Universities & Areas
WHERE SHOULD YOU LIVE WHILE STUDYING IN LONDON?
Your university is fixed. Your London lifestyle is not.
The right place to live depends on more than how close a property appears on a map. Commute. Neighbourhood. Building. Property style. Space. Amenities. Lifestyle. Budget.
Renov8's university guides are designed to help international students understand the London neighbourhoods that can make sense around their university, and the kind of life they want to build here.
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE STUDYING.
NOW LET'S WORK OUT WHERE YOU SHOULD LIVE.
Choose Your University
START WITH WHERE YOU'LL BE STUDYING
UCL
University College London
Bloomsbury
Explore what it means to live within walking distance of UCL, or consider nearby neighbourhoods such as Fitzrovia, Marylebone and other well-connected parts of central London.
LSE
London School of Economics
Aldwych / Central London
Explore walkable central options and neighbourhoods offering convenient access to LSE while balancing property, lifestyle and budget.
Imperial
Imperial College London
South Kensington
Explore South Kensington and other prime west London neighbourhoods that can combine university access with different styles of London living.
King's
King's College London
Multiple London Campuses
Where you should live depends significantly on the King's campus you will attend. The right property search should begin with the correct campus.
LBS
London Business School
Regent's Park
Explore Marylebone, Regent's Park and other locations offering practical access to London Business School and prime central London living.
SOAS
SOAS University of London
Bloomsbury
Explore Bloomsbury and nearby central London neighbourhoods offering walkability, convenience and different residential environments.
Regent's
Regent's University London
Regent's Park
Explore premium residential neighbourhoods around Regent's Park and the wider central London market.
Westminster
University of Westminster
Multiple Central London Locations
Your best search area depends on the campus you will use most frequently. Renov8 can help build the search around the right location.
UAL
University of the Arts London
Multiple London Colleges
UAL operates across several London locations. Your college and campus should guide the property-search geography.
RCA
Royal College of Art
Multiple London Campuses
Explore London living options around the campus relevant to your course and preferred lifestyle.
CAN'T SEE YOUR UNIVERSITY?
Renov8 is not limited to the universities featured above.
Tell us where you will be studying, when you expect to arrive and what you want from your London home.
We can build your property search around the location that matters to you.
Understanding London
SEE WHERE LONDON'S UNIVERSITIES SIT WITHIN THE CITY
If you are moving to London for the first time, understanding the geography can make everything else easier.
Use the map to see how major universities relate to the central London neighbourhoods international students often consider when choosing a home.
Approximate geographic orientation only. Distances shown do not represent journey times.
Selected university
University College London
Bloomsbury, WC1
Consider living on the doorstep, or widen the search into nearby central London neighbourhoods for a different balance of property and lifestyle.
Or choose from the list
Location Strategy
THE CLOSEST HOME ISN'T ALWAYS THE RIGHT HOME.
Living five minutes from university can be extremely convenient.
But depending on your priorities, travelling another ten or fifteen minutes may open up a very different range of properties and neighbourhoods.
Renov8 helps you compare those trade-offs rather than simply drawing a circle around campus.
- a different building style
- more space
- concierge facilities
- a quieter street
- more restaurants and cafés
- better access to parks
- a different social environment
- a more residential neighbourhood
WALK TO CAMPUS
For students who place maximum value on everyday convenience.
SHORT COMMUTE
For students willing to travel slightly further in return for greater neighbourhood or property choice.
LIFESTYLE FIRST
For students whose preferred part of London matters as much as proximity to campus.
PROPERTY FIRST
For students prioritising the building, size, specification or amenities of the home itself.
THE RIGHT SEARCH RADIUS IS PERSONAL.
Build Your London Life
WHAT DOES YOUR IDEAL LONDON LIFE LOOK LIKE?
These are exactly the kinds of questions we consider when building your Renov8 property-search brief.
How We Assess Location
WE LOOK BEYOND THE POSTCODE.
Two properties can appear equally convenient on a map and offer completely different living experiences.
When considering an area, Renov8 looks at the wider picture.
01
JOURNEY TO UNIVERSITY
How practical is the real door-to-door journey?
02
PROPERTY CHOICE
What type of homes and buildings does the area typically offer?
03
NEIGHBOURHOOD CHARACTER
Does the location feel lively, residential, polished, creative, quiet or intensely central?
04
EVERYDAY CONVENIENCE
Transport, supermarkets, cafés, useful amenities and the practicalities of living there.
05
LIFESTYLE
Restaurants, shopping, parks, nightlife and the places you may actually spend time.
06
PROPERTY BUDGET
How does widening or narrowing the location change what your rental budget may achieve?
YOUR PRIORITIES
Because there is no universal “best area”. There is only the area that best suits the person who will live there.
Knowing The Difference
TEN MINUTES CAN CHANGE THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE.
London is not one uniform city centre.
It is a collection of neighbourhoods and micro-markets.
A student at UCL might choose to live in Bloomsbury for immediate campus access. Another may prefer Fitzrovia. Another may prefer the more residential character of Marylebone.
Another may prioritise a particular type of building or a different London lifestyle and accept a slightly longer journey.
None is automatically right or wrong. The question is: which one works for you?
SAME UNIVERSITY.
DIFFERENT LONDON.
Our University Guides
MORE THAN A PIN ON A MAP
WHERE YOUR UNIVERSITY ACTUALLY IS
Understand the campus location relevant to your search.
AREAS TO CONSIDER
Explore neighbourhoods that can make practical sense around the university.
WALKING VS COMMUTING
Understand what may change when you widen the search beyond immediate walking distance.
WHAT EACH AREA FEELS LIKE
Because two equally convenient locations can provide very different London experiences.
PROPERTY PROFILE
Understand the types of homes and buildings you are likely to encounter in different areas.
WHO EACH AREA MAY SUIT
For example: maximum convenience, prime London lifestyle, quiet residential living, modern apartment living or greater property choice.
Start Exploring
UNIVERSITY + AREA COMBINATIONS TO EXPLORE
UCL
→ Bloomsbury
For immediate proximity to the main UCL area.
UCL
→ Fitzrovia
For a highly central lifestyle with convenient university access.
UCL
→ Marylebone
For students attracted to a more residential prime-central environment.
Imperial
→ South Kensington
For living close to Imperial's main South Kensington campus.
Imperial
→ Chelsea
For a different prime west London residential lifestyle within practical reach.
London Business School
→ Marylebone
A natural area to explore around Regent's Park and the Business School.
LSE
→ Covent Garden / Holborn
For very central living within practical reach of LSE.
SOAS
→ Bloomsbury / Fitzrovia
Central options close to the university area.
Choosing Together
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MAY BE LOOKING FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
You may care most about
- lifestyle
- journey to university
- neighbourhood
- property style
Your family may also be thinking about
- the building
- practical transport
- property management
- the immediate area
- the wider move
Renov8 can help bring those considerations together into one property-search brief.
The student remains at the centre of the decision. Family members can remain involved where the student wants them to be.
No London Postcode Required
DON'T KNOW WHICH AREA TO CHOOSE?
THAT'S PART OF THE SERVICE.
You do not need to arrive at Renov8 already knowing whether you should live in Bloomsbury, Chelsea, Marylebone or anywhere else.
- where you are studying
- when you are moving
- your property requirements
- your rental budget
- how you want to travel
- what matters to your lifestyle
We can help narrow the geography from there.
YOU DON'T NEED TO CHOOSE THE AREA BEFORE YOU SPEAK TO US.
Once You Know Where
WE CAN TAKE THE SEARCH FROM THERE.
Choosing the right neighbourhood is only the beginning.
Renov8 can then help turn the location strategy into an actual London home.
PROPERTY SEARCH & SOURCING
We search the market around your agreed brief and preferred locations.
LIVE & RECORDED VIEWINGS
Remain overseas while Renov8 walks through suitable properties with you.
OFFER STRATEGY & NEGOTIATION
When you identify the home you want, Renov8 can negotiate authorised proposed terms from your side of the transaction.
REMOTE APPLICATION & TENANCY SUPPORT
Depending on your package, Renov8 can remain involved through the stages that follow.
Local Knowledge
THIS IS WHY HAVING SOMEONE IN LONDON MATTERS.
You can see the distance between a property and university on a map.
What is harder to see from overseas is what living there may actually feel like. That is where local experience matters.
Renov8's team brings decades of combined London residential property experience, including substantial experience within prime and super-prime London.
We understand that a home cannot be judged by postcode alone.
The building.
The street.
The neighbourhood.
The journey.
The property itself.
And the individual client.
All of those things matter.
Your London
YOUR UNIVERSITY MAY BE THE REASON YOU'RE COMING TO LONDON.
WHERE YOU LIVE WILL SHAPE HOW LONDON FEELS.
Your home determines the street you walk onto every morning.
The journey you make to university.
The neighbourhood you return to at night.
The cafés, parks and places that gradually become familiar.
The London you experience every day begins with where you choose to live.
CHOOSE THE UNIVERSITY.
UNDERSTAND THE AREAS.
FIND THE HOME.
Questions
CHOOSING WHERE TO LIVE, ANSWERED
Start With Your University
TELL US WHERE YOU'RE STUDYING.
WE'LL HELP YOU WORK OUT WHERE TO LIVE.
Your London property search does not need to begin with a postcode.
Tell us your university, arrival date, budget, property requirements and the kind of London experience you want.
We can help build the search from there.