The Bridewell

This was hugely disappointing and caused me distress. At one point we had no hot water for more than 48 hours, and the ceiling at the top of the stairwell leaked whenever it rained. It crumbled and felt unsafe. The company also breached the tenancy agreement in several ways. Staff came and went from the flat without warning during my stay, despite the agreement requiring 24 hours' notice. Near the end of my tenancy, the accommodation managers had left a note on my door saying I still hadn’t moved out, yet two maintenance men walked into my room without knocking while I was unclothed. After I moved out, I heard nothing about my deposit or any deductions. When I called the deposit protection scheme 25 working days later, I found there was no record of the deposit being held, even though my agreement said it would be lodged with DPS.

The rooms are cute, and there’s a nice receptionist and some lovely people around. I liked the privacy too: once you’re through the main doors, outsiders can’t really get in. It’s a quiet area with good cafes nearby, including Kitchen 54. The shared kitchen is spacious enough, and the place has a lot of history. Some of Liverpool’s oldest buildings from the 1700s are nearby, including 10 Hockenhall Alley. The city centre is about an eight-minute walk away. There’s no lift, so be ready for the stairs. A lot of water came through the roof over the secondary staircase, though the main staircase was fine. And keep track of your keys. Security is tight, and without them you can get stuck outside your corridor. I heard some people had slept on the stairs after a night out because they were drunk and couldn’t find their keys. I waited around three hours for replacement keys. You need to keep your phone with you so you can answer the call about collecting them. Even if you’re at the entrance, they give you just a two-minute window. The guy on the phone promised to wait at the accommodation entrance for 10 minutes, but tried to charge me £25 for lost keys even though mine were inside my room and I was locked out. I stood at the entrance while the ‘keys guy’ was on the other side of the building, deliberately using the flooded stairs so he’d miss me. He was a bit rude, though he’s known as the ‘key-man’. After three hours, I finally got my keys. Four stars from me for the pretty rooms and privacy.

Smelly students everywhere. Stay well clear unless you want to catch Wokeness. Good luck getting your deposit back.

The rooms are small.