Riverside Glasgow

The rooms look cute at first and the views are great, but living here has badly tainted my experience. I'm still here and have been since last August. I spent almost $20,000 CDN, yet basic needs haven't been reliably provided. I absolutely wouldn't recommend wasting your money here. This is a long and honest account of what it's been like. The building has been shut down after water and electricity were turned off because of ongoing major flooding. This is the fourth or fifth time the water has been shut off, and it lasts for days. I've been staying off site for the last few days because I haven't had water in my room since last Saturday. I have no working shower, toilet or sink for washing dishes or getting drinking water. I had to buy water myself. Bottles were left in front of reception for students to grab in a free-for-all, and their packaging rubbish sat there for days because the building no longer has dedicated cleaning staff. Going without water repeatedly is unacceptable and makes the place unlivable. They shouldn't keep taking students' money if they can't provide heat and water. Hot water has also been unavailable for no clear reason on many occasions, and I've had to take cold showers, as have other students who've reviewed the building. Other buildings around the city have staff at reception all the time for security, but Riverside House doesn't. On more than one occasion, members of the public have got in and tried to enter students' rooms. That's a serious safety issue. The shared areas are disgusting. I've taken video and photos of the condition. The lift hasn't been fully working since May, which is an accessibility problem. If you can't use the stairs, this isn't the place for you, because you have to go up to an upper level to reach the lift. For weeks, the whole building had only one working washing machine. There's black mould in the basement laundry area, likely from all the flooding, which is a health and safety issue. My windows, and I'm sure everyone else's, haven't been cleaned on the outside during most of my stay, so I can barely see out. My radiator never worked the whole year. I raised it more than once with Jeannie and Reza, but nothing was fixed. I was given a space heater to use all year; it smelled of burning and started smoking, so I couldn't leave it on for long. Another resident's review from a few months ago describes heating and water problems, and those are accurate accounts of what students here are experiencing. I saw Jeannie reply by dismissing students' concerns and saying the issues should have been raised. She did the same with me. I feel sorry for her because I know she can only do so much and is at the hands of homes for students. The company running the accommodation needs to get a grip and should be ashamed to keep taking students' money when it can't provide heat, water and now electricity.