 Hello everyone, my name is Jo and I am from the Accommodation Office at SOAS. Welcome to this webinar session which is going to cover the different accommodation options and application processes for both postgraduate and undergraduate SOAS students. This will include our halls of residence, private rented halls, shared accommodation, adapted accommodation and finally family or couples housing. At the end of the session I will be taking questions so please send through anything you want to ask and I'll do my very best to answer as much as I can at the end. So let's start with the SOAS halls of residence. The map shows the location of all the SOAS halls. There are two options which house only SOAS students before which house SOAS students alongside students from other universities such as Kings, UCL, LSE and it is a great chance for you to mix with students from other universities. These halls are run by our private provider partners and we have a quota of designated rooms in each of the properties which are offered to our students at discounted rates. As you can see the six halls of residence are all located close to the SOAS campus with the very further being only a 25-minute walk or journey by public transport away. All our halls offer 24-hour security. The first one we're going to look at is Din Whiddy House. This is an undergraduate property only run on behalf of SOAS by Sanctuary Housing. The residence is situated in the Kings Cross area of London and is about a 20-minute walk from SOAS. Kings Cross is a lively vibrant area with lots of shops bars and restaurants. It's also five minutes from Kings Cross and St Pancras mainline stations. The location gives you great access links around London and the UK as well as into Europe. The hall has 510 single bedrooms which are all on suite. The students share a communal kitchen in flats which have between 5 and 7 bedrooms. The rent is £167.00 per week for this year which includes all bills. The contracts are for 38 weeks however there are options to extend into the summer if you wish and make the contract a 50-week one. A few more pictures of the property. The hall has a common room, a laundry, 24-hour security, a lovely courtyard and two resident cats called Pebbles and Gizmo. The next hall is Paul Robeson House and this is the postgraduate partner to Din Whiddy House located just three minutes away from it. Although the residence is for postgraduate students only, mature undergraduate students may also apply. It's a much smaller hall but again like Din Whiddy the rooms are all on suite. The flats have between 4 and 7 rooms and the contracts offer either 38 or 51 weeks. There are shared communal kitchens, a common room, laundry, 24-hour security but unfortunately no resident cats. Again, let's quickly look at the flat layout and you can see the rooms and the flats are the same as those in Din Whiddy. As you can see from the map, both properties are a very close walk to the Sowers campus. Moving on to our other halls, this is our St Pancras residence which is managed by our partner's Urban Est. The property is located in the Kings Cross and Pancras area near to Camden and its markets, restaurants Nightlife and Camel Walks, also very close to Din Whiddy and Paul Robeson. The building is in close proximity to May 9 train, tube and Eurostar station, plenty of bus stops. There are 79 rooms available at this hall exclusively discounted from normal rate for Sowers students. Rooms are charged at 245.96 for a private room with shared facilities and 209.88 for en suite. All the contracts in this accommodation are for 51 weeks. The walk is around 25 minutes to Sowers. The difference between this hall and the other two is that Sowers is at St Pancras houses students from all London colleges, not just Sowers. This offers you the chance to mix with a wider range of students from across the capital. Next we can take a brief look at Goldsmiths House which is managed by another of our partners Optivo. This is an 81 bedroom female only hall with a beautiful garden and location just behind Houston station, 25 minute walk or a short bus ride to Sowers. Sowers have 20 rooms here at discounted rates offering 51 week contracts at 197 pounds per week and 40 week contracts at 210 pounds a week. The property does not have en suite accommodation and the kitchens and bathrooms are shared. However this property offers each communal layout and a brilliant opportunity to mix with Sowers and other London University students. This is Helen Graham House and our second property managed by Optivo. The 290 bed residence is located a five minute walk away from campus across Russell Square, right opposite the British Museum in a beautiful listed building. Sowers have 50 discounted rooms offering 51 week contracts at 230 pounds per week and 40 week contracts at 247.50 per week. There are also twin rooms which can be offered to couples and friends which are 177.59 and 160 pounds per week depending on contract length. The rooms are not en suite and again share kitchens and bathrooms with residents from other universities. Woodgreen Hall is new to our portfolio this year offering our most affordable accommodation with a twin with a location 20 minutes from Sowers in the centre of Woodgreen. The 169 bed property is three minutes from the station which is on the Piccadilly line and comes straight into Russell Square. The residence is located in the centre of this part of London with its shops bars restaurants and cinemas. Here's some pictures of the hall. Sowers have exclusive access to 20 of the single rooms at this residence which shared bathrooms and kitchen facilities. The property has a common room laundry and a beautiful courtyard. A very competitive rate of 147.50 or 160 pounds per week is available depending on contract length. The residence is open to students from across London universities offering a great chance to socialise with a wide range of people. Now let's have a look at the University of London intercollegiate course of residence. This accommodation houses all students from the 20 University of London colleges such as UCL, LSE, King's Royal Academy of Music and of course SOS. This accommodation offers a great chance to meet students from a wide variety of universities and backgrounds. As you can see on the map all the halls are within walking distance of SOS with the majority being around the Russell Square area within a 10 minute walk although two are further away about 30 minutes using public transport. There's one postgraduate property not shown here called Hanshens and we are just waiting for some further information on this but you can view it on the University of London website. Just to explain how this application for these halls works there are seven halls of residence into which we are able to house a number of our students. All these halls have wardens and residence assistants to support the students. This academic year we have rooms of four of the halls only and you are able to apply to these halls. They are Conult, College, International and the Gardens. We will have a look at them anyway. I should stress at this point that for this year the intercollegiate halls are full however it's worth having a look if you're coming next year. Firstly Conult Hall, a small friendly hall in a listed room just around the corner to the SOS campus. Opposite to have a stock square offering catered single and twin rooms on suite and non-suite bedrooms. SOS have 25 rooms at this residence available on 38-week contract. Next we have College Hall which is a mid-sized hall in a listed building opposite the student central building two minutes from SOS and a short walk from Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. SOS have 12 rooms allocated to this residence which offers catered single and on-suite accommodation. International Hall is a large modern hall with many menaces including a squash court, music rooms and a large common room. SOS has 24 rooms in this accommodation which are all catered single rooms and two non-catered studios. The hall has a large number of double rooms and family flats in listed buildings which bordered on campus. The Garden Halls, this is the newest and largest of the intercollegiate halls with accommodation ranging from single rooms to shared flats catered and non-catered on suite and non-suite. The hall has a bright modern feel overlooking Cartwright Gardens and use of the tennis courts. SOS has 56 rooms in this residence, 27 non-catered with shared kitchens and 29 on-suite catered. Catered means that you get breakfast and evening meal during the week and brunch and evening meal at weekends included in the price. Lillian-Penson Hall, this is the first of the halls at which we do not have an allocation and therefore at this stage SOS students cannot apply. There will be an option to apply in September on the University of London waiting list. Lillian-Penson Hall is an older style property overlooking the residence square in the Paddington area of London. Around 40 minutes from SOS it offers easy access to shops, bars and transport links consisting of catered and non-catered single rooms, studios and flats. This is Knutford House and as with the previous halls SOS do not have an allocation at this hall but Knutford House is a listed smaller hall situated just off the edge where road in London with access to Hyde Park and London Shopping District. Twin, single and studio accommodation catered and non-catered is available. Applications for this accommodation this year will need to be made in September on the University of London waiting list. The motown near the four halls with the SOS allocations are to the campus. They are the ones grouped on the right. The location of Lillian-Penson Hall and Knutford House is much further away and is why SOS chose not to have an allocation there. These residences tend to be more ergonomic in price due to their locations. Just to remind you that SOS received a portion of the intercollegiate halls accommodation. These residences are very popular and with an allocation of only 120 beds they have gone very very quickly this year and as I mentioned earlier they are now full. The majority of these halls have adapted or accessible accommodation and if you check the SOS accommodation page full details are listed on how to apply and how to register. These halls also house families or couples. If you'd like to send an email I will be able to respond individually giving you some advice about this. So now we get to the bit on how to apply. Once you've chosen your first, second and third as many of you like choices how do you actually apply? There are full details on the website but here's a quick rundown. Visit the SOS accommodation webpage at www.soes.ac.uk forward slash accommodation. It looks like the one shown below but is obviously late. Have a look at the virtual tours which will give you an idea and feel for the properties. Look at the contract length and think about how long you will be in London for. Make sure it meets the length of the contract you require and of course within your budget. Make sure the hall is still available. Be mindful that once you've signed the accommodation agreement it is then legally binding so please take your time and choose the best option for you. You will need your SOS student ID to apply which you will only have if you've accepted your place at SOS and are at firm status. You should really be the letter from SOS giving these details but if you haven't and you have accepted your place then contact the student hub and they will give you your ID number. I can also help you out so if you email me at the accommodation email address. Once you've filled in the application form and submitted it you will receive information on how to proceed depending on which hall you're applied for. If it's Urban Est or Optivo your application will be sent straight to the residence office at that hall and they will contact you with any further information. If it's Sanctuary so Dean Wooddie Paul Robeson or any of the intercollegiate halls you will be given a reference code and web address to complete the application. Your application has not been registered until you've completed the second bus process you will be contacted directly with any office or further information. To secure your chosen accommodation you will need to agree to the halls booking conditions and holding payment of between £230 and £400 depending on the hall. Just some reminders. The accommodation offer and the arrival of the formal contract may be several months apart. Some of our providers send the contract when making you the offer. Others send an offer of accommodation during late June and early July. Do not worry if there is a delay it's just the process. As long as you have a written offer then it's fine to wait for the contract. If you require adapted couples or family accommodation please contact the SOAS accommodation office as early as possible for advice and application procedures. If the accommodation provider is in London or for bursaries or scholarships and anyone interested in these should go to the relevant website or drop me an email. Now let's have a look at another kind of SOAS accommodation not halls this time but shared flats. Student homes are shared flats, shared rooms. Student homes are shared flats for SOAS students where the University of London is a landlord. This accommodation has been checked and any issues are dealt directly by the student's home team. This gives you peace of mind of looking for shared private accommodation rather than potentially falling victim to an unscripted landlord or below standard accommodation. I have checked the accommodation I have viewed it all and it is a very very good standard. If you wish to apply for a flat with friends or just don't want to live in halls then there are here are the details of student homes. The flats range three to five bedded and are in a variety of locations with easy reach of the SOAS campus. Fills are not usually included. They're ideal for first years who do not want home accommodation, non first year students who wish to move on from halls or friends who wish to live together. Sometimes this is a good option also for more mature students. You can find out more information by visiting the website on the screen now. Here are some examples of the properties. They range from flats to houses, some with balconies and gardens, lots more, a real variety for you to choose from in some great locations. Here is a current list of properties for this academic year and the fees. This hasn't been updated to reflect what is available at the moment but you can get this by visiting the website and I will give you the information at the end. These are applied via the University of London Housing Services or through me. Another option for accommodation is private rented accommodation. These are flats owned by landlords who have signed up to the University of London Landlord Database. The properties are checked by the University of London Housing Service team and there's a strict criteria in terms of health and safety which these landlords have to meet. The contracts which students sign with these landlords have been vetted by the legal team at the University of London Housing Services and again this is safe than just renting through a landlord with no connections to the University. If you do decide the private rented sector is for you and you don't want to avail yourself of our student homes then the University of London Housing Service also offer a service that will check your contracts for you. They will make sure you are legally protected and they also offer legal advice and support should you ever need it for such things as tenancy, dispute, etc. The map gives a general idea of the average cost of rents in the respective areas. This will give you an idea of which area it would be due to your budget and should help narrow down the search to particular areas. The orange areas being the closest to the centre of London are the most expensive. Remember to take travel cost and time into consideration when choosing for accommodation. The University of London produces a private housing id each year. You can obtain free of charge from your offices or you can visit them two minutes from the service campus on the fourth floor of the Student Central Building. It's a really useful guide for all things accommodation related such as deposits, contracts, references, guarantors, budgeting, finding families and last but not least how to deal with issues with your property landlord. If you visit the housing.ac.uk website you'll be able to see this information in better detail along with some advice regarding what to do when looking for prospective property and information on all aspects of renting. Here are some things to consider when looking for accommodation. Remember any accommodation contract you sign is a legal document. If you're not sure, don't sign. Ask SLS. Think about what best suits you, what you can reasonably afford. Can you manage in the cheaper option with shared facilities or do you definitely have to have your own bathroom? Do you want a whole experience or are you ready for shared flat living? Don't rush, take your options and get it right. Just something here to prompt you to think about how much money you will have to spend on your accommodation and to budget accordingly. Write everything down. Phone bills for transport costs, books, clothes. Once you've got everything down then you know exactly what you have left for your accommodation. And finally that's the end of the formal presentation. I will have a go answering your questions but if we run out of time please feel free to email me at the address on the screen. I have a few questions here around price increases and things. I've got one about private flats. Is it possible to rent a property before arriving to London or do you have to be physically present? No you can rent a property before you come to London and there's a cooling off period as well if you don't like that property when you get here. If you email me privately on the accommodation at service.ac.uk I can give you some more personal information or you can check with the University of London Housing Service. You don't have to be physically present but you definitely have to check your contract very very carefully. There don't seem to be any more questions at the moment so what I'm going to say is I'm going to close the session down now and if you have any questions that you would like me to answer please just email me at the address below. Thank you very much for listening. Bye!