Tips for Finding Student Housing and Accommodation in Kingston!

Have you thought about where you will live for the next academic year?
What are some things you would have to consider?

It’s that time of year again where everyone is looking for a place to live! Here are a few tips on finding student housing and accommodation in Kingston!

Private Housing and Student Accommodation
If you are already considering your options and are looking to move out of halls of residence or are looking for a house with friends, platforms like SpareRoom, RightMove, Zoopla, GumTree or OpenRent are great places to start! I personally like OpenRent as it connects you with landlords directly and I have had a good experience in successfully finding houses in the past :smile:

Another option for private housing is to contact a property agency! I would suggest walking in and asking directly as not all properties are listed on their websites. One estate agency I can recommend would be Latimer, located just before Penryhn campus on Surbiton Road - they have some properties just for students!
Alternatively, you may also choose to stay in private student accommodation! Although these tend to be more expensive, some have additional amenities such as a gym or cinema! Some popular options within Kingston are Vibe, Davidson House, One Penrhyn Road and IQ Kingston!

Start Early
Whether you are searching for a house with friends or looking at private student accommodation, always try to start your research and decide how many people you are living with as early as possible. I can’t stress enough how competitive and fast moving the housing market is in Kingston, sometimes an offer falls through, an agent takes a long time to reply or one of your housemates can’t commit, in the end you never know what may happen and it’s always safer to have more time to consider your options.

Ask Around
I have had many friends who found a place more smoothly through a recommendation or simply by asking around and taking over a tenancy from a graduating senior! Not all landlords like to put up their listings in advance or they might find it a hassle to search for a new tenant, a friend or senior might be able to put you in touch with their current landlord or give you some insight on where is a good place to live.

Navigating the housing rental market can be a challenging and stressful process, especially when you are unfamiliar with the area and are doing it for the first time. What are some other tips you know of when searching for a house?
Are there any other platforms you use when searching for accommodation?
Feel free to ask me any questions about life in Kingston below or share your top house searching tips!

Zhi En
(Kingston Student Rep.)