A packing list for City St George's halls: what the rent covers in each, what the providers' rules ban, and what to sort out once you're in London. The widget builds it for your hall.
City St George's halls are spread across London, from a two-minute walk from the Clerkenwell campus to Stratford and Tooting, and they're run by five different providers. That's why one packing list doesn't fit everyone: what's in the room, what the rent covers and which rules apply all depend on the hall, and everywhere except Horton Halls the contract you sign is with the provider, not the university. Here's what holds everywhere, what changes from hall to hall, and what's better left at home. The widget at the end builds the list for your own hall.
Four halls sit on the doorstep of the Clerkenwell campus: Arbour House, a two-minute walk away; iQ City, about seven; and Cross Court House and Romano Court, about ten each. Alliance House, on Newington Green, is around half an hour by bus. Two halls belong to the University of London and are shared with its other colleges: The Garden Halls at King's Cross and Eleanor Rosa House in Stratford. Horton Halls serves Tooting, twenty minutes' walk from the campus there or a short ride on the G1 bus. Some are for particular students: Arbour House, Cross Court House and Romano Court are for first-year undergraduates, iQ City and Eleanor Rosa House for postgraduates.
A few things hold almost everywhere. The halls are self-catered, so expect to cook; The Garden Halls is the one that also has catered rooms. Every hall has bicycle storage and internet, and every hall but Horton Halls, whose page doesn't say, includes the bills in the rent, so there's little to set up when you arrive. Beyond that, the details split.
The soft things are the ones you supply. At Arbour House, Cross Court House, Romano Court and Alliance House, the hall pages say plainly that bedding, cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery aren't included. The other halls' pages don't say either way, so assume you'll need them unless your offer tells you otherwise.
Check your bed before you buy a duvet. The Unite halls mix singles (90 by 190 cm) and small doubles (120 by 190 cm); you can state a preference, but it isn't guaranteed, and at Romano Court beds are allocated at random. iQ City's rooms have four-foot doubles. At Horton Halls, a standard room has a single bed and a premium room a small double. Sheets that fit the bed you've actually been given matter more than a duvet that fits the bed you hoped for.
"It is important that you register with a GP near where you live. We encourage you to do so as soon as possible, rather than wait until you feel unwell."
— City St George's, University of London
The bedroom list is short. Bedding comes first: duvet, pillows and sheets sized to your bed. After that, hangers, a bag for laundry, and a few things that make the room feel like yours. If you've been offered Arbour House or Cross Court House, add earplugs: both hall pages warn of building works nearby and some noise over the year.
Who sets the rules? Your provider. In the Unite Students halls (Arbour House, Cross Court House and Romano Court), the tenancy terms rule out candles and any other flame-lit device, gas or oil heaters, and pets of any kind. Smoking is banned indoors, e-cigarettes included, and so is hanging clothes out of the windows. Anything electrical you bring has to meet the relevant safety standards. Read your own provider's terms before you pack, and when you move in, check the inventory you're given and note any damage on it, because it's the record of the room's condition.
The kitchen is shared, and how widely depends on the hall: two to five people at Romano Court, three to ten at Cross Court House, ten at Arbour House, and up to fifteen at iQ City. Cross Court House and Romano Court list an oven, a hob, a fridge freezer and a microwave in their kitchens. iQ City adds a kettle and a toaster, so leave yours at home if that's your hall.
One pan for boiling and one for frying, a board and a decent knife, a single place setting (plate, bowl, mug, knife, fork and spoon) and a tea towel will see you through the first days. Once you've met the people you share with, work out the bigger things together; nobody needs five colanders in one kitchen.
Bathrooms are mostly en-suite. The exceptions are Romano Court, where each cluster flat shares its bathroom, The Garden Halls, where showers or whole bathrooms are shared, and Alliance House's handful of two- and three-bedroom flats. In those, a shower caddy and a pair of flip-flops make life easier. Everywhere else, two towels, a bath mat and a couple of weeks of toiletries are plenty.
Laundry works differently by hall. Romano Court and Alliance House have coin-operated machines, so keep change handy; iQ City runs on a laundry card you top up online or through an app. Pack detergent either way.
For tech, your laptop, chargers and headphones. Internet is in every rent, though not at the same speed: Alliance House lists 12 Mb/s, Cross Court House and Romano Court 50, iQ City 100. Planning to watch live TV, or catch-up on BBC iPlayer? You'll need a TV licence for that, and only the two University of London halls include one in the rent.
London's rain has a habit of arriving with the new students. Met Office figures from Heathrow put it at about 616 mm a year, and the two wettest months are November and October, the first two you'll spend here. A waterproof jacket with a proper hood earns its place in the suitcase, and so does a small umbrella for your bag.
How you get to lectures depends on the hall. From Arbour House, iQ City, Cross Court House and Romano Court you'll walk. From Alliance House, The Garden Halls and Eleanor Rosa House you'll mostly take the bus or the Tube, and from Horton Halls it's the G1 bus or a twenty-minute walk to the Tooting campus. If you'll be commuting, look at TfL's 18+ Student Oyster photocard: it takes 30% off adult Travelcards and Bus & Tram passes, for a £22 fee, though it doesn't discount pay-as-you-go on its own. Every hall has bike storage if you'd rather cycle.
Keep your paperwork in one folder in your hand luggage: photo ID, your accommodation contract and, for home students, your student finance details. If you're coming from abroad, the folder also needs your passport, your offer letter and CAS, and access to your eVisa. The UK now records immigration status digitally; you view yours in a UKVI account, which also gives you share codes for a landlord or an employer.
Register with a GP near where you'll live as soon as you arrive, not when you first feel ill: the university has no doctor of its own. If you're in one of the Clerkenwell halls, it recommends Clerkenwell Medical Practice at Finsbury Health Centre on Pine Street, close to the main campus. From further out, choose a practice within walking distance of your hall.
Going by the Unite Students terms, and worth checking against your own provider's: candles, incense burners and anything else with a flame. Gas or oil heaters. Pets, from dogs to goldfish. Anything you'd smoke or vape indoors. Electricals that don't meet UK safety standards. A kettle and toaster if you're going to iQ City, which already has both. A TV, unless you're ready to buy a licence (only the two University of London halls include one). And more kitchen kit than one person can use in a week.
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