{"id":5012,"date":"2019-12-25T11:20:53","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T11:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/student-blogs\/?p=5012"},"modified":"2019-12-25T11:20:53","modified_gmt":"2019-12-25T11:20:53","slug":"anxious-about-accommodation-after-your-first-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/student-blogs\/2019\/12\/25\/anxious-about-accommodation-after-your-first-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxious About Accommodation After Your First Year?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Important factors to consider when flat-hunting in London<\/span><\/h1>\n

Before coming to Imperial, I was concerned about how there is no campus accommodation after your first year. However, this offers flexibility for you to decide how you want to live. There are many options, living alone, with friends, in halls…so what are some factors you must consider?<\/span><\/p>\n

Staying in halls close to campus<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you haven\u2019t gathered the courage to find friends to live with, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0<\/span>Evelyn Gardens<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is an accommodation for returning undergraduates that has similar layouts to first-year halls, letting you make friends with people on your floor whilst having your personal space in one-person bedrooms. These do go quickly so make sure you sign up early, you can always cancel later. The contract lasts for a year so you have a convenient place to stay for\u00a0<\/span>UROP<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>summer placements<\/span><\/a>. If you have a medical condition you can consider applying to stay in first-year accommodation through the\u00a0<\/span>Disability Advisory Service<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leave fretting over accommodation for after exams<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you are thinking about flat-sharing with friends there\u2019s no need to worry about that – most private properties don\u2019t have free properties for October until over the summer.\u00a0<\/span>The Student Hub<\/span><\/a>\u00a0offers an\u00a0<\/span>annual student housing fair<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for you to find flatmates and get to know landlords not affiliated with letting agents – the properties they offer are often more affordable and it\u2019s always useful to build a good relationship with landlords since you might need to ask them for repairs or any help in the future. To find properties approved by Imperial you can browse\u00a0<\/span>Imperial Home Solutions<\/span><\/a>. These are more reliable than third party sites like SpareRoom or RightMove that are susceptible towards scams but useful to check out regardless to research on existing flatshares.<\/span><\/p>\n

General rules of thumb I stick by<\/span><\/h2>\n