As anyone who’s moved to London will no doubt tell you, the search for a place to live in this thriving capital is often a daunting task – with so many locations and options to choose from, especially for applicants joining the Business School from outside the UK, or even outside of London – where do you start?
To help with the search for accommodation, we’ve reached out to some current Imperial College Business School student ambassadors to give some tips and advice on how they found their accommodation and what you can do to find the perfect place that meets your needs.
Elma at White City – MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management:
Elma opted for White City, North West London, for student accommodation through the GradPad service. This option is a good choice for anyone looking for a more student-orientated atmosphere, especially with spaces like the common room and an on-site gym. The site even includes a shuttle bus service that drops you at Imperial College London.
White City also boasts great links to Central London (via London Underground’s Central Line) and is in close proximity to the Westfield shopping centre – perfect for picking up any last minute items needed for your study at the Business School. GradPad also offers two locations around London; the White City Wood Lane Studios, which Elma currently lives in, and also one based in Battersea at Grifton Studios
Renting at GradPad is approx. £250 per week (bills inclusive) for a Standard Studio and approx. £350 per week (bills inclusive) for a Premium Studio.
Simon at Stockwell – MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management:
Simon has chosen private accommodation in Stockwell, South London, which he found through Right Move. For those looking to keep down costs and explore areas further than the Business School, this a good option which gives a wider variety of accommodation.
Whilst being based south of the river, Stockwell is still only a 15 minute underground ride from the Business School and boasts great tube connections – the Northern and Victoria lines – both of which run 24 hours on Friday and Saturdays.
Renting at Simon’s flat is £800 per month including bills (£1,600 per month total, split with another flatmate).
Pinelopi at Hammersmith – MSc Business Analytics:
One of our students, Pinelopi, opted for living in private halls based in Hammersmith, West London. Pinelopi found this by looking at websites for student accommodation in London and chose Hammersmith due to its proximity to the Business School and its family friendly atmosphere. The only downside is that the price of renting the private halls can be quite expensive.
The benefits to living in private halls is that all maintenance is handled by an on-site team. Despite the high price of rent, utilities that would otherwise be separate bills, are included making things less complex.
Renting at these halls is £1,000 per month (bills inclusive).
Tom In Bermondsey – MSc Economics and Strategy for Business:
For a cheaper option, Tom has opted to rent accommodation in Bermondsey, in South East London – which Tom found through word-of-mouth. Despite being further away from the Imperial campus, Bermondsey is only a short distance from all Central London has to offer, with the added benefit of being a quiet place to live.
Renting at Tim’s flat comes to around £660 per month (bills inclusive).
What else?
These three are just a small handful of the ways Business School students have found their accommodation. Alongside this, Giovanni, one of our MSc Finance students, used a real estate agency to find their flat, based at Earl’s Court. In contrast, Linfeng on our MSc Finance & Accounting programme, found their roommates through WeChat on Social Media.
Other students have also used websites such as Spare Room – a popular website for Londoners and students alike to find flat shares all over London or Open Rent – another great website to find rent properties, with the benefit of 0 Agency fees!
Top Tips:
As our students have pointed out, there are lots of different factors. To make sure you find a good balance between what is important for you when deciding where to live make sure you consider:
- Your budget – living closer often means paying more, can you afford this?
- Distance – the opposite of the above, do you like to walk or are you happy taking public transport – using the Transport for London (TfL) Journey Planner might help this!
- Amenities – is it close to the shops, a gym? Are these important for you?
Happy house hunting!
Disclaimer: Imperial College London does not endorse or support any of the accommodation portals linked to in this blog and they are completely independent of Imperial College London.
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