Stapleton House

“Stepping into the courtyard area”

“There is decent space, but it’s definitely on the expensive side. I don’t feel like it’s good value for money, and the cost of the accommodation has really taken away a lot of my financial freedom. Because of that, I can barely cover transport, and sometimes I struggle to afford food and other essentials. They said the construction would wrap up in January last summer, but it has kept going well into this year and it looks like it will carry on for a few more years. So noise pollution is pretty much constant, and the utilities aren’t reliable either, since we end up without water every few months.”

“I feel like the activities happening at the accommodation could be explained to students in a clearer way.”

“Nothing is really that close to my university, but the room is spacious enough for everything I need.”

“The doors to the rooms slam pretty loudly, and they do not block sound. With both of those things, it can be really distracting for anyone staying inside. I also wish the shower was a bit roomier. I am 5'11" and it is just hard to move around in there. There have been times when hot water was not available, but it does not happen all that often. Still, when it does, it is annoying because it is unexpected. On top of that, there do not seem to be enough washers and dryers for how many rooms are usually filled. The laundry costs a lot as well, though I cannot say for sure if that is just the going rate in the UK.”

“Mail arrangement system: I end up receiving six copies of every spam letter because my studio shows up as six separate flats. It also means you basically depend on someone being at the reception desk to collect parcels or hand over keys to our letter pigeonhole. Most of the time someone is there, but it can be busy and there might be a queue, or reception may be unattended if they are dealing with something else. On top of that, a lot of parcels get left out where anyone could walk by and take them.”