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Find out everything you need to know about moving into UCL Accommodation, from what to bring with you to how to connect to Wi-Fi.
| On this page | |
|---|---|
| Before you arrive | Support |
| Checking in | FAQs |
| Settling in | Related links |
Before you arrive
- Complete your online induction
You need to complete your online induction before you move in to UCL accommodation. This can be found on the UCL Accommodation Portal and will be available to you 1 week before arrival.
- What's provided?
The following items are standard in all study bedrooms:
- carpet
- curtains
- wardrobe
- desk/table
- desk chair
- bed (including mattress)
- mattress cover
- wastepaper bin
- light shade/cover
- What to pack / what to buy
As you move into UCL accommodation, you may find that a few essentials will need to be bought and shared between your flatmates. Before you begin to shop in London for your new home, we recommend you discuss with your flat what is needed and how expenses should be split as you settle into your new room. Some items may already be provided by UCL accommodation, so be sure to complete the inventory form online on the UCL Accommodation Portal under the Room Condition section and check your kitchen for any necessary items required.
What to pack from home:
1. Essential Documents
- Photo ID (Passport, BRP, Driving License, etc.)
- Insurance Details (Travel Insurance, contents protection, etc.)
- Student Finance Letter (Digital or physical copy with your Student Loans Company (SLC) number on)
- Bank card
2. Electrical Appliances
- Laptop and charger
- Mobile phone and charger
3. Personal items, home comforts and clothing
- Essential medication (e.g. prescription medication, epipens)
- Bags, clothes, shoes and coat hangers
- Warm clothing
- Winter coat
- Gym and swim wear
- Slippers
- Photos, posters, and mementos
- Umbrella
What to buy when you arrive in London:
1. Kitchen Essentials
- Cutlery
- Plates, bowls, and cups
- Chopping board
- Saucepan/frying pan
- Kitchen knife
- Baking tray
- Bottle/can opener
- Tupperware (for storing leftovers/packing lunch)
- Kitchen basics (teabags, baked beans, pasta)
2. Bedroom Essentials
- Bed linen
- Duvet
- Pillow
- Laundry basket
- Coat hangers
3. Bathroom Essentials
- Towels
- Toiletries (e.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel)
- Toilet roll
- Hand soap
- Toilet cleaner
- Period products
Please note that some items may be prohibited by UCL accommodation. For a comprehensive list of prohibited items, please see the relevant General Regulations on the Fees, guidance and payment webpage.
- What not to bring
The following items are prohibited in UCL Accommodation. It is considered a disciplinary offence to have these items in your accommodation. Prohibited items found will be removed and held until you move out.
- Portable heating equipment or humidifiers
- Candles, incense sticks, oil lamps, fragrance burners
- Smoking, e-cigarettes, hookah or shisha pipes, Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas)
- Fairy lights (only battery operated are allowed)
- Dartboards and ball games
- Non-fused and cubed adaptors
- Weapons
BBQs or fireworks
Use of cooking equipment in your room is also prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, toasters, kettles, microwaves, rice cookers, hotplates, steamers and sandwich makers. Refrigerators are also not allowed in rooms, unless a specific medical condition requires you to have one. Kettles and microwaves are provided by UCL Accommodation so please don't bring your own.
If you would like to request permission to have a refrigerator in your room on medical grounds you include this in your UCL Accommodation application. Further information can be found on our Students with Additional Requirements page.
Additional information on prohibited items is available in the General Regulations on the Fees, guidance and payment webpage.
- Register for your insurance coverage
We partner with Endsleigh, the student insurance specialist, to cover your belongings when you’re living with us. To activate your insurance coverage, you should confirm your cover with Endsleigh on their website or through their app.
To activate your insurance coverage, you can choose your hall from the list below:
When you register you can find out what’s insured and where you may need additional insurance, such as mobile phone or laptop cover for when you’re out and about, or bicycle insurance.
- Get a bedding pack
You can purchase a bed linen pack from UniKitOut which you can pick up from your hall when you move in. Packs include a duvet, pillow, duvet cover, pillowcase and sheet. UniKitOut also sells bathroom and kitchen packs, as well as many individual items.
Checking In
- Book your arrival timeslot
You must pre-book a time slot in advance of your planned arrival date via the UCL Accommodation Portal.
- You must book a timeslot at least 3 working days in advance.
- If you become unable to attend your initial booked time slot, you will be able to cancel or rebook it through the UCL Accommodation Portal. Please give as much notice as possible to give others the opportunity to take the original slot.
- Once your slot has been booked, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to further information about the check-in process.
If you wish to arrive before your contract start date, you must complete an Early Arrival Request. Please do not book any travel until we have confirmed your Early Arrival Request. You will be invoiced for the additional night(s) after you arrive. The charge applies regardless of the reason for the early arrival.
If you will be arriving after your contract start date, you must submit a Late Arrival Notification on the UCL Accommodation Portal. Once you have logged in, please select check-in on the top tab. Please note that you will be charged accommodation fees from your contract start date.
- Planning your journey
Check the best way to get to your accommodation from the airport. You might want to consider travelling at off-peak times, using quieter stations and booking tickets in advance or paying by contactless if you can.
If you are arriving by car, be aware of the parking restrictions, the congestion zone and ULEZ charges surrounding UCL halls. Arriving on a Sunday will give you the best chance of finding parking if you’re arriving by car. The UCL Go! App and Citymapper provide detailed instructions on how to get to your destination using public transport.
- Your check in experience
- There will be ambassadors and staff on hand to help guide you on your arrival.
- If you have made us aware of additional requirements in your application, your Hall Team will be made aware.
- Your identity will be checked before being shown to your room. This can be any photographic national or institutional identity document, including; your UCL student card, passport or driver’s license.
- Once you have checked-in and been given your keys, you will be shown to your room by one of our ambassadors.
- You will not be allowed to leave any belongings in the reception area. There will be trolleys available for use.
- Hall Reception Opening Hours during Welcome
UCL halls will have staff available to check you in from 8am-7pm.
If you are in a Unite, urbanest or University of London hall you should contact the Hall Team directly to find out more information. All of the hall contact information is available on our contact us webpage.
- Log on to Wi-Fi
If you are in a UCL run hall, log on to the Wi-Fi (Eduroam) using your UCL ID (ucluserid@ucl.ac.uk) and password. Prior to enrolment, students can use The Cloud network to access the internet in halls. If you have any problems with Eduroam, call the Information Services Department (ISD) on +44 (0)20 7679 5000 or email servicedesk@ucl.ac.uk
Settling in
- Complete your inventory
You’ll find the inventory form online on the UCL Accommodation Portal under the Room Condition section. Please complete this within your first 48 hours of having moved into your hall. It’s important to check your inventory thoroughly. Record anything that seems missing or damaged, otherwise you may be charged for it at the end of the year.
- Complete your mandatory fire safety activities
All UCL Accommodation residents must complete the mandatory fire safety activities after their arrival.
- Complete the Fire Safety Familiarisation Induction on the UCL Accommodation Portal
- Attend a fire safety walk in their building
These mandatory activities ensure that all residents are familiar with their building, what to do if there is a fire and how to evacuate in an emergency. Failure to complete these activities will put the resident at risk of receiving a fine.
- Are there any welcome events?
UCL Accommodation have Welcome Parties in each hall on the main move-in weekend, to help you get to know who you will be living with.
There are also International Students Orientation Programme (ISOP) and Welcome Week events to suit everyone’s interests - you can find details of the events on the UCL Go app. Students’ Union UCL also organises the Welcome Fair at the end of Welcome Week which brings together more than 250 clubs and societies, commercial stalls, music and entertainment and is a great opportunity to sign up to a club or society
- Get a UCL student ID card
You will be issued with a UCL student ID card when you enrol - make sure to bring a form of personal ID (e.g. bank card, driving licence) with you. You can collect your ID card from the South Cloisters. There are student ambassadors on hand to direct you.
- Get your UCL email address
You’ll need your UCL user ID and password that was set up as part of pre-enrolment. If you have any access issues, contact ISD. All information from your department and central UCL teams will be sent to your UCL email account, so it’s important to check it often.
- Set up a bank account
If you don’t have a UK bank account, opening one is a good idea to manage your money more easily and safely. We strongly advise against carrying large amounts of cash or keeping money in your room. Some banks will be present on campus at the start of term to help you open a bank account. When opening an account, you’ll need a letter from UCL confirming your student status. This may be collected from the Student Centre. You will also need a letter confirming your current hall’s address from the Student Centre or hall reception, as well as your ID.
- Register with a doctor
Registering for local health services is one of the first things you should do. As a UCL student, you are advised to register with your local GP, You can do this on the NHS webpage Find a GP.
- Get a TV licence
If you want to bring your own TV or use streaming services like iPlayer, then you will need your own TV licence. You won’t be covered by the licence in your hall, or by a licence held at your home address, if you are viewing in your room.
- Collect your post
Normal letters are delivered to your post box. Registered post or large parcels are kept in reception. You will be notified by email when you recieve a parcel.
- Get your Oyster card
We recommend you don’t bring a car to UCL. You can pay for public transport with a contactless bank card or Oyster card. If you’re aged 16-25 (or if you’re over 25 on a full-time education programme lasting at least 20 weeks), you’re eligible for a 16-25 Railcard, which gives you 1/3 discount on rail travel across the UK and you can link this card to your Oyster to get a 34% discount on single off-peak pay as you go fares on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services.
Many students are eligible for the 18+ Student Oyster photocard. This replaces the standard Oyster card and gives you a 30% discount off the price of adult-rate Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets. If you use public transport regularly, an 18+ Student Oyster photocard is highly recommended.
Support
- Who do I contact about any maintenance problems?
To report a maintenance issue:
- Log in to the UCL Accommodation Portal
- Choose 'Report a problem' from the top menu
- Select the correct category and item fields, and add further information about the situation to the ticket
- Click submit
You’ll find your Hall Team at reception, 8:30am-6:30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank/university holidays). They take care of day-to-day management of our halls. Out of hours, you can use the SafeZone app.
- Who can I talk to about any wellbeing or welfare issues?
Student Residence Advisers (SRAs) are postgraduate students who live in your hall who are here for your well-being and welfare, whether it’s a specific issue or you just want to chat. SRAs can be contacted through the Hall Team. If you have an emergency out of hours (6:30pm to 8:30am, and all day and night at weekends) use the SafeZone app.
FAQs
- Can I swap rooms if I don’t like my current room?
Before moving in
We advise you to accept the offer made to you, this is to ensure you have a place reserved. You can then contact the Accommodation Office outlining the reasons for your swap request. The Accommodation Office will consider swap requests, subject to availability. Students requesting a swap for health related or financial reasons, will be prioritised. Please note, we cannot guarantee to be able to meet your swap request.
After moving in
If you would like to request to change rooms, to the same room type in the same hall, you can request an internal room swap with your Hall Team. Any swap requests are subject to available rooms.
If the swap request is for another room type or a different hall location, you will need to request a swap by contacting the Accommodation Office. Swap requests to a different room type or alternative hall location are subject to available rooms.
- Who will I be living with?
We cannot share details of your flatmates with you prior to arrival due to data protection laws. You will meet them on your check-in day.
- Can I have visitors to stay in my room?
You’re welcome to have friends and family stay over. During the day, you can have multiple guests. Overnight guests can stay for a maximum of seven nights in a calendar month.
Guests will need to be signed in and out. For everyone’s security, please notify your Hall team in advance of any visitors.