Frequently asked questions

Your booking
How do I pay?
How do I cancel or change my booking?
I am an LSE alum, LSE student or LSE staff, am I entitled to a discount?

The accommodation
Are bed linen and towels provided? How often are the apartments/rooms cleaned?
Can I smoke in the apartments/rooms?
Is there a phone in the room?
Is there air conditioning?
What is in the ensuite bathrooms?

The properties
What time is check in and check out?
Is there 24 hour access?
Is there car parking on-site?
The rooms are on the top floor- do you have lifts?!

General
Is breakfast included?
Why do you have availability all year?
If I'm staying in student halls during term time, won't it be noisy?
Why are TopFloor! rooms more expensive then your normal rates?
Do you recommend any other accommodation providers for when you have no availability?

	Your booking
	How do I pay?
	Balance payments should be made direct with the residence either prior to or on arrival. We accept travellers cheques, Visa, Visa Debit, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Solo, Switch, Maestro and UK Maestro. Cheque payment can also be arranged. WE CANNOT ACCEPT CASH, AMERICAN EXPRESS, JCB OR DINERS. If you are arriving at the weekend or late at night you may be contacted shortly before the start of your booking for advance check in and to arrange payment.

	How do I cancel or change my booking?
	Our exact cancellation and modification policy depends on how you made your booking. The full terms and conditions will be explained at the point of booking and full details will be available on your confirmation. However, in most circumstances you will be required to pay a deposit on booking and this will be lost if you cancel your booking. Modifications will be made subject to availability but may subject to an administration fee. Late cancellations and no-shows may incur an additional fee. For more details please contact the vacations office on +44(0)20 7955 7575 or by e-mail on vacations@lse.ac.uk. Wherever possible please have your booking reference to hand.

I am an LSE alum, LSE student or LSE staff, am I entitled to a discount?

Yes, LSE staff, current LSE students and LSE alumni are entitled to a 10% discount on our standard, short stay, rates. To obtain this discount you must book directly with your chosen residence - see our contacts page for more details. Special rates, and additional locations, are available for staff, visiting academics and visiting fellows seeking medium to long term accommodation - please visit the residences staff accommodation pages for more details or to make an online enquiry.

	The accommodation
	Are bed linen and towels provided? How often are the apartments/rooms cleaned?
	Bed linen and towels are provided for and changed regularly. The accommodation is cleaned regularly.

	Can I smoke in the apartments/rooms?
	No. LSE has a no smoking policy throughout all its buildings.

	Is there a phone in the room?
	All accommodation has a telephone. At Bankside and Northumberland House these operate on a pre-paid card system. Guests can buy the relevant phone cards from the reception desk. At The Anchorage, calls will be charged after departure.

	Is there air conditioning?
	Unfortunately our properties do not have air-conditioning. Due to health and safety legislation, window restrictors are in place in some buildings to limit the extent to which a window will open.

	What is in the en-suite bathrooms?
	All of the en-suite bathrooms contain at least a toilet, hand basin, shower, mirror and towel rail (soap and towels are provided).  Please note that due to the listed status of the building the bathrooms at Northumberland are limited in size.

	The properties
	What time is check in and check out?
	At Northumberland House, Passfield and The Anchorage you can check in from 2pm and check out by 10am on the day of your departure. At Bankside these times are 3pm and 10:30am. If you will be arriving prior to check in time we can store your bags until your apartment/room is ready for check in.  Similarly we can store bags on departure.

	Is there 24 hour access?
	Yes. At Northumberland House the access card will open the main door.  At Bankside House you will be given a registration card that identifies you as a guest.  The security or reception personnel will give you access to the hall. At The Anchorage and Passfield Hall, the apartments have individual access for which you will be given a key.

	Is there car parking on-site?
	Parking facilities are available at Bankside House on a first come, first served basis at a cost of £5 per day.  Our other sites do not have any parking available. Please note that all of our TopFloor! sites are within the Congestion Charging Zone.  For full details of the Congestion Charging scheme see their website at www.cclondon.com.

	The rooms are on the top floor- do you have lifts?!
	At Bankside House, High Holborn Hall and Northumberland House the accommodation is located on the top floors and has full step free access via lift. The apartments at The Anchorage and Passfield Hall are only accessible by stairs but are on the first, second and third floors.

	General
	Is breakfast included?
	Breakfast is not included in the rate at any of our TopFloor! sites as they all have access to excellent self-catering facilities. Bankside House has a restaurant on site that is open most of the year serving breakfast and dinner. Passfield has a restaurant serving dinner during term time and breakfast during vacations - click here for term dates. Northumberland House and The Anchorage have no catering on site. Reception staff can direct you to restaurants or supermarkets in the area.

	Why do you have availability all year?
	The apartments, studio apartments and rooms available as part of TopFloor! have been made available in response to customer demand. In responding to customer demand in this way we hope to further contribute towards our aim of keeping student rents affordable in London.

	If I'm staying in student halls during term time, won't it be noisy?
	By and large our students are very well behaved.  Silence hours are in operation in all of our halls to prevent disturbance and security personnel and and on call staff help to make sure these rules are followed. Please note that the Anchorage flats are located adjacent to the Students' Union building where late-night events are held. Guests should consider the possibility of some inconvenience from noise.

	Why are TopFloor! rooms more expensive then your normal rates?
	In vacation periods we open whole halls for stays by people visiting London (see www.lsevacations.co.uk). The rooms we sell in these periods are our standard student rooms. Our TopFloor! apartments and rooms have superior facilities to our standard rooms and are therefore priced a little higher.

	Do you recommend any other accommodation providers for when you have no availability?
	First, bear in mind that if none of our TopFloor! apartments/rooms are available we may have standard rooms available through LSE Vacations. We do not recommend any other accommodation providers but we do have a links page containing links to other providers you may wish to book with.  We cannot take responsibility for external sites or other providers' services.