After experiencing my own issues with student accommodation pertaining to maintenance and cleanliness issues, and hearing about other students experiences, I decided to delve deeper to see how big of an issue student living conditions really are across the UK, or if it really is not that bad at all.
As a native of the Northeast of England who is currently studying in Plymouth, one of the most interesting aspects is seeing if the experiences of students in the North of the country compared to those in South. The North-South divide is a prominent talking point within the UK due to varying economic, social, and cultural differences. The most common presupposition is that the South of England is considered to be the wealthier region, however the cost of living is generally higher which includes property and as a result, student accommodation, but do higher prices equate to better living conditions? Or do all students share the same experience regardless of geographical location?
To find this out, I spoke to four former or current students. Two from Southern Universities and two from Northern Universities and asked each one of them questions about their student living experience.
First up was Scott, who recently graduated from Teesside University. The University is in the town of Middlesborough in the North-East of England. Middlesbrough is known for its Steel and Chemical industries and is historically a working-class area. This is what he had to say:
How would you describe your experience living in student accommodation?
“Overall, I would describe my experience in student accommodation as a good one. My accommodation had two shared bathrooms, access to a washing machine and was a clean space. The space was shared by myself and four others who were, for the most part great to live with.”
Did you experience any issues in terms of cleanliness and maintenance? If so, what were they, and how effectively and efficiently were they resolved?
“While staying at my accommodation, I only personally experienced one major issue in which I had to call the maintenance team. The issue involved cracks appearing in a small area of my ceiling, most likely caused by water damage after a large storm had hit the area. The maintenance team arrived to fix the issue within a week but simply plastered over the cracks instead of fixing the issue at the root. This led to the cracks reappearing again and eventually even caused a spot of mold which I then dealt with myself.”
Did you feel like the conditions were a fair reflection of the price you paid? If not, what could have been done better?
“I stayed at the same accommodation for all three years of my time at university. To begin with the price was £80 a week, which I thought was more than fair for two shared bathrooms, a washing machine which did not have to be paid for in the kitchen and a good-sized bedroom with a single bed. However, by the time of my third year the price had gone up to £95 a week, which while still was not awful, I had viewed other accommodation for that price which had access to double beds and eve ensuites in some cases.”
Finally, would you recommend the accommodation you stayed at to others in the future?
“Originally yes, I would have definitely recommended my accommodation to others, however, with constant prices rising (I believe that accommodation may now be at £100 a week) I would now advise searching elsewhere first.”
Next up I spoke to Danielle, a former student of Northumbria University in the city of Newcastle in the North-East of England.
How would you describe your experience living in student accommodation?
“The student accommodation I was staying at I found was a bit too crowded and did not really have enough space. There were seven rooms but only a small kitchen and living area space. We also only had two toilets between us so that would be a problem if we all had lectures at similar times and all wanted to get ready. Same with mealtimes, there was only one oven and two fridges, which isn’t really enough when you have seven people trying to make meals around the same time. Although sometimes it was quite difficult to do daily tasks, socially it was great to have that many people around, for example we would plan nights out and play games together. Overall, it was a positive experience, but I would have preferred more space since we were a larger group of people.”
Did you experience any issues in terms of cleanliness and maintenance? If so, what were they, and how effectively and efficiently were they resolved?
“I did not really experience any issues with maintenance, the accommodation I was at was very good with callouts to fix any problems and they were always around to call if you needed them. We did have a problem with the water temperature of the shower, it went freezing cold after 5-10 minutes, so we told the maintenance, and they managed to get the problem sorted very quickly. For cleanliness, we were quite lucky as we would have cleaners come around once every few weeks and do a deep clean of the kitchen.”
Did you feel like the conditions were a fair reflection of the price you paid? If not, what could have been done better?
“At the time, my accommodation was around £98 a week. This included a good-sized room with a single bed, desk, wardrobe and sink. I do think it was a little bit overpriced considering we only had a very small living space, one shower and two toilets between seven of us. When I have looked at other accommodations you can get rooms with en-suite bathrooms for only slightly more money each week. I think if we had even had another bathroom and more kitchen space/appliances, it would have definitely been worth the price.”
Finally, would you recommend the accommodation you stayed at to others in the future?
“I did like my accommodation however I would advise that people have a look around first to see what they could get better with their money. Although mine was not terrible, I do think paying slightly more for more space or an en-suite would definitely have improved the overall experience.”
Next up was Lewis, a current second year student at Plymouth Marjon University, one of the most southwestern universities in the country.
How would you describe your experience living in student accommodation?
“My experience living in student accommodation has been good, I think the best part of it has been the camaraderie between me and my housemates and trying to integrate myself in the university lifestyle.”
Did you experience any issues in terms of cleanliness and maintenance? If so, what were they, and how effectively and efficiently were they resolved?
“All in all, I think my rooms at university have been fairly clean, I have had a few issues with mold- but this can be resolved with just cleaning as it was not in parts where it affected the property. I so far have not encountered any major problems.”
Did you feel like the conditions were a fair reflection of the price you paid? If not, what could have been done better?
“I can’t speak for others, but I feel that the price we all pay is somewhat fair for what we get, apart from the general mishaps happening like the mold, I think I have adequate living conditions. I pay £130 a week and it comes with an en-suite and a small double bed and other things like a desk. It also has a communal kitchen/living area which has two ovens and two sets of hobs and a dishwasher and other kitchen appliances.”
Finally, would you recommend the accommodation you stayed at to others in the future?
“Yes, I would recommend living in the accommodation, it does the job for me and it’s near enough to the university- so it’s a win win.”
Lastly, I spoke to David, another recent graduate this time from Brighton University, on the South coast of the country.
How would you describe your experience living in student accommodation?
“Living in student accommodation was definitely a positive experience overall. Having my own freedom whilst also meeting and sharing a hole with other people in a similar stage of their life was a great experience. Also, being able to quickly commute to my lectures and seminars was a great boon.”
“It wasn’t without its faults however, sharing a home with others can be challenging at times. Especially when it comes to having mixed gender accommodation. Issues around cleanliness, privacy, equal space, and usage of people’s food and cutlery were sometimes a problem.”
Did you experience any issues in terms of cleanliness and maintenance? If so, what were they, and how effectively and efficiently were they resolved?
“Cleanliness issues could be a problem from time to time. However, this issue was mainly related to roommates and their bad habits when cooking or using the bathroom. Thankfully my accommodation did benefit from having cleaners who would come once a week to wash the floors, countertops, bathroom, and empty the bins in the shared areas of the accommodation.”
“Maintenance also benefitted to having a dedicated team. Over the years I spent in accommodation there were a few issues that occurred such as toilet blockages, lighting issues, heating issues, and a problem with the appliances provided. When these issues arrived, I would simply call the maintenance team, and they would send a professional out to solve the problem. This would usually take a day or two, but the job would always be completed well in my experience.”
Did you feel like the conditions were a fair reflection of the price you paid? If not, what could have been done better?
“I definitely thought that the conditions of my accommodation were great for the price. Living in the second cheapest accommodation whilst still having ample personal space, great internet, cleaners, and appliances such as a washer, dryer and microwave provided with no cost of use amazing. In addition, these were only shared by five individuals.”
“I know that other more expensive, accommodations sometimes have made tenants pay to use washers and dryers and would have these shared between many more people.”
Finally, would you recommend the accommodation you stayed at to others in the future?
“I would definitely recommend my accommodation to others. I would say that the accommodation itself, along with the cleaning and maintenance team were well worth the price and would add that the only real issues I experienced were caused by other tenants. If they are willing to take the risk of living with other people, they have never met them I would recommend them to go to the same accommodation I did over any of the others.”
One of the most interesting observations during this research is realising that a lot of students are content with adequate living conditions despite paying quite large sums of money. Most of the interviewees did not appear overly impressed by their accommodation, but rather accepted what it was despite acknowledging that it could have been better, or that there was better out there. For me this shows that the overall expectation is set quite low for students moving into properties, which could be why they are content with something of a satisfactory standard, as it may have been better than originally anticipated. That said, there is no significant difference between the North and the South in living conditions. The price, as expected, is the biggest difference, but even that is dependent on the type of accommodation a student rents. It is also worth noting that many of the issues mentioned were down to the students living in the accommodation and not the quality of housing, so some issues could have been avoided with better communication between residents.
The results of my interviews gave me the inkling that the current situation with student accommodation may not be as severe as I initially thought across the country. I anticipated a much more negative response to the questions, so I am delighted to see that students are having mostly a positive experience. I take away from this is that no matter where you are in the country, there are good and bad facets when it comes to student housing. Issues with housing are almost inevitable, but it is about how quickly and effectively they are dealt with. In all the interviewees’ cases they were happy with this aspect. It is also abundantly clear that the social aspect is the biggest benefits of living in student accommodation. There are variables that cannot always be controlled such as who you are going to be living with. Having messy housemates does not necessarily mean that the accommodation was inherited filthy, in fact it was surprising to me how in most cases they have cleaners scheduled regular to keep on top of the properties. Pricing is the biggest student housing issue especially in terms of value for money. It was mentioned several times that prices were a bit steep for what they received and with the general cost of living being so high. I think this will be the biggest obstacle for students regarding accommodation in the future.