Caledonia mills stoke on trent?

Hi, I'm looking at caledonia mills for September when I start my second year. Has anyone got any reviews of the place and what the people are like? I'm not really a big party person and prefer staying in so I don't want to end up with a load of first years who are getting drunk every night as I will have to focus on my work next year as it will count towards my final degree?

Reply 1

missy_86

Original post by janet3

Hi, I'm also looking at caledonia mill, I'm going into third year of my social work degree, so I'd like a quieter place to live. My impression is that they will try to put you with like mined people if you specify. I'm going for the 3 bed flat.

Staffordshire University

Stoke-on-Trent

Visit website

Reply 2

urban_sleep

Original post by janet3

The accommodation is really good for mature students. We have nothing but good things from the students who have stayed with us. If you need any help plase contact me on 01517087000 or my email is [email protected]

Reply 3

B2C

Original post by urban_sleep

Prepare for a life of solitude and silence, final year students, this is the best place for you!

I myself and a fair few of us 20+ who stayed there for the first year found it more like a prison than a student accomodation.

if you move in prepare for this:

- Site managers to walk in whenever it suits as not answering the door is not a big enough hint that your still sleeping etc

- Constant noise complaints from residence. (why? because Mr beer is only concerned with money and profit hence why the whole plan of Mills is wrong and heavily opposed by near residence, literally within 200m of the accomodation, so any excuse to complain)

- The inability to actively socialise with your fellow residence as almost 90% of the time, people get excited have a laugh but no, insulation is so bad you cant even have a hearty laugh without complaints and warnings, so a party is well out of the question.

- You cannot smoke within the premises (cos its wood structure, so fair do's) BUT not even in the courtyard, they are unwilling to supply cigarette bins. so if your a frequent smoker you will at most have to walk down 4 floors and the length of the building and stand outside the premises in the freezing cold for 1 ciagrette so you better smoke the whole packet or you'll spend half your day running up and down stairs.

- should your card stop working and your flatmates are out be prepared to wait upto 2 hours for assistance and then a charge for the callout regardless of fault.

- always ask for recipts of deposits/payments or you'll find them claiming the payment again. I was lucky to do just this and ask for a written reciept.

- maintenance is poor and untimely, a fair few of us left the end of the year with rooms still not complete.

The one thing about caledonia regardless of walking in and out of your room when suits is Rosemary, she is lovely, friendly and helpful but her reach within the company is very limited but she does her best bless her.

Ratings out of 10 stars.

Style and living conditions : ********
Freedom and social availabilty: **
Reliabilty of staff: **
Typical Student environment: *

Overall satisfaction: ****

(it should be 3.75 stars out of 10 but rosemarys support for the students rounds it off to a 4)

This is based on our time there.So far this year I have heard a few complaints from other students i know.

Although there is what i feel is a vast infringement on the student lifestyle in Caledonia you also need to be careful when selecting private accomodation, don't take risks. If your a definate bookworm and not a party animal caledonia is for you!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 4

urban_sleep

We're sorry to hear about bad experiences that some tenants have had with us. However, we're happy to say that after a bumpy first year in Caledonia Mill we resolved out our problems and enjoyed a much quieter and smoother second year. Furthermore, we are working hard towards providing the best possible service to our customers and improving the student life experience. We are very approachable and always strive to find the best resolution for any customer issues. We welcome all feedback and you can contact us at [email protected] with any questions.

We provide high quality furnished accommodation that is secure and modern.

A lot of our tenants have rebooked for the 2nd time this year. That means some of them will spend the 3 years of their studies living in Urban Sleep and they are happy with their choice of accommodation.

We believe that any student can be respectful and mature - it doesn't matter which year they are in. Our accommodation is not a place for loud parties and noisy gatherings and we try to keep the noise outside the flats to a minimum. Most students, especially those who have part time jobs, intense courses or are members of sports teams, appreciate this and enjoy having the choice to relax and study in peace and quiet away from the busy and hectic student life. They can also approach management or security to help resolve issues with their neighbours or report unacceptable behaviour.

There is a no smoking policy within the property including the communal balconies and walkways, but there is a smoking area outside the accommodation. Students who smoke can request to be placed in the ground or first floor flats.

Rosemarie who is one of our best House Managers is still in Caledonia Mill and doing a great job taking care of our tenants! However, to make sure that we have time to resolve everyone's problems this year we will have 2 student wardens who will be able to help students with things like lock outs as well as welfare issues.

This September we're introducing a brand new online Tenancy Management System which will allow us to communicate with students better and also to inform everyone about routine room inspections and maintenance visits so that there wouldn't be any misunderstandings or unexpected visits.

We are now also working with local professionals to resolve maintenance issues more quickly and efficiently.

Finally, we have addressed customer feedback regarding internet and have improved WiFi coverage throughout the building. There will also be an internet help desk in the accommodation for 2 days mid-September to make sure everyone is happy with their connection.

We are also getting involved with student unions of both universities to find out more ways to improve the student life experience of our tenants.

Caledonia Mill is truly one of the best student accommodations for both Staffordhire Uni and Keele Uni students who are serious about their studies and want to enjoy a healthy and balanced lifestyle as independent young adults.

Reply 5

craigsemper

i have a room to rent 5 minutes from the university. if anyone is interested please contact me on 07710231735

Reply 6

DanB1991

Its very expensive, if your get the minimum student loan your looking at roughly £100 spare a year.

Reply 7

Eugh

RE: "The WIFI solution"
Lose internet access every other day. I spend more of my time packing my things and going to the library or home than I manage to spend on my work in my own room here. Its ridiculous. Not worth the money if internet isn't included and its barely even supplied. I've lived in student halls where wifi was divided between many more than live here but even then I could upload my work on time for deadlines and get research done online. So far I've never known anywhere to have such incompetent wifi provided. For students, not good enough.

Reply 8

aklaw

My experience of Caledonia Mills has been outstanding. It's the perfect place to stay if your looking for that mature vibe. It houses 1st,2nd,3rd and postgraduate students, which gives you a good mix of people to be around. The flats are comfortable and modern. Not the typical student flat (liberty & campus). You don't feel she to bring people back as the flats are welcoming.

The house manager Rosemarie goes out her way to help the students. In relation to maintenance issues I've had in the past, she responds and gets it fixed.

You can still have a good time living here. Yes there are rules but simple ones which all other accommodations have. Such as no drugs or smoking in the building and having respect for everyone else in relation to noise.

It's a safe building to stay in, when I've had issues in the past I can always go to security. For example when I've lost my key card. Plus there are students wardens on site who help out.

Overall my experience has been great and I will continue to live there.

It's a place where you parents can come and visit and not worry about you, along with being able to meet new people and enjoy the night life that Stoke has to offer.

Reply 9

Sweet07

Hi, I am looking for accommodation near Keele University. Does anyone has any idea how much is the bus fare from Caledonia Mills to Keele University? And are the rooms here renting for students only?

Reply 10

anon12333

Hi. I currently live at Caledonia Mills. The internet is absolutely rubbish and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it.
Apart from that it's OK but if you don't have decent internet, what's the point?

Reply 11

anon12333

Sadly this is not true.
Everybody is always complaining about the poor internet connection. Nobody seems to be able to sort it out and it drives us all crazy. Your device won't stay connected for long before the internet just stops working. I am really disgusted at how much they charge when they don't even provide us with decent internet connection.
I used to save a lot of money by calling from Skype but this just isn't possible anymore. I now have to spend a fortune on calling abroad using my mobile phone.
It's simply not good enough.

Original post by urban_sleep

Reply 12

anon12333

Original post by Sweet07

Hi, I am looking for accommodation near Keele University. Does anyone has any idea how much is the bus fare from Caledonia Mills to Keele University? And are the rooms here renting for students only?

It costs £1.75 if you're a student if it's the X3 bus which comes 3 or 4 times a day.
You can get other buses to Newcastle and then another bus from there, but that'll cost you two tickets or a day pass.