Central Belfast Apartments: Student Accommodation

The room and facilities are amazing, but the staff have made my stay miserable. I've had unpleasant encounters with almost all the male reception staff, who seem to resent having to do their jobs and show no respect. Early in the student year I asked whether I had any parcels. The staff member didn't ask my name or room number, just snapped, "Why would I know?" in a rude, aggressive voice. Another time, a friend cut his hand on the lobby ping pong table. I apologized for bothering the receptionist and asked for a plaster or anything similar. He gave an angry grunt, reluctantly paused the football match on his phone and went to check the back room. More recently, I asked a different staff member about the rules for overnight guests and got snapped at as if I'd thrown a drink on him or spat on his shoes. Someone needs to teach them to cop on. They shouldn't be treating people this way when we've done nothing wrong.

The place was clean and quiet, with enough amenities for a comfortable stay. There's even a tabletop arcade, and the staff on site were helpful. The chat service, though, was terrible, so the experience improves once you arrive. Students booking should check what contacts tell them: a middle man handles the building, and it can be booked in more than one way at different prices. Make sure your booking doesn't cost more than the rates on the official website, and expect to leave a deposit. There's a laundry room, but the price doesn't include soap or similar supplies. The coffee machine isn't free, unlike the one in Sheffield.

The building looks nice, but it isn't maintained, and some staff are rude. Ulster shouldn't be putting students in that building. After all this, we cancelled our summer contracts and moved out as soon as we could. Judging by the manager's rude replies to other reviews, I expect we'll get the same. During our last weeks, she shouted at us, said we were 'being met with attitude' and told us 'to stop creating hysteria'. We were trying to find out who had been in our flat and why, but weren't taken seriously or given an answer at first. She made us uncomfortable, and even her staff couldn't look up from their desks because the situation was so awkward. The immediate issue was maintenance coming into our flat, emptying the hoover onto the floor, pulling our bin into the middle of the room and leaving its lid on our clean counter. No one would explain what happened. First they said we were delusional, then blamed a housemate we knew wouldn't do it, and eventually said maintenance had checked the hoover. Staff and cleaners also let themselves into the flat without warning. They'd email weeks ahead saying they needed access that day, then turn up two weeks later and claim that email gave them blanket access for the whole period. Communication with students was nonexistent. Window checks were announced, but the workers came in with big work boots and stood on my clean white bedsheets. One night I came back from abroad late and found rubber gloves on my desk and my books knocked over behind the bed. I was scared, so I asked security to check the room and had to sleep not knowing who had been in there or why. The next day I learned maintenance had entered while I was away without my permission and left their things in my room. The other problems started on arrival last summer. I was put in a flat with one of the dirtiest kitchens I've ever seen, then moved to one that was only slightly less dirty. After that, staff kept showing up unexpectedly at all hours, including when I was in bed or showering. They'd let themselves into my room and say, "oh sorry we didn't know anyone lived here." The light switch behind the bed gave me an electric shock. They came to fix it but didn't recognize the danger or apologize. My bathroom smelled of sewage, and the shower kept blocking even when there wasn't a single hair in the drain. The other girls in the flat had the same problem, so there was clearly a floor issue. My shower was either extremely hot or freezing, with nothing in between. When someone eventually came to fix it, he broke the hose and left me without a shower for a week. The person on shift 'forgot' to follow up before going on annual leave, and I was told to use a public shower even though we pay extortionate monthly amounts for an en suite. People would dump our clothes on the floor if we left them in the washing machine for more than five minutes. The hoover was broken the whole time, the dishwasher was temperamental, and the TV kept having trouble connecting to the internet. Staff checked it and said nothing was wrong, but all seven of us tried and it simply wouldn't work.

Good value for money, with a PS5, billiards, foosball, gym and study area all available for free. The location is great. It's a student dorm, so it can get noisy during semester. In the bathroom, the light is automatic and the fan never seemed to switch off.