Birmingham Uni Accommodation

[MartyVan]

Any experience of accommodation on the Vale Village?
particularly looking at Aitkin, Tennis Court or Elgar Court.

Which would be your first choice?

Thank you!

My son was in tennis court and liked it. He says tennis court eco or green or something is also very nice, full of totally normal people (he was expecting v alternative hippies!) and less applied for so if you put it down you have a good chance of getting it. In case that is of interest.

Thank you 👍
We visited recently on a beautiful sunny day and lots of students were outside on the grass by the lake, which I think is making my son want to be closer to that area rather than across the road at Tennis Court, although I think that is my preference!

Tennis Court is very close to the main village, but I think it’s better to be properly on it.
Elgar is nice, big kitchens iirc. And en-suite which I think Aitkin isn’t?
Maple Bank is not good, too small, shared bathroom, tiny kitchen.
Mason is nice, was new and shiny when I was there.

Maple Bank is not good, too small, shared bathroom, tiny kitchen.

A relative was at uni at Brum in the early 1980s and Maple Bank was there then! All the other accomm from the 80s is gone tho. But I think that's why MB is not looking great. It’s cheapy cheap tho – £103 pw! (I mean that may not be a consideration but that's almost half the price of an ensuite room in Mason).

I was in Tennis Courts (flat 66 room 6) in 2000-2001. The greatest year. Obviously everything will have changed but it’s close to campus, a 15-20 minute walk. Friends lived in Maple Bank and all I remember is the chant ‘Maple Bank, wank wank wank Maple Bank wank wank wank’. Helpful.

My daughter was in Elgar Court and loved it.
Proper en suite shower rooms (not wet rooms) and big, modern sociable kitchens with floor to ceiling windows.

My DS was in Aitken. Its not en suite but the bathroom is shared between only about 3 people. There's a sink in every room which is really unusual for non en suite. It's one of the longer walks on campus but it's really quite pleasant.

DS currently in Maple Bank, went back into halls after year abroad. It’s very tired, needs thorough overhaul but is cheap - you definitely get what you don’t pay for including damp, horrid shower rooms, tiny kitchens and uncomfortable beds. First year he was in Bournbrook, but he had worked through a gap year so had money to pay for it. Didn’t feel he needed to be in expensive accommodation in the short final year though.

One of my dc was in Tennis Courts last year, and it was completely fine - on the lower end of the cost scale, and an easy 15-minute walk onto campus. Very sociable and friendly, though the bathrooms were pretty small and only one shower between five was an issue at times.