Pin Hill, Runcie House

“The inspection team should be more mindful of how dirty the place is, and they should require a cleaner standard for the accommodation.”

“If I had to pick anything to improve, it would be the bed. It dips in the middle, so when you wake up, you end up feeling sore if you managed to fall asleep while it’s like that. I’d also say the kitchen extractor is pretty useless in that space since there isn’t a window. Cooking there can be miserable too. It gets really hot and airless, and if you don’t cover your hair properly, you end up smelling like whatever you made for the next couple of days.”

“1. The mattress needs to be swapped out. Ever since I arrived, I have struggled to sleep. I keep rolling and turning all night because the mattress sags in the middle. 2. The kitchen extractor fan really should be fixed. I already reported it, and I was honestly shocked that nothing happened. It barely has any suction, so the kitchen feels airless and gets really hot. Since there are no windows in the kitchen, the place should really install a stronger extractor so you can breathe properly while cooking. 3. The bathroom extractor is basically the same situation. The fan and suction need to be checked. My flatmate and I end up leaving the bathroom door open to get some ventilation, but that is awkward and unnecessary if the extractor is actually working. 4. There are no storage bags or coat hooks in the rooms, and there is also no mirror. How does a place not include a wall mirror in 2026? That bothered me for months until my boyfriend bought one for me. It is really disappointing to pay rent and still get such basic, subpar services. 5. I do not understand what the “dwarf” spinning chair is supposed to do. It is uncomfortable, and it just feels unrealistic for a postgraduate student. I cannot sit in it for even an hour without getting back aches. Overall, it feels completely inefficient.”

“I gave this answer in a pretty neutral way. The main thing to understand is that the place is set up as a block of rooms, and there really isn’t a shared common area within it. The other accommodations I’ve been in, or even just visited, usually have something like a lounge area or a bigger communal space where you can just hang out, or do random stuff, and meet people. Here, you only really run into other residents if you happen to catch them outside while they’re having a drink or socializing with friends they already know, or with flatmates. You might also see someone when you’re going to wash your clothes. But those still aren’t communal interaction spaces. To actually create proper shared areas would mean a full renovation of the building, which makes it a really tough fix. That said, I think the best solution would be some kind of communal space, or a nearby sponsored area where people can meet up and chat. It would also be great if it worked as a study spot too, since not everyone likes studying in their own room.”

“I wouldn’t really pin this on the accommodation organizers themselves, but it does feel like a lot of the time the moment you move in, the stuff they provide is either broken or just really worn out. Like, in my place there’s this small loose floorboard under one of the cabinets. It wasn’t even secured properly, and when you lift it you just find a load of dust and God knows what underneath. It’s not exactly pleasant to look at. The bathrooms are another issue. They can be a bit grimy when you first arrive. Usually I find they’re reasonably clean on the surface, but it feels like the areas at the back are not properly cleaned or disinfected, like they haven’t been bleached properly or something. And then there’s the Hoover. Henry, bless him, is what we all use to vacuum the accommodation, but sometimes he’s either not working properly or he’s chipped up. They could honestly just swap it for something newer. Mine has this kind of very worn look, even though he’s still somehow cheerful. That kind of problem matters more because of the carpets. I know carpets like that are pretty standard in the UK, but they trap dust and all sorts of stuff really easily. Still, overall the accommodation looks really nice. I might be a bit biased because I’ve been in both a small room and a larger one, but last year I had an experience where something happened in my room that I’m not going to get into. It was pretty gross, so I ended up getting moved into a smaller room for that year. The furniture and boards are nice. The room setup makes it easy to personalize things, so it never feels like you’re stuck in some bland, identical space. And nobody’s got a boring setup, that’s for sure. The internet also works well. So really, it’s mostly the free move-in checks and a few facilities. In my first year room, for example, the cooker hobs had those great extractor hoods above the oven, but they were all greasy. When I tried to clean them, they just fell off straight away. So yeah, some of the tools and appliances are definitely showing their age, but that’s basically the main downside. The site itself is still really good, and the view is lovely even though it’s right next to the train station. It’s easy to get to everything around Canterbury too, and overall it’s a very nice place.”

“I think it would be really helpful to have a shared lounge or TV area on each floor, or even for two or three units to split one between them. That kind of setup would encourage better day to day interactions, build a stronger sense of community, and give residents a comfortable place to relax and chat without needing to head out.”