What to bring to UEL halls: the actual list

The village is split into East Halls and West Halls, and every room is en-suite. Most students share a flat and its kitchen: in East Halls, five to seven people in a standard flat or four in a four-bed flat; in West Halls, smaller 10 m² rooms around a shared kitchen. East Halls also has studios, where bedroom, kitchen and dining space are one room, and detached flats on the dockside with their own front door. Your room type changes the list, so check your offer before you buy anything.

A few things don't change from room to room. Rent includes gas, electricity, water, Wi-Fi up to 100 Mbps and 24/7 security, and basic contents insurance from Howden is built in, though it may not cover everything valuable. Every bedroom has a single bed with a mattress and mattress protector, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, shelving, curtains, a bin and under-bed storage.

Studios are the exception. UEL's handbook gives them a combination microwave oven, two hob points and a table with two chairs, and names toasters and kettles only for shared flats. If you're in a studio, check your room's inventory before buying either.

Kitchen space is shared and, in the handbook's words, "limited, especially for fridge and freezer items", so UEL asks you to pack sensibly. The easy way is to message your flatmates before move-in and agree who brings what.

Start with the bed. Halls supply a mattress and a mattress protector, and UEL asks you to keep the protector on, because mattress damage is charged. Everything else is yours: a duvet, pillows, sheets and covers to fit a single bed. Coming from overseas? Check your arrival emails first, because UEL gives a free bedding pack to students arriving for its International Welcome Programme.

On decorating, UEL is precise: use white tac or command strips instead of Blu Tack, which leaves marks you'll pay for, and keep drawing pins for the noticeboard. Nothing goes on ceilings, doors, windows or the kitchen and corridor walls.

The handbook's kitchen list is short: tea towels, cleaning materials, cutlery, crockery, saucepans and food for the first couple of days. Add a frying pan, a board for chopping and one decent knife, and stop there, because the appliances are already in the kitchen.

Every room has its own shower room, so there's no shared bathroom to plan for. You do need bath towels and toiletries: UEL provides your first toilet roll, and after that it's up to you.

Laundry isn't part of the rent. The laundry rooms in East and West Halls are run by Circuit Laundry and are cashless, so download its app when you arrive. In a detached flat, you have an integrated washer-dryer of your own.

For tech, bring your laptop, chargers and headphones; the Wi-Fi is up to 100 Mbps. A TV in your own room needs its own TV licence. If you're coming from abroad, the handbook suggests buying electrical items once you're here, because voltage and plugs differ, or bringing UK adapters, and anything you plug in has to pass PAT testing.

The village sits on the Royal Albert Dock, with London City Airport directly across the water. UEL says you can sometimes hear the planes, which is why every dock-facing room is triple-glazed. Flights run from 6.30am to 10.30pm on weekdays, with shorter hours at weekends, so earplugs are a cheap thing to pack.

Getting around is straightforward. Cyprus DLR station is at the campus entrance, Stratford and Canary Wharf are about 20 minutes away, central London under half an hour, and a free bus to the Stratford campus stops outside the Student Village. Bringing a bike? There are bike stations around campus, but you supply the lock. Leave the car behind: there's no daytime parking on campus except on move-in and move-out days, and for Blue Badge holders.

For food, The Shop in East Building opens every day, a small Co-op is five minutes along the dockside, and Asda is about ten minutes on foot or two stops on the DLR.

Finish the pre-arrival steps before you travel, or your keys can be delayed: pay the £250 refundable deposit and the advance rent payment, accept the accommodation agreement, complete the online e-induction, set up your payment plan and book your arrival slot. Then bring photo ID, because you can't collect your keys without it. International students should keep their passport, visa documents and offer letter together, and everyone should register with a GP early; UEL recommends Royal Docks Medical Practice, under five minutes from campus.