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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Accommodation near Kings College, London?
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
Daughter and partner have been offered a single room with fold down bed, and laughable cooking set up, to which they're supposed to commit from afar for a full 12 months(!). It appears smaller than typical bachelor suites in Canada, which are designed for single persons.
Accommodation is impossible to figure out online and adverts appear sketchy and unreliable. If there's any leads or ideas, grateful for them. They may be living at a youth hostel or otherwise camping out while master's degree commences. And of course the time frame is tight, just a month from now.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
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Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
London rents are horrific. Getting close in will be tiny and not necessarily that wonderful. Kings College is right in the middle - there are buildings on the Strand overlooking the Thames - very close to the India Club, which is very central for London. Most people commute, with the additional costs that incurs, and daily commutes of an hour plus are not that unusual!
Where did they get the information for this accommodation? Was it from the university?
I've been in the St Paul's YHA and heard about the Holland Park one. They are single sex dorms of bunks with 9 or 12 triple stacked bunks in a room, not a lot of floor space and practically no storage space, communal shared kitchen. Very like the bunk house my daughter lived in for a month when she started work at very short notice (not London). And she could cope with me bringing / taking away additional clothes / equipment at weekends or coming home.
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
Yes, the flat is from the university. It may be all there is, and all else they'd like would be far travel. Research has also shown that England is the most densely packed country in Europe. I'm beginning to think they should take it, even though it's tiny and cramped.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
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Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
Where exactly is the flat? It makes a big difference. Do you have a post-code?
When you say "from the university" do you mean its a King's College residence, or just notified by London University accommodation service?
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
Research has also shown that England is the most densely packed country in Europe.
Well, the most dense large country - Gibraltar, Malta, Jersey, Guernsey, San Marino, Monaco and the Vatican are all a lot denser! And the Netherlands is about the same as England, probably a little denser in fact, sources seem to disagree. Of course if yu allow England to be merely part of the UK and similarly extract the densest province or state of other countries you find its density is easily beaten by Nordrhein-Westfalen, Holland, the Ile-de-France, and comes out just ahead of Campania ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
And nearly all those places are cheaper to live in than England. Its not really the population density that causes our grotesque house prices ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
Its one of the university residences. The univ knows there are 2 of them.
The density part may be influenced by our incredulity. Well they are young and in love. Love gets you through. They were given 1 week to say yes/no, and deadline approaches.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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moonlitdoor
Shipmate
# 11707
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Posted
Whatever the reason for the prices, most people living here even with quite good jobs could not consider living in the centre of London as it is just not affordable.
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We've evolved to being strange monkeys, but in the next life he'll help us be something more worthwhile - Gwai
Posts: 2210 | From: london | Registered: Aug 2006
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
Its one of the university residences. The univ knows there are 2 of them.
Which area is it in? London is a big place, the room may be miles from the college - it's not uncommon. If you can give a rough idea of the area the room is in (south of the river? north London? the East End? out west?) people here may be able to advise you better as to alternatives in the area.
[ 12. August 2013, 20:16: Message edited by: Ariel ]
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
It's walking distance to the college is what they're told. Details are shy. I have the distinct sense that they assign specific rooms (it is a room really, not an apartment) later and probably have a generic rather nice picture in the info sent to them(?!). We don't know about common areas, but if everyone has such a shoebox, they will be full also I'd think. The expression "go outside to change your mind" comes to my dense brain. As do yellowing walls, flickering bare light bulbs and mouse traps on the fraying carpet in the hall. (Even when the children are a quarter century old, one never stops being a parent it seems.)
We will be visiting London probably next spring.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Tubbs
Miss Congeniality
# 440
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
Its one of the university residences. The univ knows there are 2 of them.
The density part may be influenced by our incredulity. Well they are young and in love. Love gets you through. They were given 1 week to say yes/no, and deadline approaches.
Details of the various accommodation options at Kings Cross are on the website. There are various studio options for couples, local to the college, some of which include catering and access to other facilities. A 40 week lease in one costs approximately £8489.60, plus a £350 fee. That's £220.99 a week. Amazingly cheap for central London. The pictures didn't look bad.
RightMove has similar flats in the private sector for about £500 a week (!). Or an eye watering £20,000 for the 40 weeks. Some of them include bills. Which is nice.
I'd be grabbing that university accommodation with both hands, it's only for a year. Rentals in outer London are less, but any savings are likely to be cancelled out by transport costs.
Everything in London is expensive. Central London even more so.
Tubbs
[ 12. August 2013, 21:13: Message edited by: Tubbs ]
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"It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it up and remove all doubt" - Dennis Thatcher. My blog. Decide for yourself which I am
Posts: 12701 | From: Someplace strange | Registered: Jun 2001
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Hazey*Jane
Ship's Biscuit Crumbs
# 8754
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Posted
There are savings to be had by not insisting on being right on top of your central London work/study place. Nowhere in London is cheap, but this is probably one of the most costly strategies, and doesn't sound terribly suitable for a couple. Being cramped in like that is unlikely to help their relationship. University accommodation can have some advantages in terms of being cheap for the area, but it's not always the best option in other ways.
Some alternatives for them to consider:
1. Private student halls e.g. UNITE Would probably give them somewhere more spacious, albeit at a higher rate than a private sector flat.
2. Contact the University of London accommodation office which gives support to students at all of the Uni of London colleges, including KCL. They have a database of vetted landlords, and a search facility for both properties and flatshares.
3. Be willing to live further out. Seriously think about this. Just make sure that it's on a good transport link to the KCL area (e.g. Northern Line, Picadilly Line, assuming they're on the Strand campus). Check out journey times using the Transport for London journey planner. Be aware that full time students can get a discount on some travel passes.
4. Consider a flat/house share. It'll be cheaper than a flat to themselves, and might be good socially. Not everyone is happy to live with a couple though, so make sure it is unambiguous in any communications that there are the two of them.
Useful website for looking for private lets are Right Move, Zoopla and Spare Room. Don't bother with Gumtree, as it can be prone to time-wasters, and it'll be too hard for you to figure out sound listings from a distance.
Bottom line: nowhere in London is cheap, looking for private accomm near the uni will lead to the eyewatering prices Tubbs highlighted, but this is entirely unncessary as most people spend less than this by living a bit further and/or flat sharing. There are definitely options. Also, don't panic that it's only a month away. It's very difficult to flat hunt in London much more in advance than that anyway.
Finally, if you want more specific advice, it would be really helpful if you could figure out which campus your daughter is studying at, as KCL has several, and a flat which is well located for one might be poorly located for another.
Hope this helps.
[ 12. August 2013, 21:42: Message edited by: Hazey*Jane ]
Posts: 4266 | From: UK | Registered: Nov 2004
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
I fed all of this to them. Very helpful.
The campus is Strand.
Interesting re the relationship aspect. It will certainly test them with fire and rain and all the other things that come from seeming privation in our affluent world.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
If they are walking distance from the Strand, though, they are walking distance from much that London can offer - and there's still a lot that can be accessed free - museums, markets, parks, libraries, cheap theatre and comedy - and they've got easy access to the bus routes.
Most of us moving to London for university coped with the student residences because there were communal spaces too - so that room wasn't the only space we could use.
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
Yes, is this actually a self-contained flat or more like a room in a purpose-built stuident accomodation with some shared facilities?
King's College on the Strand is a short walk from either Charing Cross or Waterloo stations which means its easy to access by public transport from just about anywhere in the southern suburbs of London and out to the south coast
By tube its also very close to stations on the District and Circle Lines (Temple and Embankment stations) and quite close to Northern Line (Waterloo, Charing Cross), Bakerloo and Jubilee lines (Waterloo), and Picadilly and Central Lines (Holborn).
And as for the buses...
King's about as central to the puiblic transport network as anywhere gets. Slap bang in the middle of London. About half way between Trafalgar Square & St Pauls, just east of the West End, just west of the City. If someone likes city centres its likely to be a very wonderful place to live. And if they don't - well, its easy to get to from the suburbs.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
They have taken the mini "studio" room. It is simply much too difficult to do otherwise for them and they had only a week to decide. Unfortunately they are also locked in, with no right to sublet, but perhaps it would not come up. It is rather clear that the expectations are different there to here re housing. Thanks to all for assistance.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
Things do change with student accommodation. Not so easy for couples, but people do drop out and there's a certain amount of shuffling around of rooms early on. The university accommodation people tend to be more understanding than the contracts suggest. For example, my daughter was locked into these contracts studying at Nottingham University, but was allowed to move out of a room in a flat when all the other students took up smoking! She swapped into another flat on the same site (old Raleigh factory site).
And if it's a studio room in student accommodation there will be other rooms to use - and in central London so many other places to go.
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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no prophet's flag is set so...
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# 15560
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Posted
That's optimistic and gratefully additionally passed along.
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Tubbs
Miss Congeniality
# 440
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
They have taken the mini "studio" room. It is simply much too difficult to do otherwise for them and they had only a week to decide. Unfortunately they are also locked in, with no right to sublet, but perhaps it would not come up. It is rather clear that the expectations are different there to here re housing. Thanks to all for assistance.
That's pretty standard with most lets in the UK - the contract runs for x months before you can break it and you can't sublet.
Tubbs
[ 15. August 2013, 09:09: Message edited by: Tubbs ]
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"It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it up and remove all doubt" - Dennis Thatcher. My blog. Decide for yourself which I am
Posts: 12701 | From: Someplace strange | Registered: Jun 2001
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