Alwyn Court

A good experience! I have been very happy from being able to look around the accommodation to collecting keys ! Also we were able to talk to the letting agency and the availability of a person to talk to and support has been excellent. The room is really good. We specifically wanted a contained space with a bed, shower and kitchen. Plus access to washing machine and dryer for 10 people to use. It is very convenient to the university, student union and city centre.

Nice, spacious and quiet accommodation. Great for Cardiff University Students as its close to most buildings.

new yard is nice administrators are nice location is nice BBQ, table tennis, sun shine not big but warm Rachel is always thereԅ(¯ㅂ¯ԅ)

I studied for four years at Cardiff University and lived at five separate purpose built student accommodations; Talybont South, Liberty Severn Point, Liberty Park, Liberty Gardens and Alwyn Court which was originally developed and run by Collegiate but has now transferred ownership to Hello Student. Alwyn Court has great sized rooms, decent bed, bathroom and kitchen, the windows are big and can open fully but are tinted to stop people looking in whilst you can look out. Overall the quality is decent, minus the cheap paint that was used to paint the rooms which scuffs easily and some furniture can be easily damaged, like handles on the under bed storage or the kitchen's breakfast bar table leg. For these reasons the accommodation earns the first two stars for quality and also the location. The reason I have deducted two stars is because of the service. The staff are friendly and I had a chat with them most times I met them. However the first issue is that when you move in, it is not made clear what the procedure is. Many people stood outside the accommodation and left waiting whilst the reception did not answer calls. The site does not have a reception with staff 24/7 but is operated by a central reception at Windsor House, a short walk away into central Cardiff. This alone is not too much of an issue but a frustration. There are some major design flaws with the interior of the building. Firstly the bedroom door automatically locks behind you. In other accommodations, you have to physically lock the bedroom door for it to be locked. So in Alwyn Court, if you get up in the morning and go for breakfast in your PJs but forget to keep the door open (which is on a hinge mechanism that automatically swings shut), you will be locked out. You should call the reception to come and let you back in. However, I waited several hours on numerous occasions to be let back in for someone to come out, so I would be sat in the kitchen doing nothing as my shoes and clothes were in my room and that is assuming I have my phone on me. Again, several times I didn't so I had to go knocking on other doors to ask for their phones to call reception. But the reception is only open in working hours so you have to use the emergency line which will then contact the student warden who half the time does not turn up. The worst time, was when I waited 6 hours to get back into my room without any toilet facilities. The hot water was another major issue. The boiler broke down constantly and when it was down the hot water turned brown and seemed totally un-usable forcing me to wash with water from the kettle. This happened several times around in the year and even the boiler men were getting annoyed because they kept being called out. The worst was around Christmas time 2016, where the manager sent an email around saying that the staff were off for Christmas and it would not be sorted until the week after. This is unacceptable as you are running a 24/7 residential service and many international occupants will stay in the UK over Christmas but have no hot water. Some minor points to pick up on would be that there was no recycling bin provided, we were once told that if we lost our key cards we would have to pay £30 for a replacement which is insane. Liberty Park gave them out for free, Talybont made you pay £10 which is reasonable as they were actual metal keys that needed to be cut. Whilst the windows on ground floor are tinted so people cannot see in it still means you cannot properly open your window as you are right on the pavement. There were a few smaller issues but I cannot remember them at this time. Overall, most of my complaints can be addressed by the owners, and if addressed the accommodation would easily get four stars. For example changing the door locks and giving every occupant the direct contact details of the student warden, also get new boiler. One star is missing for lack of on site reception, sense of community and recreation space. Objectively, this was the worst accommodation I stayed at. Liberty Severn Point was the best.

Big up Ben and Chris, as well as Steph for always being absolute legends and putting up with me 💗 Also, since I've been living in Hello Student Accom in Cardiff for 3 years, I couldn't ask for better staff overall and a better place to have spent my uni years. My own family away from home.