dutyfree

Need help from my fellow Fodorites who live in London!

My 28 year old son will be going to grad school at UCL in September and the two of us are flying over to check out furnished apartments this next month.Since the school is in Bloomsbury, we will obviously be looking there. However, are there any other areas that are reasonable near UCL that we should be looking at? Thanks for your info!

lizziea06

If budget allows, the area right around the school is quite nice. I have serveral friends who are attending London Business School who live in the neighborhood and it's wonderful. It would be much easier to give advice if you could provide a budget. UCL is located right near several tube links and I can recommend certain areas with a bit more certainty if I know what budgets look like.

Gumtree.co.uk is the UK version of Craigslist and will give a good inventory of furnished flats in the area. You should also look at the main estate agent websites to understand prices - Foxtons, Douglas & Gordon, etc.

dutyfree

I think that he is hoping to keep it under $1500USD or around 1000 pounds(give or take) a month? Is that unreasonable? I think that he wants it somewhat closer to school(less time commuting) and near restaurants,shops,etc.that he could frequent a regular basis.Thanks for your help!

jamikins

To get a good idea of whats available and prices, check out www.rightmove.co.uk Prices in London are usually listed as weekly so take the weekly amount * 52 / 12 to get the monthly amount.

Hope this helps! I dont really know Bloomsbury so not much help there...

dutyfree

What do you think that your friends are spending for the area of Bloomsbury and how do you think that they found their apartments?

zeppole

Your son can use this website to plug in his budget plus tube stop names, or just Bloomsbury, to see what's available

http://www.primelocation.com/uk-property-to-rent/

He might also want to look along the most convenient tube lines -- Picadilly, Victoria and either branch of the Northern Line.

lizziea06

That's not an unreasonable budget, but he'll probably have to find a flatmate in order to meet it and live in that area. I'd check out Gumtree, the school bulletin boards and primelocation to get an idea of prices. There's not really many "bad" areas in zone 1 so it might be better if you can post links to places and we can tell you whether or not they are good or bad. I'm very familiar with SW London and I'm sure other posters can chime in on other neighborhoods.

crellston

My son has just graduated from UCL medical school and rents a house share in Finsbury Park just off the Holloway Road. He has been there for the last 4 years and loves the area. He usually cycles to whichever hospital he is going to but his place is right on the bus route and only a 5 min walk from Finsbury Park tube. Given the high cost of rent in our capital most students will opt for a house share and the average cost of this is usually around £5-600 per month. Being slightly further out gets much better accommodation for the same price a and its not far from Camden with all its bars restaurants etc.restaurants bar.
Given the location of UCL anything on a tube line going through Kings Cross or Euston Stations would be good which means the Victoria, Piccadilly or Northern lines would be ok.

Previous poster point re UCL bulletin board is a good one as, with many students moving on in July/August there are likely to be many other students looking for housemates to share. You do need to act quickly as the good places do tend to get snapped up quickly. My son is currently at Glastonbury but if you are interested I will ask him if he has any suggestions.

travelgourmet

As someone that attended school at Senate House for a while, I would say that Bloomsbury would obviously be a top choice. If the pricing doesn't work there, then I would start working outward on the tube lines. Had a lot of friends who lived in Camden, for instance. We also used to go drinking in Finsbury Park on occasion, and that would work.

Personally, I'm a fan of Hoxton & Shoreditch, which might be do-able location wise. No idea on pricing.

Tulips

Does UCL not help with housing? I know there is student housing in Bloomsbury, but maybe that would be more for undergraduates?

Have you looked at this;
http://www.nidostudentliving.com/home.php
They have a building near King's Cross.
Studios from 245 per week.

Good luck!

dutyfree

I am hoping that this will finally go through-for some reason I cannot get my replies to show up?
UCL does provide graduate housing but you won't know till a month before and there is a good chance that graduates are put in undergrad halls. There is also the problem that my son't program runs 13 months and they only give you 12 months with no extensions on rentals.
I have started looking at the various sites you all have given me and am very appreciative for all of the info.
He wants something for Sept.1st and it appears from some of the letting agents that things are going quickly so we need to get over ASAP. Please keep any ideas coming. Thanks so much!

julia_t

This is of interest to me too as my 21yo daughter has been very clever and won a full scholarship to the School of Communication Arts on the South Bank in September, and needs to find very affordable accommodation in London.

We are looking around Vauxhall/ Clapham areas as with long days and early starts she needs to be relatively close by. She's hoping to find a house share with young professionals who have to get up to go to work rather than share with students who can stay up late and lie in bed the next day.

So any further information on finding affordable accommodation in London will be gratefully received!

Please post any website info if you have it.

lizziea06

gumtree.co.uk is your friend. I would choose Clapham over Vauxhall and there are literally TONS of flatshares in the hood b/c it is very popular with 20-somethings. I live next door in Wandsworth and can highly recommend the area. If she's near Clapham Junction station (busiest station in Britain!), she'll be able to use the overground network to get around very easily.

crellston

Some of these may be helpful:

http://www.accommodationforstudents....%20College.asp

http://www.unite-students.com/

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-stu...ommodation.pdf

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-stu...-accommodation

Cholmondley_Warner

We are looking around Vauxhall/ Clapham areas >>>

I'd also look at Fulham and Putney as well. All are popular with young professionals and well linked into the city.

Both have very lively social scenes too.

Asterodeia

The Clapham area is going to be much cheaper than Bloomsbury, but your son's friends will probably think he's living in the back of beyond! I think you're much better off staying north of the river. Camden, Finsbury Park, and even the areas around Angel tube station are all quite nice. £1000/month is totally doable, esp. if he's willing to find a roommate.
Good luck!
www.changehere.wordpress.com

Asterodeia

Oh, I forgot to comment on Vauxhall! It's got great transportation, but is not so great for living. The housing stock is really really old, and some of the neighborhoods are sketch. Why not look a little along the train line? Earlsfield is lovely, and Wimbledon has some really nice options.

Kate

Just checking in to say that areas north and east of Bloomsbury would be a good choice, with many young things in the area. Along with Camden, I'd suggest Islington, Highbury and the achingly trendy Shoreditch/Hoxton/London Fields areas east if he's into that sort of thing.

PatrickLondon

Astrodeia, the Vauxhall/Clapham bit relates to someone studying on the South Bank, so it's tied to ease of access there.

Though I have to say, julia_t, having worked in this area, I do find it strange that their prospectus and website don't say anything about where and how students will actually study. If I were working for their validating body, I'd be chivvying them more than a bit.

Cholmondley_Warner

Shoreditch/Hoxton/London Fields

No! No! And thrice no!

This is my current manor and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

It's horrid - and high crime. A mixture of pissed up city boys and knobbers in hats.

I have never seen so many people in need of a slap.

ps Clapham "the back of beyond"? That's nonsense.

Finsbury Park is shite too, and Camdens got, if anything, more knobbers than Hoxton. Plus crack-head whores.