The best and worst student accommodation
It’s the tallest and largest student accommodation block ever built. It towers 33 floors over London’s Spitalfields market, just minutes from trendy Hoxton and Brick Lane, and promises breathtaking floor-to-ceiling views “you won’t get tired of waking up to”. Its 1,204 student rooms offer everything a bright young thing might want – broadband in every room, chillout spaces boasting giant flat-screen televisions, and an ultra-modern gym and spa.
But what might really take your breath away is the rent. Private developer Nido is charging £14,280 a head to share a flat with three others, or £16,830 if you’d rather have a studio with kitchenette and live by yourself. That’s more than £50,000 just for college accommodation over three years. Unfortunately, they don’t accept Amex.
Guardian Money this week researched accommodation costs in university-owned halls, private student blocks, and shared houses and flats in student areas. Bradford was the runaway winner; the university has the lowest-cost own-accommodation at £53.50 a week (its Laisteridge Lane Halls are Britain’s cheapest); it has the cheapest private halls (starting at £49/week) and its “survival” costs (food and going out) were also the lowest …