Staying in Manchester Student Village

I'd just like to warn everyone about my experience staying at Manchester Student Village earlier this year. Be very careful if you decide to stay there.

They have taken my £200 deposit and demanded a further £18 threatening court action if I don't pay it !

I arrived at Manchester Student Village in March, well after my designated time on the day, as I thought this would ensure my room was ready. However, I arrived only to find that when I was shown my room it was still in a bad state from the last person who had been staying there.

There was a old duvet still in the room thrown on the floor, the room was not hoovered and there was a dent in the wall. Michelle Fiske showed me the room and as it was the only room left, (despite being informed previously that I would have a choice), I had little option but to take it.

As the room was not prepared, I had to go out and wander around Manchester for a couple of hours to allow them time to get it ready.

When I did eventually move in later that day, all that had changed was that the room had been hoovered and the duvet removed.

I mentioned on my 'welcome form', the state of the room upon moving in, and asked that if another room became available I would like to be moved. They never responded to me.

In addition to this, the kitchen was in a horrendous state, not even fit for use, the cooker was so bad I actually took photos and texted them to my friends in disbelief. Some were surprised I didn't just leave there and then. Without exaggerating it looked like there was 10 years of rust on the hotplates. I also stated this complaint on the form provided but nothing was done.

And now the punch line, last week I was advised that they were keeping my £200 deposit and also demanding an additional £18 for 'damaged items'. They have listed a damaged desk chair, repainting of the room and extra cleaning amongst other things.

Basically I left the room in the same condition I found it. I have written back to complain about this and they have not even bothered to respond. Now they have sent me a letter saying if I don't pay in 7 days they will take me to court for the £18.
They have not even bothered to reply to my letter querying all the above.

I would strongly advise anyone staying there to take lots of photos of every item in the room and to go into great detail on the 'welcome form' of even the slightest mark on anything. I made the mistake of just putting down just a few things and thinking I would seem a pain if I put down all the things that were wrong.

As it's the start of term this problem may not arise, as everyone's probably moving into newly decorated rooms, courtesy of fools like me !

Clearly no redecorating or refurbishing was done before I moved in, because the room wasn't even cleaned when I arrived and certainly nothing in there was brand new because they only had a couple of hours to get it ready. I even had to request the main light to be replaced within the first few days and bought a new shower curtain myself as the one in their was filthy.

At the moment it appears to me that they are completely refurbishing and redecorating the room at my expense for the new term. It looks as though the last person in the room, before the end of term, bears all the cost for the previous years occupants.

I would be very interested to know if the person in the room before me was charged anything. I hope not, seeing as no one had even looked in the room when I arrived let alone done any work on it, and no work other than a quick clean was done before I moved in.

I am awaiting their response to my letter but won't hold my breath judging by their behaviour so far.

Reply 1

Kworld

Wall of text!
Just tell them "Take me to court" what have you got to lose if what you are saying is true?

Reply 2

roddy100

go to court if you have pictures of room before you arrived you might get your deposit back on a counter claim

Reply 3

xoxAngel_Kxox

My uni did this as well. Tried to charge me for things that I wrote on the form at the beginning of the year. What a pain!
I won my case though, haha.