Unsuccessful re-admissions applications for 2014-15

Whilst I was on leave, I received numerous emails about re-admissions next year. If you are someone whose application was unsuccessful, please read the following text of my standard response to all queries about re-admissions. 

I am sorry that your application for re-admission in September 2014 was unsuccessful. I have prepared this briefing so that the same information is given to everyone who asks about their unsuccessful application.

The closure of the three Garden Halls from July this year means the number of students we could accept for re-admission was reduced from 47 in previous years to just 11 this year.

As I have previously advised many of you, this very small number of places meant that we would only consider applications from those who have made a very outstanding contribution to the Hall community (usually through an elected position on the Residents’ Club Committee) or who have a medical reason for re- admission, supported by a doctor’s letter enclosed with the application for re- admission.

We had 50 applications for re-admission this year. I judged 20 of them to be deserving of re-admission, and those 20 would definitely have been offered a place in any other year. But we could only make offers to 11 people. I did ask for some extra places but my request was declined. So we have had to be very strict about those criteria I mentioned above, and were only able to consider an application on medical or mental health grounds if a doctor’s letter was included with your application.

The remaining 9 residents whom I thought should be re-admitted, but could not be offered a place immediately, have been put on a reserve list. They could be made offers if some of the 11 students who were offered a place turn down their offers.

Because of the very tight numbers this year, it is not possible to make any more offers at this time. I am sorry that is no mechanism for appealing this decision, since we simply could not offer you a place now unless someone else turns down his or her offer. If you do have any further concerns, please write to the central accommodation office at info.halls@london.ac.uk. I regret that no one here at Connaught Hall can provide any more advice or assistance, since we are working within strict rules imposed by the colleges and the central University; we have no discretion to act outside those rules.

For those on the reserve list, I should advise you that I think it is unlikely that anyone will turn down their offer, so you should begin making alternative plans for your accommodation next year.

Once again, I am very sorry that your application was unsuccessful and regret that I cannot provide any further assistance. 

FAQ: Landlord references and references from the Warden / Can you give me a letter for the bank to prove my address?

I'm renting privately in my second or third year and my new landlord or agent wants a reference. Whom do I contact?

Landlords want to know that you paid your accommodation fees on time and that you did not damage your accommodation. The Hall management office have a template for landlord references that means they can easily put this information into an email or letter for you. So just email info.connaught@london.ac.uk and they will help you with the reference you need for privately rented accommodation.


I need a character reference for employment or volunteering work. Can the Hall help?

Some types of character, personal, or employment references may need to come from me (as Warden), which I am happy to provide so long as you have been involved in a role within the Hall that has allowed me to form enough of an opinion about you to be able to write a few reliable paragraphs about your personality and character. Otherwise, your college personal tutor may be able to help you.

FAQ: (August/September) problems with offer letter / contract / passport photos / personal details form

My college has told me I will be offered a place at Connaught Hall but I haven't heard any more. What should I do?

Your college will have told the intercollegiate halls accommodation reservations office to send you a formal offer of accommodation. We at Connaught Hall won't know anything about you until early September.

So if you are worried that you haven't yet received your formal offer of accommodation, please contact the intercollegiate accommodation office at info.halls@london.ac.uk. They should be able to help you.


I've heard that some people got sent a personal details form to fill out and return, but I don't have one. Do I have to return one? Where do I get it?

Again, all this information comes from the central accommodation office. Look out for an email from info.halls@london.ac.uk and if you haven't received a request to return a personal details form, and it's less than a month to go until you move into the Hall, contact the accommodation team at that email address.


Which room have I been given?

The accommodation office make and change room allocations right up until the move-in date, so we cannot normally tell you which room you will be allocated until the day you arrive, unless you have a disability that means you need to be given a particular room or type of room. If you have any questions about this, again, you should contact the accommodation team at info.halls@london.ac.uk.

For more information about room allocations and swaps, see here: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/faq-room-swaps.html.


Do I have to send passport photos? Where to?

We need three passport-typephotographs of you at least two weeks before you arrive in Hall, so that we can have your Hall ID card made and ready for you to pick up on your arrival date. 

Without your Hall ID card, it will be difficult for you to get past security each time you enter the Hall, and you may not be able to take meals in the dining hall, request packed meals, or borrow items like the vacuum cleaner, games, or table tennis bats.

Please send your three passport-type photos, with your name written on the back of each, to the Administration Office, Connaught Hall, 36-45 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9EX. 

Or you can email your photos - so long as they are the right size and shape - to info.connaught@london.ac.uk. Remember to include your full name in your email.


Can I arrive earlier than the date / time shown on my offer letter?

Please see this post: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/faq-arriving-earlier-than-datetime.html.

FAQ: Arriving earlier than the date/time shown on your offer letter or contract

Can I arrive earlier than the date shown on my offer letter?

We can usually agree to an earlier arrival date, up to one or sometimes two weeks before the standard arrival date on your offer letter. Availability is not guaranteed, however.

If you want to arrange an early arrival, email Housing Services (info.halls@london.ac.uk) and carbon copy your message to the Connaught Hall management team (info.connaught@london.ac.uk), clearly stating your full name and preferred arrival date.


When can I move in on the day?

Our official check-in time is 2pm. This is to ensure that your room has been cleaned following the departure of any B&B guests or other students who may have left that morning.

If you are arriving on the standard arrival date indicated on your offer letter, it is most likely that your room will have been empty for several days before you move in. So we can usually let you move in from around 9am on your check-in date. However, your room is not guaranteed to be available and clean until 2pm. If you want to be sure about whether you will be able to move in earlier than 2pm, please contact the Hall management team a week in advance of your arrival: info.connaught@london.ac.uk.

FAQ: Room swaps and hall moves

Can I change to a different room?

If you want to move to a different room, you must contact Housing Services (based on the fourth floor of Student Central on Malet Street). Email info.halls@london.ac.uk and carbon copy your email to info.connaught@london.ac.uk.


Can I change to a different Hall?

If you are not happy with the Hall you have been allocated, you must contact both the intercollegiate halls accommodation reservations team (email info.halls@london.ac.uk) and the accommodation / residences office at your college (e.g. King's, UCL, QMUL, LSE, SOAS, etc).


The staff based at Connaught Hall cannot approve any room change requests or Hall swaps. All requests must go through Housing Services.


No requests for room swaps will be considered until after mid-October. This is because it would be unfair to allow residents who arrive early in the year the opportunity to move rooms while the Hall is relatively empty, whilst denying the chance to residents who move in later, when most rooms are occupied. Normally, whether you wish to move within the same hall or to a different hall, you would need to identify another person who is prepared to swap with you.

If the reason you are unhappy with your current room is a maintenance or cleaning issue, talk to the Hall Manager about it: we can often solve the problem so you don't need to swap. If the problem is an issue with your neighbours, talk to the Warden.

Finding Private Housing – Helpful Tips

Zack (Senior Member) put together some tips for residents looking for private housing for next year:

1. DON’T PANIC
2. Decide who you’re living with and stick to it. Preferably people you like. This isn’t too important though. They will steal your milk and block the toilet regardless of how ‘safe’ they seemed during Freshers.
3. Whatever you do, DON’T live with a couple!
4. Decide where in London you want to live – agree on your priorities. If you’re desperate to live in Bloomsbury even if it means sleeping on the floor of someone’s garage, that’s great. Likewise, if you want an en-suite and a roof terrace but don’t mind the commute from Hertfordshire, speak up now.
5. Discuss how much everyone is willing to pay per week or month. If one of you can swing £200/week, while the others will struggle to make £100, a compromise isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
6. Factor in gas and electricity – they can get expensive, especially in the wintertime. Winter lasts a lot longer in a house where the heating comes out of your drinking money.
7. Decide when you want to move in. Most landlords in London will be looking for someone to move in within the next month, so you are unlikely to find anywhere that’s available in September in June. That’s just London. This may mean coming back in August to look.
8. Start looking. Online websites such as primelocation and gumtree are good places to start, particularly when it comes to getting an idea of what’s actually out there and how much it costs.
9. Estate agents are another option. A reputation for underhandedness is perhaps somewhat deserved, but so long as you keep your wits about you (and don’t mind paying an extra £100 or so for the trouble), they are an excellent way of arranging several viewings in a day without the hassle of dealing with some of the less reliable landlords out there.
10. Arrange some viewings by contacting the agent or landlord. The first place you see will inevitably be an absolute hole. Visiting it will scar you for life. Get this out of the way early.
11. When viewing, check the essentials. Windows should keep out the draft, mould can be sorted out provided it’s not cataclysmal... a friend of mine once saw a kitchen with a toilet in it. Discuss with your potential flatmates whether that’s something you’d be okay with.
12. If there are any previous tenants around, ask them questions about any problems they’ve had with the place. Ask specifically about how cold it gets in winter, how much the bills cost and whether the landlord is a top bloke or a premier league knob. Put your money on the latter.
13. Beware the ‘sunny house bias’. Any given property will look nicer on a sunny day than when it’s overcast. Your brain is actually that stupid.
14. Nice places go fast. A decent place at a student price won’t stay on the market very long and chances are you won’t be the first gang of students looking around that day. When it comes to the crunch, be prepared to put in an offer that day, even if everyone hasn’t seen it. A nice house won’t wait for all six of you to come back from Corfu.
15. An offer involves haggling. Undershoot the price and ask for some extras – any mould should be sorted out and you should all have double beds. Estate agents will normally help you with this.
16. As a student, you will need a guarantor to cover you. They normally have to be a UK taxpayer earning over a certain amount. If your parents are living off-shore in the Cayman Islands, have a back-up plan. All they really have to do is sign a form as I remember.
17. You will have to pay a deposit. This can be more than a month’s rent. So don’t spend your Connaught deposit at Moony’s. You’ll need it.
18. Once the offer has been accepted, a contract will be drawn up. READ THE CONTRACT. Get your parents to read the contract. They’re smarter than you and they’ve done this before. Then sign it I guess.
19. Congratulations! You now have a house/flat/barn. Now you just need to sort out bills and the internet, stock the fridge, do a washing up rota and buy a whole bunch of Carly Rae Jepsen posters for the lounge.
20. IKEA.
21. Finally – and most importantly – relax. You will find somewhere to live. You will not be homeless come September. Everything will work out in the end. And if it doesn’t?
22. GET YOUR PARENTS TO DO IT ALL FOR YOU.

The Connaught Hall Resident's Handbook (http://handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk) also gives this advice for those whose re-admission applications were unsuccessful:

Unsuccessful applicants may consider joining the intercollegiate halls of residence waiting list in September. Details will be published on the University of London website in August: www.halls.london.ac.uk. The waiting list is always very over-subscribed, so we advise students to have a back-up plan for accommodation.

If you need help finding somewhere to live, contact University of London Housing Services or visit their website at http://housing.london.ac.uk. 

The London Student Housing Guide is another useful source of information about private sector accommodation: http://studenthousing.london.ac.uk.

FAQ: Worried about fee dates / deadlines / can't pay on time

When do I have to pay? What if I can't pay my fees on time?

Hall fees are due in termly instalments in the first two weeks of October, January, and April.

The online fee payment site (https://epay.london.ac.uk) will allow you to pay in one lump sum or in termly or monthly instalments.

If you anticipate any problems paying on time, please contact the accommodation finance office: either visit them at Student Central on Malet Street, or email ahd.finance@london.ac.uk.

If you tell us about your difficulties before the deadline and agree a payment plan with us, we can nearly always reach an agreement that you will be happy with. It is much more difficult if you leave it until after the deadline or if you ignore reminder notices from us!

If you prefer to pay in person rather than online, you must go to the office at Student Central. The office at Connaught Hall cannot receive payments.

Room rates for 2015-2016 are published here: http://www.halls.london.ac.uk/Fees2015