Many colleges will be able to provide housing in their own halls of residence or other accommodation that they have arranged. Places will be limited and, for undergraduates, it is unlikely that they will be able to house you throughout your studies.

For information about what may be available, including application deadline dates, please contact your college directly (click here for contact details).

Please note that colleges can only house their own students. You will, therefore, need to show that you are going to be studying at that college before you apply.

Halls of residence or other college accommodation are not for everybody but they are most students first choice. They give you time to get to know other students and learn about London in a supportive environment.

If you have either chosen not to apply for halls of residence or your application was not successful, it is most likely that a shared house or flat will be your preferred option. Most of you want to live surrounded by other people of a similar age and similar views and with a degree of independence from both your parents and the university. If you are coming to London on your own, your university will often offer you assistance in forming a house-hunting group with other like-minded students. You can also make use of our flatsharing message board (Click here for more details)

It is important that you choose your co-sharers carefully. Many of the worst housing problems that accommodation offices have to deal with are caused by disputes between co-tenants. For more on this, refer to the section on living with friends.

There is no such thing as a typical resident landlord. Some are young professionals or recent graduates others are middle aged couples and some are retired. Some have young families, whilst others have children who have grown up and left home.

Although, most students' first preference would probably be to share with other students, it is worth considering the advantages of this arrangement as well as the disadvantages.

The advantages include:

1. Generally slightly cheaper (although this is not always the case) and bills are often included in the rent.
2. Usually kept in good repair (owner occupied properties are generally kept in better repair than rented properties).
3. Good availability, these offers are sometimes the only way that a student can find a property in a central location.

The disadvantages are:

1. It's not your home and if you fall out with your landlord/landlady, you will usually have no option but to find somewhere else to live.
2. You will often have less freedom to bring home friends or guests and this could leave you feeling isolated. In addition, you are living by someone elses rules regarding playing music, using the washing machine etc

Host Families are resident Landlords, often with children, who offer accommodation inclusive of meals and the opportunity to live as part of their family. It is a very popular option with some students who are new to London and its culture and/or who may be looking to improve their English language skills.

Most University Accommodation Offices are not resourced to match students with these families but there are specialist agencies that can carry out this work.

An additional advantage of arranging this kind of accommodation is that usually you do not have to commit yourself to a very long stay. Often you can arrange a stay for as little as two weeks. This means that if it isn’t working, you can end the arrangement fairly painlessly.

Homeshare is a charity that provides an exchange service where individuals who are looking for a valuable experience and affordable accommodation are matched with an elderly person who is looking for a hand around the house for 10 hrs a week. This is an excellent opportunity if you are looking for a quieter style of life, while living in a homely environment with shared use of the home’s facilities.

We look for individuals who have a genuine interest in helping older people, 23+ years of age, and who are studying or working full time. There is a minimum of 6 months commitment and a monthly fee of £68.70 for the accommodation that goes towards the running costs of the charity.

If you are interested, please phone Homeshare on 0207 376 4558 or visit our website.

At any point in time, there are hundreds of flats, houses and offices that lie empty in this city. Of course, there are good reasons why. Some will be awaiting new owners. Some will be vacant before new tenants move in. But whatever the reasons, they are all decent buildings that are simply not being used.

Ad Hoc works with the owners of these properties to offer affordable short-term living accommodation for working professionals and students.

It’s an innovative approach that is proven to work. You get accommodation at a fraction of the cost that you would expect, and property owners get piece of mind, knowing that there are Guardians in their property to keep an eye on it. On average, Guardians are able to reside in a property up to eight months. Licence fee per week for zone 1(London TFL zones) £70, Zone 2 £ 60 per week and zone 3 and further out is £ 50 per week.

If you are a responsible person over 21 years of age on the lookout for affordable accommodation, why not register for free? Simply call Ad Hoc at our London office 020 7226 9900 or email guardians@adhoc.eu