UniversityRooms

Set up in 2007 by Charlie Ramsay, an alumnus of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, UniversityRooms offers accomodation in several Oxbridge Colleges and other university halls of residence during vacation time when - thankfully - none of the students are there.

WHO'S INVOLVED

It all started a couple of years with Keble College, Oxford. It has since expanded to include five other Oxford colleges and four colleges at Cambridge. The universities of Newcastle, Leicester and Nottingham have also joined. No doubt other institutions will soon get involved as this provides them with an excellent source of revenue.

HOW IT WORKS

Log on to the website and you'll find a map of Britain with the relevant destinations picked out. Click on your choice and you'll be directed to a page full of information. You'll find a brief introduction to the university, a history of the town, ideas as to what to see and do and feedback from other users of the service. Scroll over the calendar to check for availablility of rooms.

THE PRICE

At Oxford rooms start from as little as £30 for a single with shared bathroom. You can find en-suite singles for £65, en-suite twins for £88 and a family room for three for £130. The advanced search option is designed for people who are flexible on dates. Meanwhile, if you have a particular college in mind, you're best to search by clicking on ‘colleges' on the city the homepage, then the college in question, before scrolling all the way down to the bottom of the page. This took a little working out and could be clearer, but we got there in the end.