University of Hull

Kingston-upon-Hull

Didn't get into accommodation?

I didn't get into my firm choice but got accepted into my insurance choice Hull. I rang them up to check on everything and I said told I had accommodation guaranteed.

I applied for Thwaite hall and Lawns halls. After a couple of days I sent an email to see why it was taking so long. Got a email back saying it will take several weeks to confirm your place, at this point I only have 3 weeks until the start of term and still don't know where I'm living. ( I still don't know where I'm living now ). After several more phone calls and emails still getting the same reply "it will take several weeks to confirm your place". Asked if I could come to the uni to look around. Was given a tour yesterday and loved the place. Just before I left I went to the student accommodation office to chase it up in person. Said they would ring me very soon.

Get a phone call this morning saying we have no room any of the accommodation. Supposedly I'm going to get put into a house of 4. No idea where it is but I will not be with the rest of the freshers, i will be living with three 2nd or 3rd years.

Has this happened to anyone else or just me?

Cliffs / tl;dr

-Get into my insurance choice, Hull.
-Apply for accommodation in halls
-Take weeks to give me an answer even though I've been chasing them
-Will not be living in halls with the rest of the freshers
-Living in a house with 2nd and 3rd years
-Still no idea where I'm living

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Reply 1

Hallon

Original post by BKsMassive

Has this happened to anyone else or just me?

More or less the same happened to my son, main difference is that he got his place through clearing.

He applied for halls, Ferens & Needler which were the only ones listed as available to males on 22/8 according to their website.

I've called the uni 3 times by now (getting different info each time), only during the third call did I understand that I was talking to a call centre. I then asked to be put through to someone who was actually in the accommodation office.

I had a good conversation with a lady on Monday this week who explained the current situation which is that all halls accommodation is gone and they were starting to call everyone without accommodation (in order of application date).

What they were able to offer then was 10 places on waiting list for halls - this means you have to stay in a dormitory for up to 2 wks. Other than that it's either "head lease" or "the scheme".

Neither I nor my son was happy with him staying in a dormitory even though he would have ended up as no. 2 on the list. That would mean he would have to have all his valuables stored (which they could arrange). So no laptop to use during Freshers and first week of study...

We decided on "head lease" as first choice and I was told we would hear back in a few days. It's now 2 days later and we're waiting...

PS. I was told it would only be first years in both "head lease" and "the scheme".

(edited 10 years ago)

University of Hull

Kingston-upon-Hull

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Reply 2

MitchR

I'm in the same situation. I applied through clearing and was told on the Clearing open day it would be likely I would be placed in the Lawns. Never heard any more -despite 3 phone calls and I too thought I was dealing with the accommodation office only to find out 9th September it was call centre too! I was still getting told i would hear about it soon until we eventually spoke to the accommodation department staff. I will be coming to the Lawns for freshers week onto a camp bed. My mum will be returning with all my gear once something is sorted. Apparently there are to be 50 of us so freshers week will be interesting!

Reply 3

Alix-21

Did they say you were going to be put with 2nd or 3rd years ? They normally put all freshers together , so you would end up in a house with other freshers. Head leasing did tweet monday that they were sending emails out on Tuesday (yesterday) . Even with the scheme u should end up with freshers . Students do move about a bit some dont even turn up . Ring them again and check to see you will be with other freshers. Very odd you didn't get a room at halls as you were insurance my daughter went through clearing last year and got The Lawns.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4

Hallon

Original post by Alix-21

Head leasing did tweet monday that they were sending emails out on Tuesday (yesterday) .

My son did not receive any email yesterday. Did anyone else?

Original post by Alix-21

Even with the scheme u should end up with freshers .

I think it's a bit to much to ask for our still young adults to have to deal directly with private landlords, which is why we choose head leasing as the least bad option.

Should my son not get at least head leasing, I'm seriously considering trying to persuade him to take a gap year and resit or study in another European country. Not going to be easy as the accommodation situation there is even worse there than in Hull which will mean living with his grandma for at least 1 year (but it is tuition-free :smile:

)

Reply 5

Hallon

Just logged into son's email account (he will be allowed to change password once this messy uni business has been resolved :smile:

).

Found an email from the accommodation office with information - only all the images used on the linked webpage were of halls. As was the info...

Still no info about actual accommodation...

Reply 6

Alix-21

Hull havn't updated their accom website since friday so it still shows as limited places available for head leasing. My daughter has just gone into 2nd year and has gone private this year there are some good ones out there , Don't go Pacific court tho as i think it is a 20 min walk just to get to the bus stop . My daughter was lucky last year ,we went up on a clearing day and filled the form out there and handed it back in ,she heard within a week. It is a worry when accom is not sorted , just keep pestering them , use twitter as well :wink:

hope you hear soon

Reply 7

Hallon

Called accommodation services again and spoke to what I think is the manager (I've been that annoying).

She told me son has been allocated to the head leasing team and that we'll hear from them shortly (whatever they mean by that).

Not ideal, but when the only other alternatives are living 2 wks in a dormitory (and potentially have all your valuable stolen) or having to deal directly with a private landlord in the scheme, we really don't have any other option.

Not very happy, but son liked Hull when he visited after getting his clearing offer.

Reply 8

KeithMe

Original post by Alix-21

hope you hear soon

Damn, is it that bad? Only just got the accommodation offer and they placed me in Pacific Court. International student here, can't check out the place till I touch down in the UK by which time it will probably be too late to change it. Anyone here know of anyone currently living there? Would be good to get a first person's perspective of the place.

Reply 9

Alix-21

Ah i just checked and if correct there are 9 houses still available with head leasing , i guess it 's not easy sorting them out as they do try to mix people up according to how they answer some questions and if they want single sex or mixed . hopefully you will hear soon. I liked hull when i went ,my daughter loves it there. It was one of her 5 but she never went to visit but said if she had it would have been her firm .

Reply 10

Sam Spain

I got an email saying all my preferences were all filled already. Out of the three options which were

1. If you wish to be on a reserve list for places becoming available within University Owned accommodation, you can choose to be in temporary accommodation; this means that you will stay be placed on a temporary bed sharing a communal room with other students, within the Halls when you first arrive to await places to become available within University, on 28 September 2013. From past experience, all temporary residents are allocated within 10 days into our accommodation, though we cannot guarantee what type of accommodation may come up, as it is reliant on non-arrivals or cancellations. This temporary accommodation is free of charge, you will be charged from the day you move into your permanent accommodation place.

2. Pacific Court (http://www.pacificcourt.co.uk/): This is a private self-catered Hall in the town centre. Please find an information sheet attached, for prices and what is included in your accommodation. If you wish to take up this option, please advise us and we will liaise with Pacific Court on your behalf, you do not need to arrange this yourself. Please note we only have medium rooms available at this time.

3. The Scheme: This option is self-catered accredited private student housing, normally within a mile of the University campus. You would be allocated with other first year students and you do not need to arrange this yourself, we would organise this on your behalf. Prices will range dependant on property and room types, but usually averaging at £75 per week inclusive of bills. Further information can be found at: http://www2.hull.ac.uk/student/accommodation-new/accommodation_hull/self-cateringaccommodation-/the_scheme.aspx

I decided to go for option 3. My only problem with the housing is the contract lasts until August so it will eventually end up being more expensive. I'm quite fine with living in a house with other people though, provided they don't turn out to be the most obnoxious human beings ever. I see this as an opportunity to meet some potentially awesome people and learn to live in a more independent environment earlier.

Reply 11

Alix-21

Original post by KeithMe

It's just if you dont like walking i guess, some like it there others don't , some like the lawns others don't . You get a free bus pass tho so that's good.

I don't know if the 20 mins is correct tho they could have been a slow walker , going to go check now , it is in the heart of hull tho so it has it's plus side . I reckon 15 walk to bus stop if you are fit :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 12

KeithMe

Original post by Alix-21

Would that be 20 minutes to the bus station or to the university? Googled the location and it looks pretty far even by bus.

Reply 13

Alix-21

Original post by Sam Spain

I got an email saying all my preferences were all filled already. Out of the three options which were I decided to go for option 3. My only problem with the housing is the contract lasts until August so it will eventually end up being more expensive. I'm quite fine with living in a house with other people though, provided they don't turn out to be the most obnoxious human beings ever. I see this as an opportunity to meet some potentially awesome people and learn to live in a more independent environment

earlier.

Theres some nice houses with the scheme pity you cant choose . They might work out about the same depending on how much per week ,my daughter paid £105 for the Lawns last year

Reply 14

Alix-21

Original post by KeithMe

Would that be 20 minutes to the bus station or to the university? Googled the location and it looks pretty far even by bus.

Bus stop , i think Beverley Rd you get it from . will see if i can find out. Think walking into city center might be quicker about 15 mins, you get it from main bus station it is next to St Stephens shopping center. Once you are there you can see what is the best place to get it from.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 15

Sam Spain

Original post by Alix-21

Theres some nice houses with the scheme pity you cant choose . They might work out about the same depending on how much per week ,my daughter paid £105 for the Lawns last year

Yeah, it depends on where I end up. The average is cheaper than the halls per week so hopefully at the end of the year it doesn't add up to much. It's not the worst scenario I could imagine.

Reply 16

Hallon

Original post by Sam Spain

Yeah, it depends on where I end up. The average is cheaper than the halls per week so hopefully at the end of the year it doesn't add up to much.

Add the extra weeks' rent you have to pay for weeks you will not be at uni + higher food spend for self-catering, rather than semi-catering, for the weeks you will actually be there...

We will have to totally rework my son's budget.

Reply 17

Alix-21

Original post by Hallon

I pack my daughter all her dried food , huge bag of pasta just over £3 , cheap pasta sauces, rice , noodles , stir fry sauces, all her tinned food, etc . I started a few weeks ago the BOGOF deals 3 for 2 deals , cheap shops like poundland and home bargains. All her toiletries , soap powder , washing liquid , cloths all the boring stuff. All she has to do is buy her fresh food , bread , milk fruit veg, She has set herself a budget of £15 a week. When we go up an visit i take up more stuff that i have collected . She has £56 a week to live on and she reckons she can put £20 a week into savings :wink:

Reply 18

Sam Spain

Hallon, are you saying that self catered is more expensive than semi catered? I plan on being very sensible with how I spend money on food, planning for the whole week etc.

Reply 19

Tiffany2611

I applied through clearing and didn't apply for accommodation until the 23/08 but I got my first choice of thwaite hall, maybe it's cos they only had female places left!