Student accommodation at an uncool £120
They look like they are straight out of American teen movies, where everything is hip and happy, and where teeth are always shiny white. Huge numbers of privately run halls of residence have sprung up alongside Britain’s universities, offering freshers a funky mix of study rooms and chill-out areas, with free wireless broadband to boot.
But take a look at the online forums run by student unions. “The halls are only there to con first-years out of a load of money,” according to one posting in Sheffield. Another in Cardiff says that for £95 a week he gets “a box room with the smallest en suite in history”. Others rant about mystery fees and one-sided tenancy contracts …