Accommodation

Oldham Hall

De Brye

Bertram

Warburton Hall

New Building

Albion Yard

The room allocation process differs for first-year undergraduates compared to other years. Please see below for further information and refer to the Offer Holders' Page to find relevant information for Freshers. 

• The Admissions Office will send you a link to an accommodation form where we will ask you some accommodation preferences. You should receive this form in the Spring
• Rooms will be allocated after A Level results have been published. According to preferences and subject to availability. We will request your room and key deposit at this time.
• You will receive an occupancy licence for your room in the first few weeks of September 2025
• The deadline for signing your agreement is within one week of receiving the license.  
• 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

Histon Road

Castle Street

Chesterton Road

Hinsley Lane

ACCOMMODATION STATUS UPDATE 2 SEPTEMBER 2025

Lucy Cavendish has had an unprecedentedly high demand for accommodation from our Postgrad offer-holders for 2025 entry and our accommodation is now completely full.

Confirmed Postgrad offer-holders who do not yet have accommodation in Cambridge should begin their search for alternative accommodation in Cambridge.  Postgrad offer-holders whose place is yet to be confirmed by the University should be aware of the current accommodation status in preparation for their place being confirmed.  In addition to the update here we have also emailed Postgrad offer-holders to make them aware of the current accommodation status.

It is very unlikely that additional accommodation will become available at this stage.  If it does our Accommodation team will revisit the waiting list of Postgrads who have been confirmed and whose Lucy Cavendish financial undertaking has been approved by our Student Finance team, but please do not rely on that to happen.

If you have already sourced accommodation in Cambridge and do not wish to remain on the waiting list please email accommodation@lucy.cam.ac.uk.

We provide some suggestions below of where to source student accommodation in Cambridge.  Please note these are suggestions and not recommendations.

University Accommodation Service www.accommodation.cam.ac.uk

Eddington Cambridge https://eddington-cambridge.co.uk/homes/students

Student Castle https://www.studentcastle.co.uk/

RightMove https://www.rightmove.co.uk/

SpareRoom https://www.spareroom.co.uk/

University Living https://www.universityliving.com/

Castle Street

Madingley Road 

Undergraduate accommodation FAQs

Postgraduate accommodation FAQs

When will I find out about my room? (This is not relevant to first year undergraduates) 

• Your occupancy agreement will detail what room you have been allocated. The deposit must be received and your licence signed before the room allocation is confirmed. The deposit will be returned to you at the end of your final tenancy in College unless any necessary deductions for outstanding rent, damage or extra cleaning charges, are 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 on your tenancy agreement. Check-in is from 2:00 pm on your arrival date, and check-out is by 10:00 am on your departure date.
• 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.
• If you need to attend compulsory pre-course or induction sessions then please ensure you have selected the correct tenancy length (please see above).
• 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 Operations, Estates, 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
   
• For a detailed guide to living and eating at Lucy login to the members' area

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.
• If you are remaining in our accommodation the following year, any extra charges incurred between licence periods will be invoiced separately, so that the £500 deposit (or £1,200 for Histon Road Flats) remains intact. The deposit will be fully refunded at the end of your final occupancy period, provided there are no outstanding charges. Any charges will be deducted from the deposit and will not require separate payment. 

Storage

• Should you require storage space for any of your belongings during the summer period, Lucy Cavendish College has partnered with LOVESPACE® to support. Please use the code "LCC10" to receive your £10 off storage via https://lovespace.co.uk/student-storage/

LOVESPACE® offer the following services: 

• Storage by-the-box 
• Storage units, without leaving home 
• Packing 
• Removals & Shipping 
   

📦 Move In Made Easy

We’ve partnered with UniKitOut to make moving in easier – get your bedding and essentials delivered straight to your uni accommodation, hassle-free. Choose from a wide range of products including eco-friendly duvets made from recycled plastic bottles – cosy, sustainable, and stylish. Plus, enjoy 10% off with our exclusive code for Lucy students: LUCY10.
Please see here for more information.
 

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 Student Finance Office.
   

We offer at variety of tenancy lengths to suit your requirements. 

38 Week Tenancy Agreement 

• Suitable for most undergraduate students as it covers the period from the start of the Michaelmas Term to the end of Easter Term. 
• All freshers will be allocated main campus accommodation covering your first year. 
• 03/10/2025 - 26/06/2026

39 Weeks and 2 Days Tenancy Agreement

• Most suitable for our undergraduate students who will be graduating at the end of that academic year. 
• 03/10/2025 - 05/07/2026

43 Week Tenancy Agreement 

• Perfect tenancy length for our postgraduate students who are on a nine month course. 
• This tenancy length would suit early arriving students and will allow you to attend compulsory pre-course or induction sessions.
• 13/09/2025 - 11/07/2025

51 Week Tenancy Agreement 

• Suitable for Masters and PHD students who need accommodation allocated for at least one full year. 
• For any student who may want to extend their stay in Cambridge after the end of Easter term. 
• For Castle Street accommodation only - 13/09/2025 - 05/09/2026
• All other 51-week (non–Castle Street) licences: 03/10/2025 – 25/09/2026

A £500 room and key deposit will also be required before you can move in to your room or £1200 for the Histon Road 1 & 2 bedroom flats only. This will need to be paid on acceptance of your occupancy licence. Information on how to pay your deposit is available below

How to pay 

• Deposit: Due immediately upon acceptance of an occupancy licence via the College online payment system or by bank transfer.

Of note, your deposit will be held by the Finance department as per the terms of the occupancy licence.

• 1st (first) Payment: Due by date as stated on the College website Finance pages: https://members.lucy.cam.ac.uk/college-finance

• 2nd (second) Payment: Due by 31st December 2025 – all rent charges up to 31st March 2026.

• 3rd (third) Payment: Due by 31st March 2026 – all rent charges up to the end of the occupancy licence.

How to pay

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 Student 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.

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:

• You must notify the Porters' Lodge at Lucy Cavendish or the Castle Street reception—whichever location you are residing at—if you intend to have an overnight visitor.
• 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.
• You must stay with your visitor whilst they are in the building, and you must not lend them your keys.
• Overnight visitors must be over the age of 18.
• We may exclude any visitor where we believe it to be necessary for the health, safety or welfare of others, or to protect our property.
• We may ask your visitor to leave on any reasonable grounds (such as their behaviour or the need for evacuation of the building).

Please Note: Guests - including family members such as parents - are not permitted to be in College accommodation on a regular basis, even if they are not staying overnight. This includes repeated daytime visits or extended time spent in communal or private areas. As outlined in the terms and conditions of your license, all residents are expected to be considerate of other residents living in the property. 

Please remember to sign them in via the online booking form found under the fire safety on the Lucy Cavendish website members page, or alternatively fill in the book in the Porter`s Lodge, this is required under fire safety legislation and must be completed:

Overnight guest registration

Failure to do so maybe reported to the dean of college and may result in disciplinary action.

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 Operations and Estates Director and the Senior Tutor.

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 accommodation@lucy.cam.ac.uk for further information.

Please read the Terms & Conditions

The College recognises that individuals have different and varied needs both in terms of mobility and in social and dietary requirements. These needs are sometimes in conflict with our buildings, some of which were built over 600 years ago. The College provides full access to a number of study bedrooms equipped for use by disabled people. We have portable induction loops available at the Porters Lodge which can be installed in meeting rooms or Hall. We have adapted kitchens to meet special physical or dietary needs. The College would always liaise closely with the Disability Resource Centre to ensure that we are able to meet the individual needs of students with special requirements.

For further accessibility information click here