Student Accommodation Information and FAQs

Usually, all first-year students are resident in College, except for a small number of mature students will family commitments. You do not need to apply for accommodation, as it will automatically be allocated to you for your first year.

First year students are usually housed in a building called, West House. Our current Student Accommodation Handbook provides more detailed information about the rooms and facilities in West House.

All undergraduate offer holders commencing their studies in October will be asked to complete the online Accommodation Application and Preference Survey by late June/early July (please check your email for further information). It is very important for you to complete the survey and provide all the requested information, as this will be taken into account when allocating rooms in College accommodation.  

In early September, once all of our places have been confirmed, the room allocations will be done. Before the start of the Michaelmas Term, you will be asked to complete the online Residential Agreement relating to occupation of your room. It is important that you read its conditions carefully. Once you have submitted the Residential Agreement thereby agreeing to the terms, you will be deemed to have entered into the Residential Agreement. You only have to pay rent for the time you are actually living here, which for most undergraduate students is the eight-week Cambridge term.

Homerton has purpose-built graduate accommodation in quiet surroundings on the main College site. This means that you can enjoy the Gothic surroundings of the older buildings such as the Great Hall while living in modern and well-equipped rooms. We offer rooms to all full-time graduate students whenever possible, but unfortunately are not able to accommodate part-time students. Although we are unable to guarantee accommodation to any incoming student, we aim to allocate rooms to all those who meet all of their entry conditions by 31 July of their year of arrival.

Most resident graduate students will live in Morley House and Harrison House, which offer self-catered, en-suite rooms. Accommodation is arranged in groups of five rooms, sharing a fully-fitted kitchen; there is also a common room (‘MCR’) in Morley House. We may be able to offer a few cheaper rooms to graduates in the other accommodation blocks; however, rooms may be smaller, and only offer small ‘gyp-room’ kitchens, for snack preparation.

The rooms in College are fully furnished and come with lots of storage so you can bring everything you need. Some rooms have older and more traditional features, like those located in the Cavendish building. Most rooms however are modern and up to date, like those in West House (the first-year accommodation block). Some of the older rooms have been renovated and now have en-suite bathrooms and new furniture. You will be provided with full bed linen, including a duvet cover and a towel.

Each room is furnished with a:

• desk
• desk chair
• bedside table
• bookshelf
• full set of bedding

Most of Homerton’s accommodation is en-suite, however, there is the option to be housed in accommodation with shared bathrooms, which is priced accordingly. You will also have access to a shared kitchen, where you can make snacks and meals. The kitchen is usually shared with around eight other students and is equipped with:

• lockable kitchen cupboards
• four-ring, electric hob
• kettle
• toaster
• microwave
• fridge

All utilities are included in the rent, including WiFi, water and electricity. Each week your room will be cleaned by one of our cleaning staff. The kitchens are cleaned regularly too. A linen service is included in the rent should you want sheets and towels to be washed each week. Some students choose to have their own bedding and towels to bring a personal touch to their rooms.

Your rent also includes use of a wide range of facilities, including the College gym, sports fields and library. It is possible to stay on during the vacation and there are a number of schemes available that can help with the cost of rent during these periods.

There is the option to privately rent in Cambridge. The University has its own accommodation service, which you can sign up for and apply to rent some of their listed properties. Undergraduate students tend to be placed near the bottom in terms of priority because of the accommodation offered directly by the colleges. There are also a number of private letting agencies that specialise in helping students find accommodation.

Resident students may stay in College accommodation out of term time if they have a justifiable reason for doing so. Extra nights are for students' personal use only and will be booked in the student's name and in their term-time room when they link up with the end or start of their residency agreement. Any short stay (guest night/s) in College during the vacations will be booked in a guest room subject to availability. Guests nights outside of term time are charged at a higher rate; click the link below to see the current rates.

                                           Book Extra Nights online here

Sometimes students require personal electrical items in their room, such as a fridge for the storage of medicine. If you require an electrical item in your room, you will need to complete the online Electrical Item Request Form (you will need to submit supporting evidence on the same form).

For Further information about life at Homerton and accommodation, please have a look at the following pages:

• About life at Homerton
• About student policies and procedures, including the current Student Handbook and Student Accommodation Handbook

Students are asked to indicate their preferred accommodation block and any first preference for any block will be allocated straight away if not oversubscribed. However, if the first preference for a particular block is oversubscribed, priority will be given to final year students and a ballot will be held with the HUS and a waiting list drawn up. Therefore, students should note that we cannot always guarantee that they will be offered their preferred accommodation block.

It is the responsibility of students to contact their Tutor about any special circumstances or medical needs for an en-suite room or for a particular type of room and to specify the circumstances on the accommodation application.

We will try to house specified 'friendship groups' together in the same household as much as possible. Friendship groups of up to 5 may be requested, but unfortunately cannot always be guaranteed; you should indicate on your online application the names of your friends and ensure that all the names in the friendship groups match.

Larger friendship groups, mixed years groups or groups whose names do not match will be contacted by the Accommodation Officer to agree on how to best split the group.

Certain rooms in West House, South Court and ABC are equipped with electronic pianos and have been pre-allocated for music students. If music students wish to submit applications as part of a friendship group, we will try to house the group around one of these rooms. It is a requirement that all music students occupy music rooms.

Please let the Accommodation Officer know which music room you prefer and they will do their best to accommodate your friendship group around this room.

The Music Rooms are:

• West House 131, 132, 146, 147, 331, 332 (usually for year 1 Music students, accompany scholar or conduction scholar)
• West House 232 (usually for year 2 Music students)
• ABC 201, 205 (usually for year 2 or year 3 Music students)
• South Court G23, 111, 125, 304 (usually for year 3 Music students)
• D&E 114, 115 (usually for year 2 Music students)
• Harrison House flat 12 room 1 (usually for postgraduate students)

Full Term is the teaching period during which students must remain in residence.

All undergraduates have to ‘keep term’, by residing, i.e. sleeping, in Cambridge for the designated number of nights of Full Term. This is normally 60 nights. However, these nights can usually be kept within the dates of Term and allow the possibility of being absent from Cambridge for one weekend a term.

Students must be here on Travel Day (usually the Sunday before Full Term) and may not leave the College without permission from your College Tutor and/or Director of Studies until Travel Day (usually the Saturday after Full Term).

Students are expected to be here for classes every weekday and for some courses on Saturdays as well. Cambridge is not a nine-to-five university and some lectures, supervisions, and most social events take place in the early evenings or at weekends.

We are aware that there will be occasions when you will need to be absent from Cambridge during Full Term, if this is the case, please seek permission from your College Tutor and/or Director of Studies stating a valid reason, and forward on any correspondence to the Tutorial Office.

Check out means to vacate the room, hand any cupboard keys and check out at the Porters’ Lodge.

The check out time for extra nights (like guest nights) is no later than 10.00am on the morning of departure. Failure to vacate the room by 10.00am will result in a surcharge of £30.00 per night, regardless of the type of room and lost key charges for any not handed in when checking out. (Please see Rules of Payment for late/lost key charges).

Please note that College does not accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, personal belongings left in College during term-time or vacations.

Occasional guests must not exceed three successive nights in any student rooms in a seven-day period. Lengths of stay beyond this time must be paid for and the guest must be booked in to a separate room (if available).

The HUS organises storage during vacation periods for students belongings, in the Morley House changing rooms. Students should contact the Services and Green Officer or the HUS president on hus-services@homerton.cam.ac.uk with queries and assistance relating to storage in the first instance.

Students have access to card-operated washing machines and dryers on the ground floor of West House or in Paupers’ Walk.

Cards are initially provided at registration during freshers week, but replacement cards can be purchased from the Porters Lodge. You will then need to visit www.circuit.co.uk for instructions on how to top up your card. There are ironing boards and irons in the launderettes. Please note ironing is not permitted in student bedrooms.

If you need to arrive before the start of your residency agreement or stay in your room after the last night covered by your residency agreement, or indeed to stay for the whole vacation period, those additional nights are called 'extra nights'. You must book these days on the website at least 5 days before the first night needed. If you miss the 5 days' deadline, you will need to make the payment directly with the finance office, and a late booking charge of £2.50 per night will be added to the normal room rate. Please note that there is no guarantee that you will be given your room if you book late.

Undergraduates may apply for a means-tested Vacation Study Grant (VSG). Application forms will be made available from the financial assistance page. Please note that it is not guaranteed that you will be able to stay in the same room that you rent during term time.

If you have been granted a VSG or Internship grant, your extra nights covered by the grant will be booked on your behalf and confirmed by email. If you need more nights which are not covered by your grant, then you must book them using the room booking form with at least 5 days' notice. 

If you have left College for the term and need College accommodation for a few nights during the vacation period you may be allowed to book a guest room (not you term-time room) subject to availability. Please email: accommodation@homerton.cam.ac.uk if you need to stay in College out of term time.

Please note this is different to extra nights and you will not be able to stay in your term-time room. If you need to stay for the duration of the whole vacations, you may be able to stay in your term-time room, but during the Summer vacations you will be relocated to a different area of College.

You must book your extra nights through the website at least five days before the first night needed using the room booking link.

Travel day is the day after the last night covered by your residency agreement. At the start of the new residency agreement, travel day is the first day covered by your residency agreement (as detailed on the document called 'schedule of payment').

For more information please see Important dates.

The official arrival and departure travel days are listed in the schedule as part of your residency agreement.

Access to the room can be given from 2 pm on the day of arrival, and from 12 noon on travel days.

On travel days, the check out time is no later than 4.00 pm. For any extra nights beyond travel days, or for any guest nights, the check out is by 10.00 am on the morning of departure. Check out means you must vacate the room, lock the door, hand all keys to the Porters’ Lodge and sign out no later than 10.00 am on the morning of departure. Failure to check out on time will result in an additional charge of £30.00 per day.

Please be aware of the following:

• All extra nights must be booked and paid for online at least 5 days before the first night is needed. If you miss the 5-day deadline you will need to pay for your extra night(s) directly at the Finance Office. A late booking charge (£2.50 per night) will apply to the normal room rate.
• You are not guaranteed to be able to stay in your allocated/requested room. Your extra nights may be booked for a different room in your current block, or in a different block.
• You may have other people joining your household temporarily. Students moving in temporarily (e.g. part-time students attending residentials) will need to present a negative LFT test before checking in.
• Outside term time, normal services, such as cleaning and catering, may not be available as during term time. However, all College rules still apply - including signing visitors in and out on the visitors' book at the Porters' Lodge.
• Any unauthorised extra nights will be charged a flat rate of £30.00 per night (regardless of the room occupied during term). No booking is confirmed until you receive an email from the Accommodation Officer.

• Non en-suite (D&E): £19.20
• En-suite (WH, EH, SC, ABC, PR): £22.50
• Harrison House:  £24.00
• Morley House - Standard: £24.00
• Morley House - Double: £33.00

• You must check out at the Porters Lodge before leaving for the holidays. You will be charged if you do not check out at the Lodge.
• There is a late booking fee for bookings made less than 5 days before the first night of stay, charged at £2.50 per night in addition to the regular rate.
• If you stay without having booked for extra nights, this is classified as an “unauthorised stay” at a rate of £30 per night.
• Any unauthorised late departures will be reported to the Dean’s Office and will result in college community service.
• If you leave without clearing your room:
  • You will be referred to the Dean
  • You will be charged for an unauthorized stay
  • If the college requires use of the room, an external company will pack your belongings for storage and you will be charged for their service.
• Outside term time, normal services, such as cleaning and catering, may not be available as during term time. However, all College rules still apply - including signing visitors in and out on the visitors' book at the Porters' Lodge.

Extra nights booked are not guaranteed in your allocated room. Your extra nights may be booked for a different room in your current block, or in a different block. You may also have other people joining your household temporarily. 

Yes, you can book a student room for the night subject to availability.  Please contact accommodation@homerton.cam.ac.uk at least five working days before your nights needed.

All overnight guests are to be signed in at the Lodge and in the relevant section of the signing in/out book. This is for fire regulations. Under no circumstances should guests be lent or given College keys, University cards or fobs. Visitors and children should not go into the residential areas of College unless they are accompanied. Visitors should also be signed into the College Bar, and accompanied by their host, if they wish to drink there. Visitors should be accompanied throughout the College. Unaccompanied visitors are likely to be escorted from the College grounds, without reference to their host. 

The length of stay of occasional guests must not exceed three successive nights. Any additional nights beyond 3 nights must be booked in a guest room via our conferences office. Students are wholly responsible for the behaviour of their guests at all times. No extra bedding or mattress is provided.

External guests can stay in guest rooms (subject to availability). If you wish to book a guest room in College for your parents, please contact our Conference Office (internalevents@homerton.cam.ac.uk).

You need to contact the Development Office to book a room and these are subject to availability.

Fourth year undergraduate students can apply to live in College using the online accommodation survey which opens in Lent Term.

The University Accommodation Service is a great place to start if you are looking to live out.

The Accommodation Office can provide references to landlords upon request - please note that we must have your permission if contacted directly by your landlord.