The Student Room Group

Is private accommodation in London affordable?

My dream is to study in London at a university, i adore the city and no other unis have lived up to this one! However, the thing that has always put me off is how unaffordable everyone says private accommodation is.
On posts from this website apparently day-to-day life isn't that expensive and is manageable, for example using Oyster cards on buses instead of taking the tube. My cousin who lives in London also backs this up, and says I can just use the SU bars instead of going to expensive clubs.

I know private accommodation is much more expensive than in other places, so how do people afford it? Do you get more money on your living bursary, and if so is it enough?
My mum says the only people who can afford it have rich parents lol, but surely this isn't the case for everyone
You get a higher loan.
Original post by Tiger Rag
You get a higher loan.


Is the loan enough?
Accommodation is prohibitively expensive in many cases.
My boyfriend and I have secured a flat for next year. It's a one-bed in central London and is costing us just under £1000/month. From what I understand by looking on Rightmove and Zoopla, this is actually very cheap given the location - in fact, we were expecting to pay up to £1200/month.

If I were alone, there is no way I could afford it - yes the loan is bigger, but in my case it's still only around £5300. We're managing because my partner is doing a teacher training course that offers a large bursary.

I believe house shares can make it somewhat more manageable, as well as living slightly further out. Would this be something you would consider? It would be what I would have to do were it not for my partner.
Original post by DancingOnTheSand
My dream is to study in London at a university, i adore the city and no other unis have lived up to this one! However, the thing that has always put me off is how unaffordable everyone says private accommodation is.
On posts from this website apparently day-to-day life isn't that expensive and is manageable, for example using Oyster cards on buses instead of taking the tube. My cousin who lives in London also backs this up, and says I can just use the SU bars instead of going to expensive clubs.

I know private accommodation is much more expensive than in other places, so how do people afford it? Do you get more money on your living bursary, and if so is it enough?
My mum says the only people who can afford it have rich parents lol, but surely this isn't the case for everyone


It's not a bursary you get from student finance- its a loan. But yes you do get more for living in London. But whether it is enough depends on household income and what accomodation you get. You may also get a bursary from university if your household income is low enough. Have a look on the student finance calculator here https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator and for halls look at university accomodation pages- all of them have the prices for each hall displayed. Many students also work a part time job- obviously in London there is no shortage of shops, pubs and restaurants looking for part time workers.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you