Student Only King Square

Please do yourself a favour and don't book here. I believe this place is a scam: the glossy photos and promises on the website didn't match what I found after signing the contract. Other reviews have warned people not to stay, and I had several problems of my own. The building's facilities are very old, and many don't work properly, yet the company charges current prices without fixing or refurbishing things. The toilet in my room was old and didn't work well. When I reported it, management said that's just how it is. Acquaintances of mine here have had other problems caused by the old facilities, but management either leaves them waiting or says it isn't a big issue. Maintenance is extremely slow. I waited weeks just for someone to come and check an issue. Unless it's simple enough for them to fix right there, you have to wait again for further arrangements. Reception just tells you to wait and seems not to care how the problem affects your life. Some people smoked in their rooms while I lived here. When I told management, they said all the right things about dealing with it, then did nothing. I kept raising it with the company, and they eventually told me it wasn't their job to deal with individual behaviour in the building. They said I could do what I wanted, call the police or keep complaining, because they didn't care. I can't believe they brushed off their responsibilities so easily. Would they dare put this on their website? The building is not staffed around the clock. The main reception is open Monday to Friday, 9-5, and security is there from 8pm to 8am. At other times, there's nobody on hand to help. Packages delivered outside those hours are left in a public area, and management just puts up a disclaimer saying lost deliveries aren't their responsibility. Again, please don't book here. What the website says is basically untrue, and they care about nothing but your money. The prices are ridiculously high. If you can't afford them, go somewhere else. If you can, there are plenty of places in Bristol to rent for the same price that are much better. I don't want to see people come here next year to write angry, regretful comments after living here for a year. Your university life is too precious to waste in a place like this.

Packages went missing, letters could take as long as a month, and reception didn't handle deliveries well. The shared laundry machines were expensive, smelled bad, and once stopped mid-cycle, which cost me extra. The furniture was lacking too: the mattress needed a topper, and there was no TV remote, desk chair, or bin. Living here was stressful enough to affect my mental health. The rent kept rising, and for the price it simply wasn't worth it. On the ground floor, people knocked on the windows at night, peered inside, and even tried to climb in. The area outside felt rough, with regular drug use and homelessness. A broken back garage door stayed that way for months, letting strangers sleep on the building stairs. Silverfish were everywhere, in the flat and hallways every day. I even kept a spider I found in the apartment to eat them. The place was very dusty when I moved in, vents included, and there was mold in the shower, bathroom, and on the walls. Neighbors held loud parties until 3 a.m. and smoked indoors, so cigarette smells came into my unit. Security did nothing. It was freezing in winter, 13°C with the heater off, then 28-29°C indoors in summer. The shower could take 10-15 minutes to warm up. Expensive, unsafe, and badly maintained. I'd look elsewhere.

The rooms are spacious and get plenty of natural light, and the receptionists are pleasant. The location is handy for the school, train station, and city centre. My first-floor room is right by the street. In winter the draughty windows make it extremely cold, and the damaged sound insulation means a lot of noise. People often knock on my window at night, while marijuana smoke from outside drifts in and leaves an unpleasant smell. Hot water is often unavailable when I want a shower, and even when it is, it tends to be lukewarm. Cooking is unpleasant too: the kitchen extractor has several buttons, but the suction is so weak that fumes and smells linger. Silverfish have infested the building for years, and the issue was still unresolved in 2023. The dorm is outdated, with poor induction stoves and inefficient heating. Maintenance is almost nonexistent. I've been reporting the window problem for a whole year and still haven't had a response.

Maisie and lily are really lovely and welcoming. It properly feels like home here. I'd recommend kings square to any students new to Bristol :)