John Lester and Eddie Colman Courts, salford

Staying here for Airbnb. Nice place, recepcionist was amazing. Good structure and clean.

As a newcomer, obviously, I did not have a UK bank account at the time of arrival. I tried to pay online with 5 different cards but their wesite was down (their problem not mine). However, instead of contacting them many times beforehand, they did not let me in unless I was willing to pay 3200pounds (138Pounds per week for 24Weeks) in full. I was exhausted, I was robbed in the Manchester airport, and one of my luggages were broken and I had to carry 35KG by hand to the accommodation. Although the manager and receptions could vividly see my situation, the only kindness they did was offering me a room without key for the night(after many negotiations). Finally, their agreement is from Jan 5 until June 22 which is not 6 months in full. Now, after 1.5 month, I have to say I'm quite dissatisfied with my choice. The walls between the rooms are made of sth like wood. They are thin and you can hear your flatmates. My room is number D and I can hear the people in the kitchen as well. The atmosphere is good and it has a game/billiards/TV room with free tea and coffe. It has a So-Called Gym too. Their maintenance team is also good and address your issues. Update: Although the university promotes these accommodations and even has a dedicated section for them, they don’t do anything when issues arise. Once you move in, you’re pretty much stuck. The only good thing about this accommodation is Lee, one of the maintenance staff—he’s absolutely great. It's been almost 5 months that I am here and I have not seen support in any aspect. They do not care about anything when they take their money. That's all. Note: This comment is written based on attention to both drawbacks and advantages of the accommodation. Hope it helps you decide better.

I stayed here for 2 years and apart from the staff who are lovely I have not enjoyed my time here. The lift has been broken since feb/march time with no idea when it will be fixed (the lift REGULARLY breaks). My heating hasn’t worked since I moved in and has been reported 6 times, which I was told that it had completely broken and will be replaced (that was over a year ago and still hasn’t been fixed). I went through 2 winters with no heating as my replacement one had broken too. Considering rent has gone up this year the quality of living has gone down astronomically. There are much nicer student accommodations in Salford you should pick if you’re coming to study at UoS.

I stayed at John Lester and Eddie Colman Courts and my experience was deeply affected by how my mental health support needs were handled during my time there. I moved in with an established safety and support arrangement in place through my university and mental health services. This was clearly communicated and was a crucial part of how I was able to cope and stay well while living independently. After changes in management, the way my support arrangements were treated changed significantly. What had previously been understood and accepted was later restricted in ways that were inconsistent and poorly communicated. At times, it felt like decisions were being made without properly considering the real-life impact on my mental health and safety. The effect of this was not minor. It had a serious and direct negative impact on my wellbeing. Losing reliable access to the support I depended on made an already difficult situation significantly worse, and left me feeling overlooked at times when support mattered most. In my experience, there was a clear failure to take into account how important consistent support is for students with mental health conditions. The approach taken felt rigid and disconnected from the reality of managing mental health in a student setting. I would strongly warn parents and especially ones of young people with mental health conditions or additional support needs to think very carefully before choosing this accommodation. It is important to ask detailed questions about how support plans are treated in practice, because my experience shows that they may not always be upheld in a consistent or reliable way. While many students may have a very different experience, mine was extremely distressing and had a lasting impact on my wellbeing. If you are in a position similar to mine, I really would suggest looking for alternative accommodation as after living here for 2 years, I really have been let down.

I’ve lived here long enough to say that this place falls well below the standard of acceptable accommodation and management seems completely indifferent to residents’ concerns. Safety is my biggest issue. There is no security at all and when dangerous incidents have occurred, only one receptionist works at night and is expected to manage two entire buildings alone which isn’t fair on the staff member nor safe for residents. To make matters worse, people have been throwing urine and plates out of windows on and off for months, with objects nearly hitting people on different occasions. This is a serious hazard that has gone unaddressed except for a simple warning letter sent to all students to “stop”. The fire alarm goes off multiple times a week, to the point where it’s impossible to take seriously which is itself a danger. The lift has been broken for around three months and despite everyone asking, nobody has been given any information about when it will be fixed, which is concerning for accessibility. The communal bathrooms are horrible. Residents don’t clean up after themselves, and the weekly “clean” from the cleaning staff amounts to wiping down a couple of surfaces and leaving. There is also a silverfish infestation across multiple flats. When you raise concerns with reception, emails are most the time ignored. You have to chase repeatedly just to get a basic response, let alone any action. The social side of living here isn’t great either. Events are rare, and when they do happen, you’re either offered a cup of tomato soup and a slice of bread, or a “pub quiz” that’s really just separate friendship groups drinking together in the common room. Not exactly welcoming if you’re trying to meet new people. The overall mix of residents and the atmosphere in the building means the flats don’t feel comfortable or safe. I don’t feel at home here it’s simply somewhere to sleep. I would strongly advise anyone considering this accommodation to look elsewhere.