2.1 mi
from nearest campus
View map
- 24 mins
- 9 mins
- 23 mins
Most helpful review
I have been living at Paul Robeson House for one year, and I must say it has been an exceptional experience. This place has given me the stability and sense of normalcy I needed after the challenges of the pandemic, especially in a big and complex city like London, while navigating the demanding journey of a PhD. Paul Robeson House provided me with a safe and peaceful environment where I could focus, work, and study without any distractions or concerns. The spaces are always clean, and the staff is consistently kind and professional. I wholeheartedly recommend Paul Robeson House to anyone pursuing studies in London—it’s a perfect choice for a comfortable stay!
Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
Central London Hall Rankings
*Minimum 10 reviews required to be ranked.
Most helpful review
I have been living at Paul Robeson House for one year, and I must say it has been an exceptional experience. This place has given me the stability and sense of normalcy I needed after the challenges of the pandemic, especially in a big and complex city like London, while navigating the demanding journey of a PhD. Paul Robeson House provided me with a safe and peaceful environment where I could focus, work, and study without any distractions or concerns. The spaces are always clean, and the staff is consistently kind and professional. I wholeheartedly recommend Paul Robeson House to anyone pursuing studies in London—it’s a perfect choice for a comfortable stay!
Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
Paul Robeson House Information
| Telephone | 0300 123 5050 |
| Postcode | WC1X 9EH |
| Top tip | Paul Robeson House is located in central London just a few minutes from Kings Cross-St. Pancras station. Visit website for more details |
Room Types
Single Rooms - Standard Ensuite
Rooms - Couples Double Occ Ensuite
Amenities
This property offers all-inclusive bills, common room, games machines, table sports, TV, DVD, vending machines, free broadband, on-site laundry, bike storage, free contents insurance, garden area, on-site security & CCTV. Discover more!
Popular
- Common Room
Features
- Common Room
- Communal Kitchen
Internet Access
- Broadband
- WiFi
Laundry
- Coin-operated Communal Laundry
People/Staff
- Courtesy Officer (24-hour Patrol)
Recreational Facilities
- Outdoor Area
Services
- Contents Insurance
Special Policies
- No Smoking
Transport
- Bike Storage
Travel Times
Paul Robeson House is located in zone 1 within walking distance of King's Cross-St. Pancras International, museums, galleries, shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars, a shopping mall & local transport links.
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
Bloomsbury Campus24 mins9 mins23 mins2.1 mi
Paul Robeson House Biography
At Paul Robeson House you’ll be in an ideal location as SOAS University is a twenty-minute walk from the accommodation. You’ll enjoy Central London living with everything you need right on your doorstep with easy transport links to the rest of London.
There are great communal spaces to be enjoyed including a garden area and a common room equipped with games machines, table sports, a TV, DVD and vending machines. Residents have access to on-site laundry facilities and secure bike storage. You can benefit from having all-inclusive bills, free broadband, free contents insurance 24/7 security staff and CCTV.
There are single en-suite rooms and double en-suite rooms plus a one-bedroom flat for student couples. Flats have 5, 6 or 7 people sharing a fully-fitted kitchen and dining space.
Reserve a room now!
All the Answers You Need About Student Accommodation
What tenancy length do I need?
Some students choose to stay during the academic year, whilst others – particularly international students – require a tenancy that covers the entire year. You can also find student accommodation that is available for one or two terms, classified as a “short stay” on our search filters.
Should I stay in catered student accommodation?
This is totally up to you! Catered accommodation means you will be served meals at set times in a dining hall, and you’ll likely have access to fewer kitchen facilities than if you were to stay in self-catered accommodation.
What is a guarantor and do I need one?
A guarantor is a person who signs a contract to agree to pay your rent if you are unable to. Most university accommodation requires a guarantor, and this applies to both domestic and international students.
Will I need to pay a deposit on student accommodation?
Most likely, yes, you’ll need to pay a deposit. This will be refunded at the end of your stay as long as there is no damage to the room or property.
What bills will my rent include?
If you are staying in university-run accommodation or private halls, your rent should include any utilities such as electricity, gas, water, and internet. Students are not required to pay council tax, however you may need to fill in an exemption form so make sure you check with your local council.
What is purpose-built student accommodation?
Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) are residential buildings designed for students. They are often located close to campus, boast modern facilities, include all bills, and often have staff on site to assist residents.
Will my student accommodation be furnished?
Student accommodation is typically fully furnished. Your room should include at least a bed, clothes storage, desk and chair. You’ll likely need to bring things such as bedding and kitchen utensils, but we have a full list here of everything you’ll need.
Read Paul Robeson House Reviews
I have been living at Paul Robeson House for one year, and I must say it has been an exceptional experience. This place has given me the stability and sense of normalcy I needed after the challenges of the pandemic, especially in a big and complex city like London, while navigating the demanding journey of a PhD. Paul Robeson House provided me with a safe and peaceful environment where I could focus, work, and study without any distractions or concerns. The spaces are always clean, and the staff is consistently kind and professional. I wholeheartedly recommend Paul Robeson House to anyone pursuing studies in London—it’s a perfect choice for a comfortable stay!
Hello, I Am Pleased To Hear You Have Enjoyed Your Time With Sanctuary Student - Paul Robeson I Am Happy To Hear That Myself and My Colleagues Were Helpful and Kind To You During Your Tenancy and Paul Robeson Being a Great Property To Live I Hope You Will Contunue To Enjoy Your Tenancy With Us And If You Have Any More Feedback Please Do Let Us Know At Dinwiddy Thanks! Best wishes Haider Vacation Assistant - Sanctuary Students
Paul Robeson House is a decent place for students on a tight budget in central London. It's within walking distance to King's Cross station and the British Library. However, the facilities are a bit dated and the walls are quite thin. Having good flatmates can make the experience a lot better.
The location and the commute distance from the university is brilliant. However, the administrative services are extremely slow with it taking about a week to answer an email. However, it is value for money and is comfortable.
Hi, We are really happy that you enjoyed living in such a great location. We do apologise if there was a delay in answering your email as we will always endeavour to respond promptly. Your feedback is valued and helps us to improve our services in the future.
Somehow bearable considering the great location, but except that highly dissapointed. Unclean room, extremely late response to the question, or no answer at all, falling apart facilities can say a lots of things.
We thank you for your fedback as this helps us to improve our services in the future. We do apologise if we were late in responding to some of your questions, we will always do our best to provide our residents with the best service.
Before I arrived, the staff didn’t clean my room, fix my door lock, and check the room for any problems. Once I warned them of these issues, they resolved half and told me that the other half were unresolvable. They seem unwilling to invest in the property. I’ve seen prison cells in Scandinavia that look more liveable than my room.
We are very sorry to hear that you had a less than ideal experience at Paul Robeson. Our customers welfare is our main priority, if there is any issue that you are still facing, please feel free to pop in at reception at Diwiddy House where I or a memeber of the team will be happy to assist you further. Thank you for your feedback which is invaluable to us and encourages us to further better our service. Sharon
Water supply often stops. Management response is slow and bad. The dormitory gives the illusion that you are in a developing country.
I am very sorry, that you think we are slow at responding, however, as soon as we are made aware of an issue, we start working on it. Thames water do not notifiy us when a water main burst and so it is completely out of our hands. However, I was up early on saturday morning checking how long we would remain without water and then orgainising an engineer to prime and start the pumps working, once I had found out we could start using the water again. Kind regtards Joanne AM
This is the worst student accommodation and there is no doubt. If you have money please invest it in other student accommodation. This is bad. The main problem with this accommodation is their management. During my stay, I faced severe issues with water. Without any prior notice, the water connection had been shut down for 01 to 02 days and this occurrence happened almost every month. Non water for drinking/ toilet and cooking. No one can't Imagine the pain. Water issue is a big issue in Paul Robeson.
I am sorry, but this water issues is out of our control, Thames water have had several burst water mains. There was an email sent out to everyone about drinking water at security and you have a 10L water container in your kitchen, in case it happened again, which it has. Kind regards Joanne AM
Worst management . Frequent water crisis. No quick response. The accommodation manager is unhelpful. If you have a problem on the weekend then there is no maintainence to help. Worst experience.
Thank you for your review, I would like to point out that Thames water are working on the water pipes locally and unfortunately, it has lead to burst pipes in the areas. Sanctuary have no pre-knowledge of when or if a burst will happen and can only react when we are told about the issue. Any issues at the weekend should be reported to security, who have access to the on - call duty manager, and a job is logged with our maintainence team. Sanctuary respond as quickly as possible for emergencies. I am sorry that you did not enjoy your time with sanctuary.
Wonderful place to live, absolutely amazing for the price. The location is great. Spacious rooms with regular cleaning staff. Welcoming and safe for all.
Hi, Thank You For Your Comments Best wishes Haider Vacation Assistant - Sanctuary Students
Unpleasant experience: often no water supply, unfriendly staffs, the lift was out of order for a week. Dirty-there was a mouse in the kitchen. Old facilities especially the sink (no warm water) and the shower in the bathroom are just worsen than a public toilet. Annoying fire alarm. Construction and repairing works during term time.
I am sorry to hear you have had an unpleasant experience, Thames water are having issues and the water has gone off, but we try and get the water back on as soon as we can. I am surprised you say the staff are unfriendly as we normall have wonderful comments about staff, I would like you to come and see me, so I can find out more information from you. As you are in a building with hundreds of residents, the fire alarm is set as standard for your protection. The only time sanctuary sets of the alarm is on its weekly test on a Tuesday after (a legal requirement) unless to are sent an email to say we are working on the alarm, the alarm has been set off by another resident and could be a fire, for your own safety you should evacuate. I am sorry that construction works have distrubed you, but some faults have to be repaired straight away. Kind regards Joanne AM
Excellent location and good value for money
Thank you for your comments, we are very happy you are enjoying your stay with us. Joanne AM
For its location, the price is reasonable. I am satisfied with this accommodation.
Thank you for your comment
It is really nice to have an accommodation while studying in London and the location is really good.
We hope you are enjoying your stay with us.
Accommodation is fine if in one of the refurbished rooms but expensive for very basic. The bathrooms all smell really really bad and it takes a long time for any issues to be resolved. There is also a mouse problem.
Thank you for your comments, we are working on the bathroom issues and hope to resolve them. I understand all mice have now been evicted
Overall I'd say 3/5 stars- decent enough and one of the cheapest options, but you get what you pay for. If you're going to use your room as a base and it doesn't need to be perfect then it's fine. It's a good location with shops and campus all within a 15-20 walk and on good bus routes too. Room size is alright, with a large desk and pinboard, but not much storage for clothes. but The bed is very uncomfortable and I had to buy a mattress topper to make it better. The shower is bad and doesn't have a showerhead so it's pretty awful depending on your height - I'm 5'3 and it's at a horrible angle. The kitchen is alright, a good size and having two ovens and hobs is good for multiple people cooking at once, but came with no supplies, not even a kettle. Laundry on-site is good and relatively cheap (around £5 a time) and security is very good, with a secure entrance and bike rack. WiFi is good once you manage to get it set up. I'd say its about what I expected for the price.
Thank you for your comments
The location is great, but the condition of the rooms and plumbing needs to be improved.
I hope you are enjoying the location and getting out and about. Sanctuary are continually improving the blocks each summer, we are listening.
I luckily get to stay in block C which has been recently renovated. IT’S PERFECT. It looks clean, the features are nice, and most importantly it comes with the double bed. For me it totally worth the money I paid, however, might be too mouthwatering for the others in different blocks which have not been renovated yet. I hope all blocks will be renovated soon. The location is really strategic, I can walk to school and to Kings Cross station easily. The cleaning service comes in every Friday and always left the kitchen sparkling clean. There are also cleaners who took out our trash from the kitchen on daily basis which is REALLY GREAT. Overall, I personally have been very satisfied during my stay here and will definitely pick this again.
We are happy you are enjoying your stay with us and yes, we will be continuing our renovation programme this year.
I am having a great experience here at Paul Robeson. The staffs here at reception are very friendly and helpful also. The garden area is beautiful for hanging out with friends. Management of this accommodation is very much efficient.
Thank you for your kind comments
I had a trouble of connecting to Wifi at the first stage, but managed to connect and now using with no problem. When we detected a rat in our kitchen, we informed the accommodation supporter and they replied quickly saying they had arranged the security to set up a trap, but still waiting for their completed news after 2 weeks. It is good to have frequent cleaning service in the common place.
I am glad the wi-fi is working well for you. Our caretakers are working with our pest control company, but if you are still having issues, please let me know, Joanne
I have been absolutely horrified by how dirty this place is. My dorms for undergrad university were not super nice by any means, but they were at least clean when I moved in. This place smells bad, theres mold growing in the shower. There was the last tenants hair and everything still in there. The toilet was molded over and had mineral deposits that took forever to scrub off. No shower head, I've had to tie a wash cloth around the spout so it doesn't spray the ceiling and make the mold problem worse. Sink has temperature knobs that leak, but no plug. The walls were incredibly dirty from whoever lived here before. The chair was gross and stained I had to put a towel down to sit on it. I finally invested in a chair cover. The drawers don't shut all the way. Holes in the walls despite there being a no thumb tack rule. The cork board was stained and gross. It looked nothing like the pictures online. If I would have known I would have stayed somewhere else.
I am sorry to hear that the standard you received was not as how it should be. Please come and see me if you have any issues. Joanne
Well-located in central London where transportations and amenities are very accessible. However, It would be nice if the staff and support team members are also as accessible as its location.
Thank you for your comments, The team look after Paul Robeson and Dinwiddy House and reception is open between 8am and 8pm, please come and see us if you have any questions
It's a very nice place to live. Regularly cleaned, close to Uni and many of London's top attractions.
We are glad you are enjoying living with us.
The location is absolutely fantastic and each room comes with an ensuite. Some blocks require renovation, but overall the experience has been well and cost effective.
We are happy you are enjoying the experience here and sanctuary will be continuing its renovation programme this summer.
Paul Robeson house is practical and comfortable. I've been lucky to have very few problems with my room or wifi. However, bigger problems (like leaks in the ceiling) take long periods of time to be resolved because the maintenance work is assigned to third parties and seems like the administration is also not in control of when repair work is to be scheduled. Community is fine, people get lots of chances to meet and talk, and the WhatsApp group is quite active as well.
Thank you for your comments, I am glad you have not had many issues. We are working on better communication with our contractors and planning visits. Joanne
This cosy place connects people worldwide, especially the kitchen, and is a space for cultural and food exchange that nourishes our lives.
Thank you for your comments
The location is good, but everything else about the accommodation is subpar.
I am sorry you feel everything is subpar, we are working to continually improve the building.
I enjoyed my stay at Paul Roberson House very much. Great affordability, the staff are friendly, and I made lots of friends.
We are very happy you enjoyed your time at Paul Robeson
Conveniently located, reasonable price, but poor management. I live on the 7th floor, and they decided to replace the lift during middle of the term, so I have to walk at least 14 flights of stairs every day, continuously for three months. Their internal communication is poor, as staff have different explanations for the same issue. They also respond very slowly to emails, and many facilities are in poor condition, and there are also occasional lack of hot water.
Unfortunately, sanctuary can not complete all renovations in the summer period and so we have to complete when we can. All I can do is apologise that the communication was not as good as it could be and we are working on that. Joanne
Really awful experience with Sanctuary Students at Paul Robeson House. When I moved in the room was filthy, with an infestation of silverfish in the bathroom. Staff were consistently rude, unhelpful and quick to charge you extra for anything on top of the ridiculous rent. All being said, location is fantastic.
I am sorry you have had such a bad experience, we are trying to improve. Joanne
There were 4 sexual assaults, 2 cases of harrasment, 1 case of break in, in the accomodation, and the property management officials did absolutely nothing about it. Please don't come here. they won't do anything to protect you.
I am sorry that there have been issues, There are new management now and we do care, please come and talk to me if you are having issues. Joanne
The location and price are good. However, the boiler is always out of service, even during winter. Also, the fire alarm tests take place too frequently that they causes nuisance to residents, leaving the false alarms aside. I know that for the sake of safety, there should be regular fire alarm tests, but once per week is too annoying. Have a fire alarm test once a month will be more than enough. Sometimes, notification email on the suspension of service (eg hot water) due to maintenance came too late. If the maintenance is already in schedule, residents should be informed earlier, not after the disruption is made.
Thank you for your comments, It is a legal requirement to test the fire alarm once a week and we do the test on a tuesday between 2-3pm so we distrub as few people as possible. We do have all new boilers now and so no one runs out of hot water, I take your point of the communication and we will be working on it. Joanne
The accommodation was safe, quite well-maintained, and reasonably priced for its central location.
Thank you for your lovely comments. Joanne
Cost may be half-decent in comparison to some others, but isn't exactly a fantastic place. Room was dirty upon move in. Gum stuck on floors, walls looking not great, mouldy toilet and shower area. That was the biggest problem, shower curtains were not long enough to prevent water from getting everywhere and no ventilation from there. Staff are okay. Whoever decided they needed to test the fire alarm at 3 in the morning, twice, should really gain some common sense. And having the lift out for 4 months whilst on floor 6 wasn't exactly delightful. Cleaning staff hardworking and Issac is fantastic -- whatever his pay is needs to be doubled. The laundry is broken half the time. Location is good though and if the cost undercuts competitors it may still be worth it.
Don't bother staying here; this dorm is absolutely disgusting. It might seem like a good price, but it's not, especially with active mold growth, lack of communication and respect from management, and the genuine audacity to ignore or just assume the living conditions are fine. I have had multiple issues with this place and the management team, so much so that I've threatened legal action and got the university involved in order to resolve an issue. Here's a collective list of issues Lack of hot water Foul stench from outdated plumbing Broken heating units Active mold growth Leaking ceilings Dirty/sticky walls inside rooms Lack of kitchen space Allowance for social harassment/theft Lack of communication Poor planning for renovation Delayed and untimely repairs The willingness to kick out residents in order "renovate" rooms and violate their contracts with the university Rooms and Social areas are not properly cleaned or disinfected before arrival -- social areas before and during stay
For the sake of your own mental health, DON'T come here. I stayed in Paul Robeson for a year: the windows can't be opened more than a 5 cm gap, they're full of mould inside and poorly isolated. I had to pour salt inside mine to prevent humidity from completely blocking my view as it was driving me crazy. Management is completely daft to resident requests and repair, when actually done, is incomplete and poor. Half of the facilities are old and rusty and we had no hot water for several days in winter. The price might be good for its location, but really, it's not worth it. Don't come here unless you want to have one of the worst possible experiences ever.