unite accomodation

Snow_Angel

Hi - I used to work on behalf of Unite as a 'student warden' in their halls of residence - I have to say that, yes, as a large company, they basically try to do everything on a shoestring. They advertise as having broadband internet in every room.....what they don't tell you is that it's 1GB for over 250 rooms!!! The ones I worked in, they also had dryers for laundry - and they wouldn't set the temperatures in them higher so that you had to put more money in to dry your clothes. They had 5 power cuts in the space of a fortnight - some lasting longer than 5 hours, and hence the student's food in fridges and freezers had to be thrown away - compensation of £20 each only offered to those that bothered to ask and then £20 certainly didn't cover the amount of food some students had. Also, nothing done about the root of the electricity problem. temperatures in rooms in the summer >30 degrees and not willing to do anything about the problem.

I could go on.....incidentally, this isn't a begrudged employee trying to get their own back - as a student warden I actually didn't get paid, but I just got free rent. However, you couldn't pay me to live there again!

If you'd like any more info - please feel free to post again with questions.

musostudent

I have just finished staying in a Unite property in manchester, and it was the worst mistake I could possibly have made. They were in breach of their contract on at least 5 separate occasions, including having CCTV cameras which simply don't work and which they won't fix, and having a water cut for 4 days and only providing us with a 2 litre bottle of water each to wash, cook and drink with! When I moved into my flat the kitchen hadn't been cleaned- the freezer was so iced up we couldn't open the drawers and there was somebody else's old food in there. When we complained they came and cleaned one drawer of the freezer.

They also managed to screw up our rent and other payments- they were all set up by direct debit as requested, but the company didn't remove the money from our accounts. Then they waited three weeks to tell us this and charged us a £40 administration fee for late payment! I also had authorised them to take money from my account for internet payment, which they informed me 7 months later hadn't been taken out and there were going to charge me for that as well! The staff were usually unavailable (even in the 4 hours they were supposed to be) and were rude and unhelpful when we did get hold of them. Things were constantly breaking in our flat, and although we've not yet had our deposits returned for the year I am fully expecting to have a fight with them in order to get the amount I should do back, as our flat was in a much better condition when we left than when we arrived.

Under no circumstances would I consider staying with another Unite property, they mess you around, and no longer even have a customer service line to speak to! This is of course the case in Manchester, and I could not speak for other properties in other parts of the country. But my friend stayed in one in London and experienced similar problems.

number8_2

1. The Rent is to expensive.
2. The Laundry rooms are a rip off and have to dry your clothes about 4 times.
3. Internet is £5 a week for a shared connection!!! Slow as hell.
4. The staff are unfriendly and will charge you for any little accident.
5. All breakages in the communal areas split between all residents.
6. The rooms are unbeleivably poorly ventilated and unbearably hot in summer.
7. Beds are crap.
8. Have to pay for a whole £12 months for cheaper rate or higher rate for £10month contract.
9. 6 Parking spaces for over a 1000 students, parkin permit was extortionate so forced to park on street about a mile away. Over zealous clampers who clamp parents as they drop off their kids.


Was just a really bad year for me last year and the accomodation was horrible ruined my second year at uni and every other student agreed with me. They have very low return student percentages. PLEASE STAY CLEAR OF UNITE PROPERTIES!

I stayed at Mercury Point in Southampton by the way.

pondie1

thanks a lot for all replies,its full up now so she cant stay there anyway,she has just applied to cosmopoliton,probably just as bad and expensive,but apart from private house for first year,its only option

number8_2

Private houses are really good. But for first year I think it is important to be in with other Freshers. It is a lot cheaper in houses though.

Most of my first year was spent in the Public Houses.

pondie1

anyone know anyone in cosmopolitan students residences,she has now got moor lane halls at preston,as not much else left to choose from