Students see rent at Liberty Quays rise by 27%

Medway students have seen accommodation costs rise by a staggering 27% between 2009 and 2012, a new report by Kent Union has revealed.

Halls provider Liberty Quays fails to sell out

 

The University of Kent's privately owned accommodation halls in Medways is left with several vacancies (written by Kieran Watkins for the Medwire)

Student halls provider Liberty Living, which runs the University of Kent halls on the Medway campus, has announced a drop in student applications for rooms this year.
In an email sent by the University of Kent accommodation team to current students, Liberty Quays stated that “a number of rooms were still available”.
Liberty Quays, situated at Victory Pier in Gillingham, offers en-suite rooms for new and current students, with communal areas shared by up to nine people.
The drop in room occupancy comes after a series of revelations by The Medwire revealed staff negligence and questionable living conditions at Liberty Quays.
In a previous article, it was revealed that several communal areas had been infested with mice, with faeces being found in other areas.
The revelations came after a petition by former Liberty resident, Jem Collins, saw over 150 disgruntled students, parents and members of the public complain about the service and facilities on offer by Liberty Quays.
Complaints ranged from expensive maintenance costs to delays in deposits being handed back to students. A number of comments were also made about the management team at Liberty, with students branding staff “rude” and “unhelpful” on numerous occasions.
Students have also claimed the room prices have led them to seek accommodation away from the halls. Prices have increased by an extra £10 a week from last year to £127.
One student said that he could “barely afford to live” on the prices, which total just under £5,000 for one year.
“If I paid £5,000 to live at Liberty, I’d starve!” he said. “It’s ridiculously expensive, Liberty Quays is more expensive then London student accommodation.”
In a move to entice students, Liberty Quays has offered a 2% discount on accommodation prices if fees are paid in full by September 15.
Students who choose not to live in halls usually opt for a private landlord, where a fully-furnished bedroom in a house shared with four other people can start from as little as £90, bills included.
However, the down turn in student numbers could come at a cost for Liberty Living, who are currently extending their halls at Victory Pier. The new extension is scheduled to open next summer.

Room available to rent at the University of Kent Medway campus

If you’re coming through clearing to join us at CfJ this year and haven’t yet sorted out where you’re living, you might be interested in looking at the super-fantastic space we’ve still got for our house!

Three (soon-to-be) second year students are looking for another journalism student to join us in our house next year after the initial plan fell through, so we're asking any new students starting next year, whether undergrads or MA's, if they'd like to join us and we’d even go so far to say the deal is better than Quays!

· Rent is just £89 a week – that’s over £30 cheaper for a room of the same size.

· This includes all bills, internet and, unlike in halls, a TV licence and our internet is wireless!

· Unlike in halls our bathroom comes with a bath as well as shower, we’ve got a living and dining area and a garden.

· All of the rooms come with their own locks and everything’s fully furnished.

· We’ve also got enough pots and pans to sink a small ship, so there’s no need to splash out on your own kitchen equipment – as long as you wash up after yourself we’re happy to share!

· We’re also closer to university (so you get to spend longer in bed), closer to town for shopping and nights out and a mere two minutes away from a Chinese and Fish and Chip shop!

The house also comes with the added plus of being able to meet the housemates before you decide whether or not to move in and we’re happy to meet you first, have a chat on the phone or give you a look round – whatever really!

Just for the record you'd be living with three other journos; two girls and one boy. Our names are Jem Collins, Lydia Hamilton & Kieran Watkins if you want to Facebook stalk us first.

If you're interested or want some more information feel free to drop us an email at jemcollins@live.co.uk or kdjwatkins@yahoo.co.uk

Or you can comment and ask questions at the bottom of this blog post!

Also free to do viewings Sept 5th!