The Student Room Group

How can I change my accommodation at uni?

Hi all, I’ve been at uni for over a month now (first year) and I hate it. My flatmates don’t talk to me (slightly make fun of me), the kitchen is extremely dirty and my things always get used or moved around without my permission. I haven’t made any friends with anyone in my accommodation and it’s really stressing me out - not even one person to have a small conversation with. My accommodation is also really far from campus but it was one of the only ones in my budget (we real broke) so I chose it. It’s 3am and I’m writing this because I was rudely waken up by a girl (I’m in an all guys accommodation) banging on my door yelling my name. I have no idea who she was and I feel really uncomfortable with the fact that my flatmates are talking about me to random people despite knowing nothing about me. I only ever feel comfortable using the kitchen (combined with dining area) when no one is there, which is very rare. They always stay in the living room all day, then host pres at night which means I can basically never use the kitchen unless I want to feel judged. I’ve noticed my frying pan has gone missing once (then returned with dried food on it) and all my kitchen supplies have been randomly moved into one tiny cupboard. I have barely any fridge space despite having TWO fridges (I can only fit butter in) and not to mention the flies I’ve seen from people leaving food out (including open DAIRY) overnight. Oh and there’s always an unflushed toilet with pee on the seat :frown:. It’s been a month now, and has only gotten worse, so I was wondering if I’m able to transfer accommodations. I’ve signed the contract for my accommodation but I really really want to change. Even if the living situation stays the same, I want to at least be closer to the campus. Would I have to pay fully for a different accommodation or can I just change to a different hall with the same payment plan? And how would I go about this? Do I need to find someone who can takeover my room? Please help 🙏

Reply 1

Hi dude I’m starting uni next September but I’ve done my fair share of uni research and can definitely tell you some things:smile:

If you booked with the uni you’ll need to call and talk to their accommodation team. They’ll be quicker and more efficient and solving problems - if you booked straight with the provider they may be less keen to solve your problems as you’re still paying rent until you leave.

Unless you want to pay the full contract amount IN FULL then you need to find someone for a tenancy takeover. Whether this means paying someone’s first instalment of rent or discounting rent for them, try to make the takeover seem attractive.

You’ll need to pay in full if you move but you’ll pay less than the full 44/51 weeks because you’re moving in late.

(Also if you move into a new accommodation try to outline any lines you dont want crossed e.g taking your stuff and speak to your roommates about everything you’ve outlined be assertive and explain where your anger/annoyance is coming from. If they’re good human beings they’ll get it and you can give them one last chance - if not, start looking elsewhere)

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 2

Original post
by Anonymous
Hi all, I’ve been at uni for over a month now (first year) and I hate it. My flatmates don’t talk to me (slightly make fun of me), the kitchen is extremely dirty and my things always get used or moved around without my permission. I haven’t made any friends with anyone in my accommodation and it’s really stressing me out - not even one person to have a small conversation with. My accommodation is also really far from campus but it was one of the only ones in my budget (we real broke) so I chose it. It’s 3am and I’m writing this because I was rudely waken up by a girl (I’m in an all guys accommodation) banging on my door yelling my name. I have no idea who she was and I feel really uncomfortable with the fact that my flatmates are talking about me to random people despite knowing nothing about me. I only ever feel comfortable using the kitchen (combined with dining area) when no one is there, which is very rare. They always stay in the living room all day, then host pres at night which means I can basically never use the kitchen unless I want to feel judged. I’ve noticed my frying pan has gone missing once (then returned with dried food on it) and all my kitchen supplies have been randomly moved into one tiny cupboard. I have barely any fridge space despite having TWO fridges (I can only fit butter in) and not to mention the flies I’ve seen from people leaving food out (including open DAIRY) overnight. Oh and there’s always an unflushed toilet with pee on the seat :frown:. It’s been a month now, and has only gotten worse, so I was wondering if I’m able to transfer accommodations. I’ve signed the contract for my accommodation but I really really want to change. Even if the living situation stays the same, I want to at least be closer to the campus. Would I have to pay fully for a different accommodation or can I just change to a different hall with the same payment plan? And how would I go about this? Do I need to find someone who can takeover my room? Please help 🙏

Hi there,
I am so sorry to hear about your situation with your flatmates. First of all you should inform your accommodation management team and file a formal complaint if they are regularly exhibiting antisocial and disruptive behaviour.
You can reach out to the management team to see if there are any available rooms for you to swap to 🤗.

If management is unable to do so, you might need to find someone to take over your room and search for private accommodation through platforms like OpenRent, RightMove or SpareRoom.

I was also in a similar situation during my time at halls and had a very uncooperative flatmate. Though it was unpleasant, I eventually had to confront him regarding the situation and stuck with it till the end of the year.
I hope you manage to find a solution and wishing you the best of luck in navigating this situation ☺️.

Zhi En
(Kingston Student Rep.)
(edited 3 months ago)

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