Self-catering Student Residences, Houses and Apartments

Your Self-Catering Accommodation in Bristol

Some students like to be independent and cook for themselves instead of living with a homestay family. As a result, self-catering student accommodation is very popular at ELC Bristol.

In self-catering accommodation, you will be living with other international students from the school in student houses, smaller apartments or our larger student residences. All of our self-catering accommodation in Bristol is within 20 minutes' walk of the school. For details about living in self-catering accommodation at ELC Bristol, please click here.

The accommodation below is available for our students throughout the year. Each house is different and has different facilities and a different atmosphere.

Some of the ELC Bristol self-catering student houses are quite large and are very sociable, communal environments.

There are some properties that have private showers or complete en-suite bathrooms in every room. Some residences have TVs in every bedroom, others have TVs in the communal areas. All of our houses have Wi-Fi Internet access and washing machines.

Please note that in self-catering accommodation students are responsible for cleaning their own rooms and the common areas, including the kitchen and bathrooms. This may not suit some students so, before deciding where you want to live, we suggest you definitely read all the rules for living in self-catering accommodation and you consider all the pros and cons found on this page.

Self-catering accommodation is really popular at ELC Bristol, so please book as early as possible and always check with us first to be sure that you get the type of accommodation you prefer before it is full.

ELC Student Residences

Available all year
Pros & Cons of Living in Self-catering Accommodation

Pros

  • The larger residences have lots of students living there, so they are a sociable place to live.
  • You have the independence and freedom to decide what you want to eat, and can choose your own mealtimes.
  • Students can come and go when they want, and don't have to worry about letting a host family know that they are going to be late.
  • You will be living with people from lots of different countries.
  • The larger residences have student representatives (House Reps) living in the house to help you if there are any problems.
  • Your rent includes wifi internet access.
  • The rent also includes heating and electricity.

Cons

  • You will be living with lots of other students, so there will be lots of rules to follow. You will have to deal with rules about noise, smoking, washing-up, cleaning, etc.
  • Please note that you and the other students will have to do the cleaning. This includes your bedroom (and ensuite bathroom if you have one) and the communal areas - kitchen, living room, bathrooms and corridors. There is a cleaning timetable for each house, which the house rep. or warden will explain to you. At St John’s House there is also a timetable for when you can wash your clothes in the laundry room.
  • You will have to share a kitchen and bathrooms with other students, who might not be as clean and tidy as you would like them to be.
  • The residence is not a social area of the school – so, if you have a visitor, they have to leave by 22:00 (10pm). We do not allow any visitors under 18.
  • You cannot decide when or for how long the heating is turned on.
    * Normally, the heating switches on automatically for a few hours in the morning, and most of the evening in winter. It is never on all night, and the on and off times are changed when the temperature/seasons change.
    * At Granby Hill you can switch your room heater on and off when you want but the heating is limited to 2 hours maximum each time you turn it on.

St. John's House

22 St. John’s Road, BS8 2EZ
  • Only about 7 minutes from school on foot - our nearest self-catering residence to school
  • 28 single study bedrooms – some doubles available on request (bedding provided, but not towels)
  • 5 fully equipped kitchens with fridge freezers, microwaves, pots, pans etc.
  • Laundry room
  • 2 showers & 2 toilets for every 5 students
  • Living room and conservatory areas with sofas, pool table, table football table, flat screen TVs and DVD Player, Netflix
  • Large back courtyard garden
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Live-in Residence Managers (onsite)

Close to Whiteladies Road and Clifton Triangle, where there are lots of restaurants, shops, bars and supermarkets.

See location
Simone - Residence Manager

Camilla and Sundar are the Residence Managers at St. John's House and live in the house. Camilla and Sundar have both been university students in the UK and have lived in student residences, so they understand student life and student accommodation and both know Bristol very well. They manage the house together and are there to look after you and make sure you are all happy and comfortable in the residence. They also take care of check-ins, check-outs and maintenance and are available to help you with anything you may need.

Simone - Residence Manager

Wellington Park

10 Wellington Park, BS8 2UT
  • 10 minutes from school on foot
  • 7 fully furnished single study bedrooms (bedding provided, but not towels)
  • Shower, washbasin and flat screen TV in every bedroom. Two shared toilets in the house
  • Communal kitchen with dining table and chairs
  • Small back yard with chairs
  • Free Wi-Fi

Close to Whiteladies Road, where there are lots of restaurants, shops, bars and supermarkets. Also close to the Downs, Bristol's extensive parkland.

See location

St Paul’s Road

30 St Paul's Road, BS8 1LR

  • 12 minutes from school on foot
  • 7 fully furnished single study bedrooms (bedding provided, but not towels)
  • Every bedroom is fully en suite, with a toilet, shower and washbasin.
  • Communal kitchen with dining table and chairs
  • Small conservatory seating area and back yard with chairs
  • Free Wi-Fi

Close to Whiteladies Road and to Clifton Village, where there are lots of restaurants, shops, bars, cafés and supermarkets.

See location

Living in Self-catering Accommodation - What to Expect

ELC Bristol offers self-catering accommodation in student houses with individual study bedrooms and shared facilities.

Self-catering accommodation varies:

  • Cooking facilities: You will share these facilities with the other students in your residence.
  • The entrance: The accommodation may be an independent property with your own entrance, or this could be a shared entrance with other non-students.
  • The bathroom facilities: You may have to share a toilet, shower and bathroom facilities with other students in your residence, or you may be able to have your own en-suite in your own room.
  • Your room: This could be situated on any floor of the student residence.

Our largest student residence is St. John’s House. This has 28 student study-bedrooms, two onsite Residence Managers and sometimes also 1 student House Rep. Our other residences are all different sizes.

In July and August we also use a large university residence. This has single study en-suite bedrooms and is close to the centre of Bristol but still only a 25-minute walk from school. For more information about this, please see our Over-18 Summer Residence.

More details about your accommodation

In all types of self-catering accommodation at ELC Bristol you can expect the following unless we give you different information in the letter we send you:

Bedding and cooking utensils

We usually provide these unless we tell you that we don't in a specific house. You should bring your own toiletries and towels.

Utilities

The rent includes electricity, gas and water but not a telephone line. All houses have free internet.

Cleaning & Recycling

We expect you to keep the accommodation clean and tidy yourself and cleaning materials are provided. There may be a cleaning rota to follow.

Laundry

All of our self-catering properties have washing machines for you to use. You will have to provide your own laundry products.

Television

If there is a television, we will confirm this in the letter we send you.

Visitors / Guests

Make sure you understand the house rules/guidelines regarding visitors and guests. Don’t assume that you can have your friends can stay.

Deposit

You will be asked to pay a refundable deposit of £30 in cash to the residence warden when you check in to your room. We return this to you when you leave, as long as there are no problems.

Check-in and check-out

You should check-in on a Sunday and check-out on a Saturday.

Holidays

With self-catering arrangements, if you go away on holiday, you are not entitled to a refund. However, during the winter holiday when the school is closed (2 weeks in December), if you want to keep your room and you go away for at least 7 nights (weekend to weekend), you will only pay 50% of the self-catering rate.

Cancelling / Leaving

If you want to cancel or leave your accommodation, you must give the school 2 full weeks’ notice, except during the first 4 weeks’ of your stay when one week’s notice is sufficient.

Need help with accommodation? Get in touch.

Get in touch