Housing
Application forms for graduate accommodation can be found in the Downloads section.
Rooms, Bands and Ballots
The rent for each room is determined by what rent band it is in, which in turn is determined by a formula that
takes into account factors such as the size/location/facilities of the room, ensuite/not-ensuite, kitchen
facilities etc. The prices for the rent bands are shown below.
Another cost that you need to bear in mind is the College Facilities Charge, which incorporates Kitchen Fixed Charge and then PAT (electrical safety) testing and Data Network Charge (for internet).
Each year a rooms ballot is held to determine which graduates are eligible for rooms. All graduates are able to enter and each one who does is allocated a number of points based on factors such as year of study, years of previous accommodation/lack of previous accommodation, medical needs etc. All entrants are then ranked in point order; those at the top get first choice of room whilst those at the bottom don't get a room.
Graduates in their first or second year of study may also apply for hostel-keeper positions in the undergraduate hostels in the following year.
Graduate Rooms
- Singer Building (28 rooms on site)
- 20 and 22 Lensfield Road (18 rooms on site)
- 25 Parkside (13 rooms, 5mins walk)
- 76 Regent Street (4 rooms)
- 96 Regent Street (1 single occupancy and 2 double occupancy flats)
- Collins Court (65 Devonshire Road) (20 rooms, 15 minutes walk)
- Boathouse (6 rooms, 20 minutes walk)
- 3 Gonville Place (9 rooms)
That's a total of 101 rooms. There are well over 200 people in the MCR and around 80 in the first year alone. There will not be enough rooms in college for everyone in the MCR.
Room Prices (per week)
| Band | Prices 2008/9 |
|---|---|
| A** | £172.00 |
| A* | £140.00 |
| A | £106.00 |
| B | £100.50 |
| C | £94.00 |
| D | £88.50 |
| E | £81.20 |
| F | £74.00 |
| G | £68.00 |
| H | £60.00 |
For the double occupancy flats the second occupant does not need to be a Downing member but bear in mind that if they are not a student then they will have to pay council tax.
Facilities Charges
| Type | Termly Charge |
|---|---|
| Living in College (Singer, Lensfield, Regents, Parkside, Gonville) | £109 |
| Living out in College Accommodation (Boathouse, Devonshire Road) | £82 |
| Living out† | £36 (see below) |
These charges are per term (Michaelmas, Lent and Easter) there is no charge for Long Summer.
† This cost simply covers facilities not inclusive of data network and PAT testing.
For the double occupancy flats the first Downing student will pay the living in rate, if the second occupant is also a Downing student they will pay the living out rate. If the second occupant is not a Downing student they will incur no facilities charge.
Ballot rooms 08/09
This year there are 62 rooms going into the ballot (this does not include the 2 double occupancy flats at 96 Regent Street (A**)- which are drawn separately on the same day).
- 20 Lensfield - 2 rooms (en-suite) 1A/1B
- 22 Lensfield - 2 rooms (en-suite) 1A/1B
- Singer Building - 4 rooms (3 en-suite, 1 shared bathroom) 3A/1B
- 25 Parkside - 2 rooms (shared bathrooms) 1C/1F
- 3 Gonville Place - 5 rooms (4 Hand basin, 1 no basin) 1E/1F/2G/1H
- 76 Regent Street - 2 rooms (shared bathroom) 2D
- 96 Regent Street - 1 room (complete flat) A*
- Collins Court (65 Devonshire Road) - 12 rooms (shared bathrooms) 4D/8E
- Boathouse - 6 rooms (en-suite) 6B
Italics denotes the number of rooms of each band in that property.
Living out?
If you do a PhD at Downing then it is certain that you will, at some stage, have to live out of College accommodation. This section is designed to help you find somewhere to live. A great deal of advice on how to find accommodation, minimum standards of fitness for human habitation, tenancy agreements, inventories, TV licenses, utility bills, eviction and so on is available from the Graduate Union. The student-compiled Guide to Living Out (174k PDF) may also be of use.
Types of Private Accommodation
- Shared House
- A house leased by a group of students collectively. The individuals share a single tenancy agreement and also share the responsibility of looking after the house, the utility bills, cleaning and so on.
- House in Multiple Occupation (HMO's)
- Students living in these houses have individual tenancies and each of their rooms has a lock on it. Tenants usually share the cooking and bathroom facilities.
- Resident Landlords
- The agreement between tenants and resident landlords differ. Some landlords will provide additional services such as meals or laundry and rents may include the utility bill.
Useful Links
- University Accommodation Service, 18 Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EL. Tel: 01223 353518 or 338099. Email.
- The University's accommodation newsgroup, available on the web
- The Graduate Union Forum
- Cambridge Accommodation Noticeboard
- Noticeboards, including those at the Graduate Union, the University Centre and in Colleges and departments.
- Rooms are often advertised in the local newspaper, The Cambridge Evening News
- Estate Agents and Letting Agents can be found in the telephone directory.
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Useful Links
Graduate Union Website
Official College Website
Downing JCR Website
Central University Website
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Please email comments and corrections to the MCR Communications Officer, Rob.