Canterbury Student Manor, canterbury

I felt compelled to respond to the recent 1-star review, as I am also a resident at Student Manor in D Block. Someone clearly is reacting and trying to place blame elsewhere. Firstly, while I agree that price increases are not ideal, it’s important to recognise that rising costs are happening everywhere in line with inflation. Secondly, Student Manor is, in my experience, a secure, safe, and generally calm place to live. If someone is experiencing repeated disturbances, such as people banging on their door, it may be worth reflecting on personal circumstances and choices. Residents should also appreciate that the site has security staff who are willing to step in and deal with difficult situations—often putting themselves at risk due to the actions of others. If anyone is frustrated that no action has been taken by the police, it’s unfair to place that responsibility on the accommodation itself. From what I can tell, there are only around four staff members supporting approximately 400 residents. That’s a significant responsibility, and I think it’s important to keep that in mind. In my experience, the staff have always been friendly, approachable, and helpful, and they deserve a bit more understanding. Regarding the lockout charge (£5), this is actually very reasonable. I’ve previously lived in accommodations where this fee was as high as £80, so it’s worth keeping that in perspective—and remembering your key. Finally, emails were sent out. I personally received one, as did several friends of mine who also live here. Overall, while no place is perfect, I believe some of the criticisms in that review are exaggerated or misplaced. Like all things, ignore reviews and go and look for for yourselves.

Although the rooms, facilities, and overall security appear to be of a good standard, my main concerns relate to the management and staff, particularly their approach to communication and charges. Firstly, rent prices increase each year, making it difficult to rebook the same room at an affordable rate. In addition, I was charged for a lockout without being clearly informed beforehand that a fee would apply. When I questioned this, I was told that prior communication had been sent, which I have no received by either email or verbally as they had stated nor was this stated in the tenancy agreement. It also appears that charges are not applied consistently across all tenants, which raises concerns about fairness. On top of this they only gave me 7 days to make this payment which is a lot of stress to force up on a student.There is also a strong emphasis on immediate payment for such charges, with little consideration for students who may already be managing tight budgets. This approach feels overly focused on revenue rather than student wellbeing. Maintenance has also been a significant issue. My shower has been faulty since before I moved in (September) and my move in was delayed to November due to this, and, as of late March, it still has not been properly fixed. Despite this, I have been repeatedly approached about the resulting leak, including at inappropriate times, whilst I’m in the shower or straight after, which has been uncomfortable and frustrating especially since they try to come in. As a 18 year old girl I find this extremely inappropriate as the maintenance is a male. More seriously, I experienced a situation where I felt unsafe due to a group of up to 15 individuals entering the building with harmful intent. Security was informed of this including the mention that there were weapons present and a group of men (one of them being a tenant of theirs), but did not take appropriate action, stating there was no one present, despite individuals being visibly seen in the stairwell and outside my door banging on it and breaking into the neighbouring rooms on cctv. Police had to be called in order for the situation to be diffused and no action has been taken to this day. This raises serious concerns regarding safety procedures and response which I also do not appreciate as a 18 year old girl. Packages being placed in the wrong spaces as a fault to the office members have resulted in lost packages despite me having the correct address (including my room number). Overall, my experience has been disappointing due to poor communication, inconsistent policies, unresolved maintenance issues, concerns around safety and property. Unfortunately, I would not choose to stay here again and I do not recommend.

This is a really fantastic student accommodation. The facilities are great - gym, cinema room and pantry. The staff are amazing. Diba, Darius and Cameron are always willing to help and are quite friendly. If there is a problem, it's fixed ASAP, and communication with the management team is pretty fast! The management team went above and beyond to ensure we felt welcome and at home. I truly appreciate the events they put together including one during Christmas, which was quite sweet for those of us left at the accommodation😊 A major caveat is the contract stipulates the need to clean your room to the standard you found it. I'm by no means untidy nor dirty, but this is very inconvenient for me as an international student. This cleaning up meant I couldn't shower after the cleaning one last time before my 14 hour flight and pretty long journey before that, which is not convenient at all, especially considering given the heat in the room (it was literally 30°C!), so i had to embark on my journey a very sweaty person. Normally, I would leave my room in a clean state after contract is over but with flexibility for at least one final shower without stress! Another caveat is there's no weekly, or biweekly or monthly cleaner to clean common areas of shared accommodation - ie, kitchen, which means that if you end up with a flatmate or flatmates that always make a mess, you're screwed! Considering, the amount paid in rent, this should be something that's happening. Also considering that Urban Student Village, which has larger rooms and larger kitchen and lounge area has this service weekly despite lower rent. Also, please bear in mind that the rooms/ flats really get hot during the summer. As I was packing, I looked at the thermometer and nearly fainted - it was 30°C, which is very problematic! The accommodation team should definitely consider putting fans in the rooms/ flats to make summer time manageable. The photos attached are after my very thorough cleaning before leaving/ at the end of my contract!

A perfect accommodation for students. They have all the facilities you may need like open and indoor gym, cinema room, games room, meeting area, and large kitchen. The staff are really friendly and helpful. They care so much about the residents and how to always cheer them up with freebies. The place is always so clean and tidy. It’s a 5 min walk from Asda. Also, you have subway, McDonald’s and KFC which are not far. However, it’s far from university of Kent. You have to take a bus or two, or walk for like 45 minutes. My only concern was that the studio was so small and there is no oven inside the studio.

This is one of if not the best student dorms to stay in at your time in university in Canterbury. The gated area is very safe and secure. The modern design is lovely which also finds its way into the rooms. Upon checking in the rooms are deep cleaned and spotless. There are several facilities for tenants to use that are of high quality (gym, cinema, pantry, study room, laundry room, social areas) The staff are lovely and are available 24/7. Highly recommended as a place to stay as it is located in a lovely part of town with a large supermarket and gym just a few minute walk away.