In this blog, what I want to do is review Fresh Student Living. I don’t want to review each one of their locations because they might add or take some away, however, they will all be a reflection of their brand and company that sits behind the student accommodation.
If there is something you want to know and I haven’t included it, please let me know and then I can add it into this review and future ones!
The Company: Sanctuary Students
Sanctuary Students is a company within a group. The group is called Sanctuary Group and within the group is Sanctuary Students.
The Sanctuary Group gets involved in lots of other property and development related aspects. Which is a good thing for students because it is backed by other assets and isn’t going anywhere. It also means that they can understand students and build what they need.
Looking at their student side, they have quite a few locations and it looks like they are planning to expand even further.
From their website, it looks they put an emphasis on well-being in their blocks of student accommodation, hosting events and making sure their students are having fun.
My only worry with a company this size and diversified is, does it treat students as students or does it have policies that take over the experience? I don’t know the answer to the question as I don’t personally work with Sanctuary Students but that would be something I would be keen to find out!
You can read all about Sanctuary Student here:Their Story
Sanctuary’s Accommodation Locations
Currently, they have accommodations in:
- Bradford
- Liverpool
- Brighton
- Dundee
- Falmouth
- Glasgow
- London
- Manchester
- Ormskirk
- Preston
- Salford
- Stratford-upon-Avon
- Truro
They do have more than one accommodation in several locations.
Accommodation Review
Their accommodations seem nice, clean and well designed. The rooms in most of the accommodation are like they are in most accommodations. They have the same floor plan and layout and design in a similar way.
It is hard to get a good idea of what their accommodation is like because there aren’t many photos on their website at this current time. They do have videos on all their pages and floor plans which is really helpful.
Their rooms come with desks, double beds, contents insurance, laundry, bills included, games rooms and receptions.
The rooms themselves, for me, are open to made home by students. You will need to take some lights, plants, photos and other things to make the room yours. From the videos, it looks like they do give you a pinboard to help you with that!
If you are in a shared apartment, then you have a good-sized kitchen diner so that there is plenty of social space for you to get to know everyone else.
The social spaces inside the accommodations, if there is space, they offer them by the looks of it, I’ve seen pool tables, table tennis and table football. That’s just the games areas. They also have other social areas where you can sit and watch a movie, do work and just generally chill out as students.
Before you book you are going to need a guarantor if you can’t make the payment in full and it looks like they don’t have deposits. This basically means instead of paying a deposit, you pay an advancement of rent which reserves your room.
Finally, what I do really like about Sanctuary is the detail they go to on their website about booking, securing the property, moving in, what you get in the rooms and much more. It’s all there, upfront without even needing to go through a portal.
Below see what you get included in the accommodation in Liverpool:
Processes and Systems
This is probably the less exciting part of the review, however, it is one that should hold a big weight in your decision.
Cancellation– If the cancellation is genuine, then the policy is really quite flexible, especially if you give enough time to re-book the room. For example, if you didn’t get the grades, a visa or had to drop out for an extenuating circ*mstance then they are really helpful. For a genuine cancellation it could cost you nothing, however, if you have decided not to attend or switch to another provider then you would be held to your signed contract. If they can fill your room or you have someone else to move in, it could mean a full take over of the contract and no money lost. However, unless it’s for a genuine reason I think that is completely fair.
Please make sure that you read the cancellation policy before you book!
Booking– We don’t work directly with Sanctuary Students and haven’t been through their process, however, it seems pretty simple, just like many other providers. You can book on their website and you will have to follow a few steps to reserve the room and then to book the room you will need your guarantor details.
Communications with students– I am sure it is good. They will have social media groups and notice boards in the accommodations. In places where they have property managers, they will be the ones in contact with students.
Events– They host a lot of events as it falls in line with the experience that they want to create. Check their Instagram to see all the events they hold. They have plenty going on each month and it’s not just in one place, it looks as though it goes across all their accommodations.
Summary
Sanctuary Students is a big operator of student accommodation and lots of other buildings such as residential, care homes and developments. This means they are a well-diversified company and unlikely to hit any troubles as they should be well backed.
The company offers a lot of perks to students in their accommodations and they also have several locations in many cities which means that you can choose the best location for you.
Their rooms are spacious and come with everything you need as a student and you are able to make the room feel like home! The rooms are very much symmetrical and you will need to bring your own things to put your stamp on them! It doesn’t have as much character as a local landlord who puts a lot of effort into their interior design in my eyes.
They do have a good website in terms of giving all the information you need upfront and that is helpful to students if they want to book one of their rooms. You don’t need to go all the way through the portal to find the information you need.
Discover. Trust. Review.
