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Housing

You will be able to enter your housing choice via your personal preferences page at the Student Affairs website. Through this site, you can submit a credit card number on which you are prepared to charge the single room fee. Unfortunately, inputting this credit card information online does not guarantee that you will receive a single room.

A single room payment will only be taken from your credit card if you are assigned a single room. If you are not assigned a single room you will then, as far as possible, be assigned housing along the grounds of roommate compatibility in any of the buildings.

Housing requests are viewed as just those - requests. While we try our best to honour every request we get, limited space and the random configurations of the buildings mean that the fulfillment of requests will not always be possible and cannot be guaranteed. The deposit paid should not be viewed as payment for particular housing.

Housing Deposits

Full Semester Rates

Grade I single $1000.00
Grade II single $800.00
Single bedroom $600.00

Half Semester Rates (Six week Summer programmes)
Grade I single $500.00
Grade II single $400.00
Single bedroom $300.00

The graded singles are those which are completely self contained flats at Lexham Gardens and Sorbonne House.

Your housing assignment will be confirmed approximately 4 - 5 days before the start of the programme. When you arrive in the U.K., you are to go directly to your housing assingment to check in. Be sure that you are checking your email daily, as it will contain crucial information about your housing and arrival. Should you have any inquiries about your housing before you arrive, please contact Student Services.

Your London Address

If you are living in any building except The Crofton, please note that your mailing address is not the same as your housing address. Instead, you will use our headquarters address. Please use the following format:

Your Name
43 Harrington Gardens
South Kensington
London
SW7 4JU
UK

If you are living in The Crofton, your mail should be sent using the following format:

Your Name
Your Room Number
The Crofton
14 Queen's Gate
Kensington
London
SW7 5JE
UK

 

The Buildings

Once assigned, you will be living in Kensington, in central London, in buildings built in the 1870s. This means that you will be a stone's throw from most major sights and attractions in London. The buildings have been converted within the limits of the building for modern use as flats rather than dormitories. Add to that the fact that the British like their homes less high tech. and you see that you'll have to make some adjustments. For example:

The flats rarely contain desks - many students happily use the dining table or the facilities at the main headquarters at 43 Harrington Gardens.

The flats are of differing sizes and configurations. Nothing is standard. This is especially the case with living space. Apologies, but there is little we can do.

Hot water tanks in buildings mean that if someone takes a long shower in the morning, all his/her flatmates will have to wait, not only for the tank to refill, but sometimes for the water to re-heat, before they can take a shower or bath. The water pressure may be such that you can only take a bath.

Although we have worked hard to rectify the situation, there may be a lack of storage space.

Be prepared to make all the adjustments you need to live with a stranger and be prepared to compromise. You are likely going to be living with more people than ever before. This means that eight people could be sharing a kitchen and two bathrooms.

Be prepared for communal responsibility! The cleanliness of the shared living areas will be everyone's concern. You may have to work out a trash rotation. Set house rules and stick to them!

Aside from the people who make up our maintenance team we are forced to rely on outside contractors. This means that you will sometimes experience a wait until a plumber, electrician or specialist builder can be sent to your flat. We are forced to prioritise repairs which means at certain times you will need to be patient.

You will be living in very high quality housing in an excellent location. Be aware, though, that you will be living in a real life situation, and you will need to have real life expectations. You have opted to study in London and you will need to prepare yourself for British style accommodation, fixtures and fittings.