#postgrads

Where to look

You should start your search online. The most popular website for finding an available room in a house is www.spareroom.co.uk. Others include www.gumtree.com/london/room+to+rent, uk.easyroommate.com and www.roombuddies.co.uk. There are loads more that a quick Google search will give you, but these are the main websites used by students.

These websites will give you details on the specifics of the room, the location of the property, and the current other occupants of the flat/house. It’s worth trying to meet your future housemates before you move in together, to have a sort of mutual interview. If you can’t do this, then a Skype interview might be a good idea! You can then get a better idea of whether your lifestyles will be a good housemate fit.

Once you’ve found a place you like, make sure you read your contract. Find out how long you are committed to the room for, whether bills are included, how much the deposit is, and what you will have to do if you want to leave the property. Unfortunately, London landlords are notorious for bad behaviour, so make sure you know exactly what your rights are from the beginning! Renters Rights London (http://www.rentersrightslondon.org/) are a great resource for what you are entitled to as a renter in London.

Areas

London is sooo big, it can be a bit overwhelming to know where you should be living! Students truly live all over the city. As a general rule, price of accommodation is highest in zone 1, with each subsequent zone a little cheaper. The ‘zone’ system in London is primarily used to calculate transport fares, but it also provides a good indicator of distance from LSE and price.  You can see the zones in the underground map below, in the white and grey shading.

Transport costs are something to factor into your property search. While you might find an extremely cheap property in zone 3, be aware that the cost of travelling to and from campus every day will be high, and you might actually be financially better off in zone 2! As an LSE student, you are eligible for a student oyster (travel) card. Make sure you get one as this will save you 30% on all London transport! Transport for London (TfL) has a list of student fares here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-dlr-lo-18-plus-student-fares.pdf

In terms of specific areas, Hackney, Shoreditch, Southwark and Camden are all areas with particularly high numbers of students. To know exactly where to go, looking up local attractions, online reviews of areas and speaking to anyone you know who’s been to London is a good place to start. Spareroom has a ‘Where to live wizard’ which can help you too: http://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/where_to_live_wizard.pl

This is by no means a comprehensive outline of where to live in London, but hopefully it will give you a good idea of where to start. Please add your own tips and suggestions below in the comments!