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The Freshers' Guide

Accommodation

College accommodation

During 2008-9, Sidney MCR comprised 193 postgraduate students and 87 lived in college accommodation, mostly those in their first year. Sidney freshers will always be offered college accommodation (but the college cannot accommodate the children of students, and accommodation for couples is limited). The allocation of college accommodation for graduates is administered by the Graduate Tutor's secretary. If you wish to accept college accommodation, you will be asked to sign a room occupancy agreement with the college shortly after your arrival for a period of 9-12 months; the default end date is 30 June but you will be asked if you wish to extend your lease during Easter term. You will be billed for your room rent at the beginning of each term.

If you leave Cambridge (e.g. to visit family or for research) for at least one week during your occupancy agreement, you may claim a rebate of one week's rent per term. To claim your rebate, you must intend to leave College for at least 7 consecutive days (i.e. the rebate can not be claimed for separate periods of a few days away taken together). Also, you must give the College Office (on Chapel Court) written notice of your departure in advance and sign out at the Porters' Lodge when you leave, and sign back in when you return. As it is important for the College to know when students are not in residence, the College Office may withold rebates when students have failed to sign out.

After the first year, around ten graduates successfully apply to become graduate wardens, which entitles them to a room in a college-owned house in exchange for accepting some responsibility for that house and its undergraduate residents. The Senior Tutor usually contacts all graduate students during Lent term to explain what the role entails and invite applications. The successful applicants will pay the lowest rent band of any at College and usually occupy the largest room in the house.

Private sector accommodation

The majority of grads in residence for more than a year will have to find private sector accommodation after their first year. Some, and particularly those with partners or families, might also prefer to do so from the start. Private sector accommodation obviously lacks the services provided in college (most significantly, cleaning services, fast university network connections, and flexibility over your moving-out date in the summer), and comes with additional costs; however the KFC (Kitchen Fixed Charge) to be paid to college is vastly reduced and private accommodation for sharers or couples is often similarly priced to college accommodation.

There are many letting agents operating in Cambridge, and there are also online notice boards and newsgroups advertising rooms, flats and houses available for rent. The GU's accommodation page provides some useful background information and links.

The University also runs an Accommodation Service to help members of the university to find accommodation (most of which is privately owned).

Accommodation Service

The Accommodation Service is based at Kellet Lodge on Tennis Court Road. They maintain a database with details of privately rented properties including flats, houses, rooms in shared houses and rooms where the owner lives. You can obtain information and advice from their office in person (no appointment necessary), and you can register to use an online property search facility for which current students can register. Properties are available on both long and short-term basis, but it is often more difficult to obtain self-contained accommodation for periods of less than six months.

The Service also has the details of self-contained flats owned by the University, which are available to postgraduate students, academics, staff and visiting scholars. The minimum let is normally six months up to a maximum stay of two years, but there is a waiting list and priority is given to those new to Cambridge.

The Accommodation Service sells maps and phone cards, and provides a helpful information leaflet. Useful guidance on rents, letting arrangements and tenancy agreements will be given, as well as information on schools, banking, medical practices and other local facilities.

Website: http://www.accommodation.cam.ac.uk/

Freshers' Guide last modified: 22 October 2009
This section last modified: 14 September 2009