[HDNG]IN COLLEGE:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A2[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Catered: 2% [BULL] Cost: ú65(34wks) [BULL] Self-catering: 25% [BULL] Cost: ú34/54(34wks)[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] There are only 380 places in the University's accommodation, procured through an arrangement with an independent housing association, in Sir John Cass Hall, a catered 2 storey house in Hackney (4 miles from the City), and a block of self-catering flats in Bethnal Green (2 miles away). No-one is guaranteed a place although 1st years have easily the best chance (40% are housed). [ITAL]The students who are lucky enough to get such accommodation[EITAL], get single rooms in the mixed blocks. Flats are single sex. Between 3 and 5 students share cooking and cleaning facilities.[PARA][BOLD]Car parking:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Limited permit parking space at the flats, but students can forget any thoughts of driving to the University.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]EXTERNALLY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Ave rent: ú60[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]London Transport (buses, tube and trains) splits the city into several 'zones' which are concentric circles from the centre. Zone 1, for example, is the area within a radius of about 21/2 miles of Trafalgar Square. Zone 2 is the next 3 miles and so on. Obviously, rents get cheaper in the outer zones, but then travel costs to the centre go up accordingly.[ITAL] [EITAL]Travel costs should be taken into consideration when looking at rents because a Travelcard from Zone 3 to the centre costs more than ú15 a week.[PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Contrary to popular belief, it's really not that difficult to find accommodation in London, just buy a copy of the Evening Standard and there are hundreds of places. It is however a challenge of epic proportions to find anywhere that is both affordable and inhabitable. There's very little housing in Zone 1 even for yuppies, and students come a lot lower in the pecking order. Zone 2 is a bit better, particularly for single rooms in shared flats or houses in places like Wandsworth, Putney and Fulham and wherever the tube system is lacking. Zone 3 is relatively promising, but the catch is that it can take upwards of an hour to get to the centre. Zone 4 and beyond are not popular for the same reason, but, as they say, homeless students can't be choosers. Although there are many thousands of people living, quite literally, in cardboard boxes on London's streets, they aren't students. In fact, many students manage to find very comfortable flats for almost reasonable rents. There is also a growing number living in squats. To be safe, students coming to London should work out where they're going to stay first.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Renting: 70%[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Housing help:[EBOLD] Students appeal to the Accommodation Service and private letting firms for help in finding housing. [ITAL]Recommended areas for budget and proximity - to the east: Leytonstone; Stratford; Plaistow; and East Ham - and to the north and west: Haringey; Stoke Newington; and Manor Park. The Isle of Dogs, if you've been in a cupboard under the stairs for the past year, is a bit tense.[EITAL][PARA][PARA]
