Places for students in London to live

[SBallerina]

I'll be moving to London in september, and wonder what kind of different options there are according to accommodation. The school is in Battersea, but I do not mind traveling a bit. 

[Katymac]

Hi Sballerina; something you have to remember about London - distance is deceiving

 

My parent lived 10 miles from us in London - it could take 45 minutes to an hour to drive there

 

We all moved to Norfolk and were, oddly enough, 10 miles apart again - it took between 12 & 18 minutes to drive to their house

 

So my DD might well be in Woolwich in September but although only about 12 miles away - it would take nearly an hour to drive it & nearly an equal amount of time to get public transport

 

So although you might travel, think 'close' or at least 'as close as possible' as you will be tired at the end of the day

[Anon2]

I would agree with Katymac on the distance and time issue. At the end of a tiring day you want an easy journey home.

I would suggest contacting the school you will be studying at and asking if they work with a particular supplier or hold a list. If this draws a blank then Google, for each one that is a possibility put both the school and the accommadation into the journey planner for rush hour on TFL website. Don't forget to think about daily cost of travelling out of your budget.

I came across two recently in the centre of London that were dated in that shared bathroom facilities rather than usual student fare of ensuites but more reasonably priced. Travelling in the opposite direction to commuters at rush hours might not be too bad. I can try to find the details again tomorrow if it will help.

[2dancersmum]

I would suggest contacting your school to see if they have any accommodation lists.  I think in Battersea many of the students probably live in shared houses as there are a lot of these in the Battersea area.  I agree with Katymac that London is deceptive and it can take a lot longer than you think to get from one place to another and expensive too.  spareroom.com is a site which helps people find rooms in shared houses but I would highly recommend trying to link to people from your course first. On spare room you can search by location, price, students or professionals etc. Other places that may help are nidostudentliving.com, Unite, Viridian housing.  Accommodation through these 'student sites' is often far more expensive though.  Accommodation in London also often goes fast once advertised.  When my son moved there for a year as part of his degree we booked him a shared room through LHA (London Hostels Association) and a lot of students stay in the hostels.  Many stay there all year but for others it is short term as it is simply easier  to find somewhere to live once you are already in London.  For the hostels you get breakfast and evening meal in some, others are self catering, but if you book initially for 2 weeks as a long stay you get a lower rate and the room is yours (provided you keep paying) until you give a week's written notice that you want to move out.  Homestay is another organisation that offers accommodation for students - often for overseas students.

Edited April 26, 2015 by 2dancersmum

[alison]

Battersea Park is now on the London Overground system, which means that travel from the east and northwest is easier than it used to be - I think you can get direct trains round from as far east as Surrey Quays. But do remember i) that travel in London is expensive (although much less so if you don't commute into Zone 1 - I assume that Battersea is in Zone 2), and ii) that it doesn't take much to screw up the transport system, so it's always advisable to have a plan B for your commute.