Moving to London as a student? Congratulations! Now you need to get a room. It sounds obvious, but perhaps you scored a class spot through Clearing, but all on-campus halls of residence are full. Maybe you missed out due to the ratio of students to rooms. Off-campus student accommodation options can be pricey, but before you despair at the eye-watering cost of ‘luxury’ private student halls that will require a second loan (circa £200.00–£300.00 per week—ouch!), we’re here to help you score some decent and cheap student accommodation in London.
But first, you’ve got a few big decisions to make. Primarily, where you want to live, how long you plan to live there, and who you’re going to live with. Read our guide to London’s most affordable areas for help with that. Next comes the tricky part of actually finding your next home. From checking your rights to actually finding a place to stay, the links and advice in this guide should be enough to triumph over anything the London rental market has to throw at you!
Jump to:
Short-term vs. long-term
The big advantage of term-time-only accommodation is you’re not paying rent over summer. That said, finding a good house share and hanging around during the holidays can take the headache out of moving in and out each year. Most tenancy agreements will not allow you to sublet, so if you’re vacating the place for any length of time, you’ll probably be paying for that empty room yourself.
Student accommodation in London: Spend some time with a map
It may seem obvious, but London is massive, and you’ll probably want to find a place close to campus if you can. Your timetable might mean long gaps between lectures and seminars, during which you can head home if you need to. And of course, it’s good to be close to social events, clubs and societies. Weigh up whether moving farther afield will be worth the additional travel time and costs. No one enjoys the tube that much!
There are plenty of affordable neighbourhoods to check out, particularly if you have 3–4 others to share with. If your campus is in central London, moving a bit further out starts to make sense.
Student-specific rental (and how to find it)
Consider whether you want to live as part of a student community, or whether you’re open to staying in mixed accommodation. For new students, campus life is the more sociable option and a chance to make new friends more easily.
A lot of student places might well include bills, which makes the rent a little less painful. But if you’re a returning student, or prefer a quieter place to rest and study, halls of residence might not be your cup of tea.
If you’re looking for private rented accommodation as a student, start by getting a list of approved landlords and estate agents from your university. They’ll have a good idea of the landscape—which should filter out the dodgy landlords out there.
Unlike halls, your private rental agreement won’t necessarily be just for the academic year, so consider if you’re likely to want to have a base during the summer or other holidays periods.
You’ll rent under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST), usually for a fixed term of 6 or 12 months, but some roll monthly after the initial period.
Before you move in, your landlord must:
- Have a mains smoke alarm in the building
- Provide gas safety certificates (usually to cover boilers and/or gas appliances)
- Provide an Energy Performance Certificate rating of at least E
House or flat shares where everyone is a full-time student are exempt from Council Tax, but if someone is a part-time student or you’re in a mixed share with some people who work, you’ll receive a bill. You might still qualify for a discount though, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
Useful sites for student-specific rentals:
1. Uniplaces
Link: Uniplaces website
One of the bigger student-specific sites out there, Uniplaces has thousands of accommodation options, and a few handy tools and filters to help you find the right pad.
The most obvious ways to filter your results are by area and price. But you can also choose to live exclusively with other students, as a lodger, or with professionals. It’s an international site, and particularly useful for students coming to study in London from abroad. Uniplaces can help with supporting documents for visa applications or prepaid accommodation certificates if needed. It works by cutting down on admin and bureaucracy too, so you can book viewings, talk to agents and finalise your accommodation and pay your deposit and first month’s rent in one place.
Average costs from: £100.00+ per week
2. Accommodation For Students
Link: www.accommodationforstudents.com
This site acts as a search engine for different types of accommodation. You can filter by location, budget and type of housing. It’s also a good place to find housemates.
How to sign up: You don’t need to sign up to get started—just type in your search. You can also use it as someone looking for a room or to find someone for a room in your student house. Featured properties usually state whether bills are included too.
Other features: There are decent guides covering most student accommodation issues—from everyday stuff like finding the right housemate and budgeting to more technical topics, like understanding your tenancy and dealing with difficult landlords.
Average costs from : £200.00 per week (including some bills)
(Shared house average is £187 pw / halls £284 according to the FAQs)
3. studentpad
Link: www.studentpad.co.uk
Studentpad also filters by accommodation type, availability and budget.
Studentpad has been helping students find accommodation for over 20 years and also lets people filter easily by location, university, accommodation type, and budget.
How to sign up: It’s search-based accommodation for students, but has a cleaner search interface. Handily you can also filter by living arrangement (i.e. shared, whole property, resident landlord/host family) and property size.
Other features: The site includes guides for housing, freshers and international students too. There is also a list of associated UK universities and some useful blogs and videos on general student life, not just accommodation. And If you’re feeling a bit daunted by the process or want some more personal advice, you can pop in and speak to a housing advisor in person.
Average costs: £100.00+ per week.
4. OnTheMarket.com
Link: www.onthemarket.com/student/property/london
Although it’s not a student-specific rental site, On The Marke is a popular property search site with plenty of London student accommodation listings. You can download the app to browse listings and arrange listings in between lectures.
4. Student Stay
Link: https://studentstay.co.uk/
Student Stay works in pretty much the same way as the other sites listed in this guide, it currently offers student residences, plus homestay and will soon be adding private living options too, there are plenty of options with bills included and select properties have a referral cashback schemes, so you get a nice £300 bonus if you refer a friend too.
Average costs from : £130.00+ per week.
5. Bonus resource: Shelter’s tenancy rights checker
Link: Shelter’s tenancy rights checker website
A simple, questionnaire-style guide to where you stand legally as a tenant.
Living with non-students
Widening the search beyond student-only sites seems to yield a better bang for your broke-buck, so it’s worth taking a look at those as well.
Short-term lets are also a decent option if you’re only coming to London for a semester, rather than a full academic year.
Useful sites for living with non-students:
LHA London
Link: www.lhalondon.com
A registered charity providing affordable accommodation in Zones 1 and 2 to students and working people. It’s hostel-style accommodation, where you can stay for the long (max 4 years) or short term. The deposit is one week’s fee and £30.00 key deposit. LHA have a mix of self- catered and catered and have dormitories, single rooms and shared rooms.
How to sign up: Fill out a booking form and search by university or postcode.
Other features: All accommodation has 24/7 security, and a contents insurance policy.
Average costs: £88.00–£274.00 per week
Finding a homestay programme
If you’re new to the UK as well as London, and you want somewhere calmer to lay your head, and hit the books, this might be the option for you. Hosts include families, couples and professionals, offering rooms in their own homes. The goal is to encourage cultural exchange, and there are self-catered and catered options.
Just be sure to use accredited providers.
Useful sites for finding homestays:
London Homestays
Link: www.londonhomestays.com/accommodation-prices
How to sign up: Apply via an online form and you should start receiving host matches within 24-48 hours. London Homestay manages the communication with the host families until you’re booked in.
Other features: Homestays are also open to interns and trainees as well as students.
Average costs: £125.00–£180.00 per week
HFS London
Link: www.hfslondon.com
This site specialises in providing homestays for international students and interns.
How to sign up: Fill out an online application. Once that’s processed you’ll receive some host profiles to look through. HFS will act as a go-between, connecting you with your preferred hosts.
Other features: Area guides and meal plans are also available on their site (but hey, why not check for one of ours first?)
3. Britannia Students
Link: www.britanniastudents.com
This site specialises in all kinds of student accommodation, dealing in house shares, campus rooms and homestays.
How to sign up: Fill out an enquiry form and read through the terms and conditions.
Other features: Price bands vary between room size, Zones of London (so Zone 4 is cheaper than Zone 2) and board type—which can be B&B, half-board or self-catering.
Pro tip: For more options on budget London student accommodation, read our guides to House Sitting and Property Guardianship.
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. Post first published in August, 2016. Last updated in September, 2020.
