Campus living villages- any experiences?

[sunnyawry]

My DSS has a firm offer and is doing his accommodation application. The whole thing looks to have been outsourced to CLV who are wanting a £500 deposit/ rent advance within 24 hrs to secure a room. The email is quite pushy stating rooms are running out. I'm rather skeptical as surely most won't have firm offers yet ? ( and the actual site he's applying for is still under construction!!). Anyone dealt with these and have any views? I'm quite dubious.

I'd be more concerned that the accommodation is still under construction and the possibility of it not being completed by September than pushy emails. Have you or DSS visited and seen how much is left to be constructed? It can and does happen that accomodation isn't completed on time and then students can end up in B&B accommodation waiting for it to be completed as usually other accommodation is allocated - I know there was a university where this happened recently but can't remember which. Can he try for another site?

It's possible rooms are running out as you have no way of knowing how many like DSS have firm offers, people may also have taken a year out before applying for example.

Yes thank you, good point. I have said to my H we will take a trip down and have a look at the site. It does sound a bit like an episode of watchdog in the making.
Apart from that does it seem strange they are asking for such a big chunk of cash such a long time before most students' finance is in place?

Definitely be wary of halls that are under construction!

I have no experience of this company but I do know of independent halls where my friends daughter goes that expected an entire year of fees plus deposit paid upfront well before finance was agreed. Though this isn't personal experience and I don't know how common that is now. Perhaps you can start a thread asking a more general question regarding fees if no one else replies?

Have you or your DSS looked the The Student Room site - there are forums for each university and accommodation is always discussed so you might pick up some useful information there

Is this the only accommodation on offer? Has the university nothing of its own? £500 is a high deposit too. Are you in a position to visit the village and see how far on it is regarding completion? It sounds an expensive option too.

Student finance comes in Sept/October. You always pay a deposit before then. In private rented 2nd year accommodation in some university cities, that can be January for a flat the student will be occupying in October!