You’ve confirmed your place in university accommodation, bought things for your room and are really excited about moving in. But what if they reality doesn't live up to the expectations?
Updated: 29 Apr 2025
Moving to university should be an exciting time... but whether it's annoying flatmates, dodgy landlords or a rodent infestation, there are many reasons why you may end up hating your university accommodation
Here's what to do it that happens...
Whether the walls are covered in damp, plaster is falling down or the en-suite you were promised is non-existent, take notes of everything that is wrong with the room.
To back up your complaint, take plenty of photos to use as evidence in case the university asks for proof.
Worried that you’re making a fuss about nothing? Check out the Universities UK code of practice (in England and Wales) and the CMA (Consumer and Marketing Authority) expectations of consumer law.
These are the standards that university’s halls of residence are expected to meet. So if you’re finding yourself saying, “nope, it doesn’t have that”, or “yep, I wish I had that” quite a lot, then you’ve probably not whining over nothing.
Before you make the complaint make sure you know what you want the outcome to be. Do you want your walls to have a lick of paint? Do you need a window replacing? Or do you want to be moved to a completely new hall? Whatever you want, make sure you tell the university while you’re explaining the issues you’re dealing with.
Next thing to do is to contact your university as soon as possible to complain about the accommodation. Most universities’ will have a set complaints procedure which you’ll find information on their website. This will usually involve initially making an informal complaint to their administration or accommodation office.
If the issue isn’t resolved after this, whether at all or to your satisfaction, you can then make a formal complaint, which basically steps it up to a more severe level. Again the university should have either an online form or contact details for their complaints department on their website. At this point you can also contact the residential services for the university who should also be able to help you.
Make the complaint as direct and to the point as possible. While you might be frustrated or upset, don’t bring your personal feelings or emotions into too much, focus on the specifics and what you want them to do about it.
Once you’ve complained, you’ll normally have the university’s final decision within a month or two. However, within a week the university should send you a letter to confirm they’ve received your complaint, confirm they know what the issues are and what they can potentially do about it.
If you’re not happy with how the university deals with your complaint, or you want someone to represent you to the university, then contact your Student Union. Because they’re elected by students, they are there to help you independently of the university, so they’ll have your best interests at heart rather than the university.
If you’re studying in England and Wales you can also contact the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), who are an independent organisation who review student complaints against higher education institutions. And the good news is, they’re completely free to use for students so you won’t have to spend any of your precious loan to get help.
To use this organisation, you need a complaints of procedures letter from your university that’s no older than three months to prove you’ve already tried their complaints procedure recently and it didn’t work.
If you’re still not satisfied with what you’re being offered you can seek legal advice and even take it to court. If you feel this is your only option at this point, contact The Citizen’s Advice Bureau.