Accommodation
Where you will live
One of the major attractions of Lucy Cavendish College is the provision of accommodation for all undergraduates who need it at the start of the academic year.
Each study/bedroom is furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, shelves, wardrobe and chest of drawers. Each kitchen has a cooker, fridge/freezer, sink, cupboard, kettle, microwave and toaster as standard.
We aim to accommodate all new undergraduates on the main College site, subject to availability.
Detailed information about each building can be found clicking the buttons below.
The College aims to accommodate all graduates who seek single accommodation for the first three academic years (October - September) of their course, subject to availability. Graduates are allowed to live in College accommodation for a maximum of 9 terms over the course of no more than three academic years. Graduates are accommodated in a variety of houses situated within walking and cycling distance of College, most of which are within 1 mile of the main College campus.
Detailed information about each building can be found clicking the buttons below.
Undergraduates
Accommodation is available for nine months only October-June.
Clinical medical students and students on the Cambridge Graduate Medical Course
Accommodation for clinical medical students and students on the Cambridge Graduate Medical course is for the full calendar year, in accordance with the requirements of the course, if required (though not necessarily in the room you occupied during term).
Graduate Students - including LLM, PGCE, Clinical Veterinary Students
Please read the following carefully in order to ascertain which arrangements apply to your course:
Graduate students on one year courses
All graduate students on one year courses will be given an accommodation licence in line with the specific length of their course. Licences can be 9, 10, 11 or 12 months in duration. Your course is finished at the point when you have handed in your last piece of work, e.g. an MPhil dissertation, or when you have sat your last exam, or if you have sat any compulsory viva.
Please ensure that you check the end date on your occupancy licence to make sure that it is correct for your course dates, before signing and returning.
Graduate Students on all other full-time courses
The College gives priority in accommodation matters to all incoming first-year students new to Cambridge, including first year PhD students and those on one-year courses, especially to those who are coming from overseas. From the second year, accommodation is offered according to availability. The College is able to offer graduate students a maximum of three academic years (October - September) in College accommodation. Graduate students who expect to be studying for more than three years will need to find accommodation outside College for at least one year, and may wish to arrange this during a year other than their last.
Part-time Students
Part-time students are not required by the University to reside within the ‘precincts of the University’ and the College cannot routinely offer students in this position accommodation. However, every effort will be made to help part-time students who seek temporary short-term accommodation. Those who wish to stay in College for short periods of time during vacations should check availability with the Domestic Bursary as early as possible.
All part-time students are encouraged to participate as much as possible in College life, and to make use of the College facilities, which can be accessed at any time with their University ID card.
Accommodation steps:
- The Admissions Office will send you a link to an accommodation form where we will ask you some accommodation preferences. You will receive this by the end of March. The deadline for completing the form will be the end of May.
- You will receive confirmation from the Domestic Bursary that your accommodation form is being processed by mid-June.
- Rooms will be provisionally allocated in the 3rd and 4th week of August, after A’Level results have been published. We will request your room and key deposit at this time.
- You will receive an occupancy licence for your room by the end of August. The deadline to return this will be 1 week after you receive it.
Important:
- Please pay your deposit and accept your licence by the deadline.
- Regularly check both your personal and Cambridge University emails for important information from College
- Please pay your rent in accordance with the deadline set by the Bursary.
When will I find out about my room?
We aim to notify you of the building you have been allocated by the last week of August. You may not find out the specific room you have been allocated until later on as some adjustments to allocations are often required. If you have returned your accommodation offer form by our deadline a room will be reserved for you. The deposit must be received and your licence returned before the room allocation is confirmed.
The deposit will be returned to you at the end of your final tenancy in College less any necessary deductions for outstanding rent, damage or extra cleaning charges, as applicable.
The College reserves the right to make changes in the allocation of rooms if circumstances dictate. For example, a student that has been allocated an accessible room who does not have accessibility requirements may need to change rooms should a student with specific needs require their specially modified room. The College reserves the right to terminate the occupancy at any time in cases of behaviour prejudicial to the welfare of the community.
Moving in
You will be given a date to move in so please look out for this in the information sent to you from the Admissions and Tutorial Offices.
If you need to arrive in Cambridge earlier than the date you have been given by us, you may need to seek alternative accommodation until your moving in date. Please bear this in mind when booking travel.
The College cannot offer you early check-in unless you must attend a compulsory pre-course or induction – exceptions may be considered in extreme circumstances but early room availability cannot be guaranteed. Students who must attend a compulsory pre-course or induction can move in one day before the course begins.
All rooms are offered on a continuous rental basis and there is no requirement for you to move out of your room over the Christmas and Easter holiday periods. There will be no rental refunds issued for any time spent away from your room for any reason, within your occupancy period.
The Domestic Bursary, Housekeeping and Maintenance teams are here to help you while you are living in College accommodation.Your guide to living at Lucy can be found here.
Moving Out
Please make sure that your room is left clean, tidy and all rubbish and belongings are removed. Keys must be returned to the Porters’ Lodge by 10am on the day of departure. Once all room inspections have been carried out the deposit will be returned to you minus any necessary deductions, this process can take up to 4 weeks from the room inspection. If you are planning to stay in College accommodation the following academic year, we will keep your deposit until the end of your final occupancy period.
Room Ballot
Returning students may choose a room by Ballot at the end of the Lent Term/start of Easter Term. A guide to how the Room Ballot works can be found below.
Room Ballot Guide
A £500 room and key deposit will also be required before you can move in to your room or £950 for a flat. Information on how to pay your deposit will be sent to you once your room is confirmed. Deposits are paid back at the end of your final tenancy within 4 weeks of the room inspection taking place after your final departure. Please note that the room & key deposit will only be returned after the return of all keys issued and payment of all licence fees, damages and other charges reasonably levied by the College.
Information on how to pay your rent will be included with each rental invoice.
Rental is invoiced on a quarterly basis and rent payment dates for 2021/2022 will be:
1st Payment for Michaelmas quarter (up to 31st December) due by: As advised in correspondence from the Finance Office
2nd Payment for Lent quarter (1st January to 31st March) due by: 31st December 2021
3rd Payment for Easter quarter (1st April up to 30th June) due by: 31st March 2022
4th Payment for Summer quarter (1st July up to 30th September – if relevant) due by: 30th June 2022
Please note, all rental will be charged by the night and not by the month. The approximate price per month is a guide only.
Rent Band Table 2021/2022
Accommodation may not be granted to returning students who are in debt to the College. Failure to pay rent may result in the tenant being asked to vacate their room on being given a fortnight’s notice. When the debt is cleared, the tenant may re-apply for a room but no guarantee is given that a room will be available.
Council Tax
Living in College or with other students
Full-time students living in College, or in accommodation with other students, are exempt from Council Tax. The Tutorial Office will provide you with a letter from the College, which you should use to prove you are exempt.
Living out of College with non-students
Where students share accommodation with non-students, students are not liable for Council Tax but their non-student housemates are. There are strict rules about being liable for Council Tax. If you are in any doubt, or receive a bill, you should check the position with your local Council Tax Office without delay.
Towards the end of each term, we contact you and ask you to let us know the date on which you intend to vacate your College accommodation and the date on which you will return for the start of the new term. We will ask you to complete an online form.
We require this information for Health & Safety and security reasons. We may also use this information to help us plan necessary maintenance.
If you are leaving your room, please remember to turn your lights off and your heating down and please keep us informed of any subsequent changes.
The attention of students in College accommodation is drawn to the rules and regulations within the Occupancy Licence. The Occupancy Licence sets out what the College as landlord and the student as tenant can reasonably expect of each other. By accepting an offer of accommodation, you agree to be bound by the rules in the Occupancy Licence.
Current year dates of occupancy (2021/2022)
Whole academic year: 01/10/2021 - 24/06/2022
No College rooms will be available for occupation before 01/10/2021 or after 24/06/2022 unless specially arranged and only if your course officially starts early. Proof of this will be required.
Conditions of occupancy during the vacations
Undergraduates and Graduates on 9 month courses
Undergraduates and graduates on 9 month courses keep their rooms over the Christmas and Easter vacations but must vacate and clear their rooms by 10am on 24/06/2022.
Undergraduates graduating at the end of the Easter Term
Undergraduates graduating at the end of the Easter Term may request accommodation until 10am on the day after General Admission or request a room just for this night. Every effort will be made to accommodate them but not necessarily in the room occupied during the academic year. They should return the appropriate form to the Domestic Bursary as requested. Rent will be payable at the normal rate for each additional night in accommodation.
Graduates
Graduates keep their rooms over the Christmas and Easter vacations. The length of your occupancy licence will be determined by your course length and will end on one of the following dates:
24/06/2022
24/07/2022
28/08/2022
25/09/2022
During the Long Vacation, graduates requiring an accommodation extension may need to move to rooms off-site but the College will not be able to confirm their location until "Going Down" forms have been returned at the beginning of June. Please note that if students move into a house over the weekend, and the previous occupants are still in residence, or have just left, cleaning of the communal areas will not take place until the following week; this should not present a problem if the previous occupants have cleaned kitchens and bathrooms to the required standard. Any general end-of-term maintenance will take place as soon as possible, although it may not all have been completed by the time students move in.
Please note that once you have accepted the occupancy licence for your room, you are bound by its terms and are legally obliged to pay the rent from the start date to the end date of the licence as stipulated on the front page. There are no early release clauses in this licence so please ensure that you are happy with the terms before you accept.
Dates of occupancy for next year (2022/2023)
30/09/2022-23/06/2023 (standard undergraduate licence dates)
Graduates only: The length of your occupancy licence will be determined by your course length and accommodation type and will end on one of the following dates:
30/09/2023
23/07/2023
27/08/2023
24/09/2023
If you have chosen not to live in College accommodation, you will be responsible for finding your own accommodation in Cambridge, and useful information can be found on the University of Cambridge Accommodation Service website:
As a student living out of College you are encouraged to use the Paul Paget Room (Common Room), Oldham Hall as a place to socialise. The Nautilus Café is is situated in the conservatory area as well as food and drink vending machines. You are also encouraged to use the dining hall for lunch and supper as often as you choose.
You will be given priority in respect of Library lockers and should speak to Library staff about this. You are also welcome to use the washing facilities in Bertram House and Oldham Hall and the gym.
Wherever you choose to live, you must keep your Tutor, the Tutorial Office, and the Porters’ Lodge informed of your current address and update your CamSIS Self Service page. Your tutor must know at all times where you can be located.
Please note that currently, due to COVID-19, guests are not permitted in College.
Residents are permitted to have one guest to stay in their room for a limited period when they are themselves in residence. Please see guest rules below:
- Guests are not permitted to stay on a regular basis.
- Guests should not stay for more than three nights at a time.
- Guests should not stay on more than four separate occasions in any 3 month period.
- College members must be in residence with their guest.
Exceptionally, if a resident wishes a guest to stay longer, up to five nights in total, application for permission must be made in advance through the Domestic Bursar to the Senior Tutor.
The Student Union has four guest beds available for rent. The charge is £4 per bed per night or £10 for three nights, payable in advance. If you are late returning your bed, you will be charged for any additional nights. Beds are available on a first come, first served basis and cannot be booked in advance. Further details on guest bed rental can be found in the Porters Lodge.
The College has a guest room available to rent out during term-time. Please note that we require a full 7 days' notice from the start of your booking (UK time) if you need to cancel. The full charge will be made for any bookings not cancelled within this time.
Please contact the Domestic Bursary for further information.
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