Accommodation options for returners 

We know that for most students, term two is usually the time when you think about accommodation options for the next academic year. 

The most important thing to remember is that there is plenty of time to make your decision and the Accommodation Services team have got you covered, every step of the way. Whether you want to stay in UAL halls, move into a house share or try a privately-run hall of residence.  

Before you get started, we strongly recommend reading our advice below. If you have any questions afterwards, then we’d be more than happy to chat to you whether that’s via phone, email, or in person at the London College of Fashion High Holborn campus, where our team are based.  

Returning to halls: 

• You might think that our halls are just for first years, but in fact, we welcome full-time UAL students from every year to apply and allocate around 10-15% of our rooms to returning students, even if you haven’t lived in one of our halls previously. 
• Some of the benefits of living in halls as a returning student include all-inclusive rent, Residence Managers and Accommodation teams on site to help you, social events run by Halls Reps, and being surrounded by your fellow students and UAL community. You can also ask to be put in a flat with a group of friends that you’ve made this year, so you could be living with other returning students. 
• This year, our applications for returning students will open on Wednesday 12 April, 10am UK time and will be open all the way up until September, however, we do advise applying earlier to avoid disappointment if you have a particular hall in mind.  
• We have lots more information about our returners campaign on Halls Life, including who counts as a returner, and the benefits of living in halls from someone who returned to The Costume Store for two years in a row! 

Private accommodation: 

• Although we’d love you to apply for halls next year, we know that there are also lots of benefits to moving out in your returning years, including a more independent lifestyle and change of scene. Accommodation Services has their very own Private Accommodation Adviser who can help you with advice on looking for a place, money and contracts, as well as moving in and out.  
• You can find out more on our website, or by emailing Sabine at private.accom@arts.ac.uk  
• The most important thing to remember at the moment is that it is still far too early for students to look for private-rented accommodation, and we’d recommend looking for 1-2 months before moving in. For most of you that will mean looking in July or August.  
• If you have a shorter tenancy ending in June, you may want to use the ULHS Property Finder as some of the landlords there will advertise early.  

University of London Housing Services: 

• As a UAL student, you are entitled to make use of the University of London Housing Services (ULHS). They offer a range of services for students looking for private accommodation. 
  
• On their website, they have a property search function, flatmate finding groups, and advice on different types of accommodation. 

We’re here for every step of your decision and would love to chat through your options.

You can call us on +44(0)207 514 6240, via email, IM Chat, or Twitter.