with the room you are allocated. Your room will only be confirmed upon check-in. This is to ensure that any maintenance work can be carried out with no disruption to the students.  All rooms are inspected before students’ arrivals to make sure they meet required standards; if any room is unsuitable, it will be removed from the system and another random room of the same type will be assigned giving the maintenance team ample time to fix any issues.

As our halls are in prime locations there is very little parking around. Parking restrictions and pay zones are normally in place.

Please check before you travel. You may find the Parkopedia website useful if you would like to plan ahead.

DDA (also known as "adapted") accommodation has adaptations for residents with access or mobility requirements. The bathroom is a wet-room style that offers more space for wheelchair users and the fittings are slightly lower for improved reachability.

No, you do not have to move out during holidays. The accommodation is yours until the contract end date specified in your Offer of Accommodation.

The residency periods include the Christmas and Easter holidays, there is no need to move out of your hall room during these vacations.

The applications for RAs are normally open in April/May. 

Applications will be available on the University of London recruitment portal at: https://www.jobs.london.ac.uk/. 

Please note that first-year undergraduate students are not eligible to apply. 

Visit the Residential Life page for more information about the role of Resident Advisors.

Most rooms at the Intercollegiate Halls are catered; students receive breakfast and dinner that are included in the price. Any room, studio or flat that has a kitchen is self-catered. Students living in self-catered accommodation in halls with a dining room have the option to buy a meal plan. 

Catered accommodations can be found in the following halls:

• College Hall
• Connaught Hall
• International Hall
• Garden Halls
• Nutford House

Not all accommodation types in the above mentioned halls are catered. Please use filters to narrow down your search. 

For more information about catering please visit our Catering in Halls page.

In order to accept your offer of accommodation, you have to sign a licence agreement that stipulates the length of your contract. If you wish to move out before this time a replacement student will have to be found to take over your contract. It will have to be a full-time student at a public university.

Please note, you will be liable for accommodation fees until a replacement student is found.

Our waiting list process opens for registration on the 22 August 2024 at 10am GMT, and closes for registrations on the 2 September 2024 at 4pm GMT.  

You will need to register on our accommodation portal here: Register | StarRez Portal (starrezhousing.com) 

Once you have registered and uploaded your proof of student status document, you will be asked to provide some further details about yourself, and you will be able to select 3 room preferences. 

If you are unable to provide a valid student status document, your account will be deleted from our system, and you will be required to re-register.

It is not possible for students to select a specific Intercollegiate Hall location, and you will be asked to select a room type and budget.

It is advised that you familiarise yourself with the prices of rooms here.

Rooms will begin to be allocated from the 4 September 2024 and rooms will continue to be offered until all places are filled.

We will notify all students when rooms are no longer available to book. Due to limited availability, not everyone who applies with us will be offered a room.

Please be advised our waiting list is not on a first come, first served basis.

Read our full Allocations policy, which outlines consideration criteria.

The University of London Housing Services (ULHS) has a website dedicated to our Private Housing Service which offers a range of services to assist and support students who are looking for and living in private accommodation. Our service for students is not just limited to those studying at University of London colleges as we also assist students of several external colleges. Access a list of our subscribing colleges.

Online Database

We have an online property database with offers of accommodation from registered landlords, lettings agents, private halls and other providers of private accommodation.

Events

We run a selection of events for students, landlords and those working in student accommodation.  This includes housing talks and advice sessions within colleges, training courses and forums, flatmate finder events and our annual Housing Fair in May, which supports students who are searching for private accommodation for the following academic year. 

Contract Checking

We offer a contract checking service for students to use before they sign their contract for private accommodation. We will give you guidance on what to look out for and to do when you are renting privately and check the contract for unfair clauses, which may cause you problems in your accommodation. For more information click on our Get Advice section.

Private Housing Guide

We also produce our Private Housing Guide which will give you further information on the different types of accommodation, how much you can expect to pay and what you need to know before you start your search.

There are many different options for housing in the private sector. The most common is to live in a shared flat or house with other students or young professionals. Each person usually has their own room with shared use of the kitchen and bathroom facilities. Contracts are often for a year and bills are not usually included in the rent.

Some student will also live with a resident landlord, which is where you rent a room in the landlord’s home. This can sometimes be a cost effective way of living in central locations and contracts can be more flexible. Bills are also sometimes included in the rent.

 As well as University halls of residence there are also private halls of residence. Private halls are mostly self-catered and you will rent your own room, and they’re a good way of meeting students from other Colleges. Contracts are usually for 51 weeks and the cost of these halls tends to be higher than for shared flats and houses or for residences managed by your University.

Our experienced Housing Advice Team is dedicated to supporting students who experience problems in private accommodation and offers advice on a range of issues including deposit disputes, disrepair and problems with letting agents. To support the work of the advice team, we have a retained firm of solicitors, Anthony Gold.

Find out more via the Private Housing Get Advice section.

The University of London offers some Accommodation outside the Intercollegiate Halls of Residence.

These are self-catered apartments in Gower Street. There is no formal application procedure and the accommodation is offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Please see the Gower Street apartments page for more details.

The University of London offers short term stays in our halls during the summer months only (June-August), if you wish to enquire about availability please email staycentral@london.ac.uk or call 020 7863 6071.

View the dedicated information about Catering at Intercollegiate Halls.