Choosing a property

Oganising property viewings

Planning your visit

Always view a house before you sign a contract or transfer any money. You should plan to visit London before the start of the academic year to find a place to live. SOAS university offers affordable short stay accommodation during the summer, please email accommodation@soas.ac.uk for further details.

If you are unable to come to London, you may be able to undertake a "virtual" viewing but make sure it is live and ask lots of questions!

Arranging viewings 

Get an early start, and spend an hour or two in the morning looking for suitable properties. When you see a property you like, phone and try to make an appointment for later on that day.  Leave plenty of time to get from one viewing to the next — 3 or 4 viewings is probably enough for one day.

If you are looking as a group, try to go and see the property all together as  arranging multiple viewings can take up valuable time. Use our checklist when viewing properties, and take lots of photos so you can remember it later.

Where to live?

Living in London and beyond

SOAS students live all over London and beyond. Choosing an area that you like and feel safe in is important. Areas in London tend to be very diverse, some offer plentiful green spaces or easy access to the canal and its wildlife, whilst others are known for a lively music scene, weekly markets or independent shops. Different communities often live in different areas, so if you’re learning a language at SOAS you could choose an area where you can practice with the locals!

Most SOAS Students commute 30-40 minutes to SOAS

Do your research

Spend some time researching different areas. You can do this by visiting them, looking online, talking to other students, or visiting the SOAS Housing Adviser. 

Some great tips can be found on the ULHS Private Housing Guide

Where do SOAS students  live?

Many students choose to live along the Piccadilly Line (dark blue) and Northern Line (black) as these provide good transport links with SOAS. If you have the opportunity go and visit locations where accommodation is available, sometimes properties may seem much further away than they are and can be much cheaper if they are a little further from a transport hub.

Popular areas include

  • Caledonian Road
  • Holloway Road
  • Camden Town
  • Kentish Town
  • Finsbury Park
  • Manor House
  • Stoke Newington

Average rent in these areas

You can get an idea of the average rents in these areas on London Rents Map.

Finding and choosing your hoursemates

Whether you are looking for a place to live with friends, or looking online to find new housemates, taking time to consider who you live with can help to stop problems developing later in the year. Groups of 2-5 are best for house hunting in London.

Finding housemates

At SOAS, there are always opportunities to meet new people. Would you like to live with people from your course, or do you want to branch out and live with others? Have you enjoyed living with your flatmates in hall, or would you like a change? Join a society or attend some Students’ Union events to meet potential flatmates.

Many new students arrive in London without knowing anyone. Look out for the ULHS flatmate finder event in September, or contact others in a similar position through the forums.

Choosing your housemates

Things to consider

  • Budget – choose housemates with similar budget to you, and stick to it when you go house hunting. Big discrepancies in what you can afford both in terms of rent and living costs can raise tensions.
  • Cleanliness – different people have different attitudes towards keeping their living space clean and tidy. How important is this to you?
  • Daily routine – consider your timetable and when you will be in and out of the house. What time do you usually go to sleep? Are you easily woken by housemates coming in late?
  • Socialising – do you prefer to live in a quiet house where you can study or a noisy party house? How do you feel about your housemates bringing friends over?
  • Deal-breakers – think about your worst nightmare housemate. What would you absolutely not be able to live with? Make sure your housemates know what is most important to you.