Justice for Holyrood Residents 2015

I'm starting my postgrad this year! This is unacceptable of the university! It is going to make an impact on all students!

I am to move in to holyrood north in 2 weeks. I am terribly concerned with these conditions.

Please deal with this ASAP!

Everyone should know that university accommodation in Edinburgh is a scam. Avoid whenever possible.

I stayed at one of the studios in the academic year of 2012-2013. My stay was terrible because of most of the problems enlisted in the petition.

The noises are killing me!

Erecting a crane until early hours of Sunday 26th morning, no regard for residents. Loud shouting, vehicles, banging etc.

no heating since I moved to this flat

I'm living in the part of Holyrood South that does not directly face the construction site. The noise is unbearable here as well. When the forklift reverses while unloading material from trucks (BEEP BEEP BEEP), there is no chance of studying (not to mention sleeping!) - even with ear plugs.

True dat! Compensate them!

I believe this is ridiculous what happens in this situation.

I'm a resident of the building and have similar concerns. The only reason I chose this accommodation was because I had previously lived in Scotland and developed a respiratory infection from living in an old, damp building. Unfortunately the luxury of living in a new, mold-free building came with quite a few drawbacks. My primary concern has been the noise level from the construction across the street. I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't hear a jackhammer or the beeping of a truck in reverse while in that building. I have done very little schoolwork in my room this year for that reason, and clearly the point of the desk we've been provided is to be used for schoolwork. The courteous thing, although less lucrative for the university when recruiting residents, would have been to notify residents that this construction would take place during part or all of their stay at Holyrood South. The university should aim to minimize all disruption during their studies and encourage the success of all its students through providing services that make their transition smooth. The moving from hotel to hotel was clearly an effort to avoid booking each resident a room for 30+ days if the building happened to be finished and ready to move into within that time period, but that cautious effort came across as ill-planned. I think the transition to a new city might have been particularly jarring for the residents who had to stay in hotels 2+ miles from the city centre/university. For the sticker price of this university and particularly our accommodation, these casualties really shouldn't incurred. Although these complaints may appear to be whiny, I think it's important to voice concerns when so many of us are taking out student loans with high interest rates to be here and could be receiving services and accommodation from the university that make those payments worthwhile.

Firstly, I would also like to acknowledge the diligence of the RAs throughout our stay in Holyrood. I am also aware that compared to other residences, Holyrood is a very nice accommodation building. Overall, I've had an enjoyable year here. However, I would like to reiterate some of the issues expressed by other Holyrood residents. 1) My flat is on the construction side of the building close to the ground level. I appreciate that I live in a city, where living close to construction is always a possibility. I honestly don't find the noise to be all that much of an issue, since I go to campus quite frequently, However, when I am trying to study in my room the noise is disruptive. 2) The room temperature is ridiculous. I feel like I'm in a sauna close to the ground floor...I can't even imagine what it is like on the higher floors. I can only adjust the room temperature from 19- 21°. Of course, this probably isn't Accomodation Services fault, but it is an issue that should be looked into. If the room temperature was bearable, I could leave my windows closed to decrease the level of noise. 3) Something needs to be done about the mail system. Our flat receives other people's mail (addressed correctly) almost every day. This is probably because we are close to the ground floor. Royal Mail and many of the delivery companies do not understand this building, as I have talked to some of them personally. There should be lockers downstairs where people can collect their mail. Since there is a member of staff (Dean) here during the day in the common room, all packages should be collected by him and then residents can be informed by email if they have a package. I know a few residents that have lost valuables because of this mail system. 4) I moved 3 times before moving into Holyrood. If there was any ​doubt as to if Holyrood South would be finished by the 10th of October, I believe it was Accommodation Services' responsibility to make sure we would have housing tha

I was in Deaconess halls last year and experienced pretty much all of what you've experienced in Holyrood!

I'm a resident at Holyrood and want to add that it has not been a fantastic year living here, and hopefully accommodation services will read these comments and improve for the future. Here are a few things that I have been issues this year: 1. I was put in Canon Court, about 40 mins walk for me ONE WAY, from the start of the semester. The wifi there was really awful and the distance was incredibly inconvenient. I don't think it was fair that we were paying to be put so far away from campus. They also didn't seem to care that we were uncomfortable with the distance and brushed it off, implying that we were lazy. It was poorly and unfairly handled. 2. The wifi is truly terrible. I can't Skype call my family without it cutting in and out EVERY TIME. Not a single call has been stable the entire 8+ months I've lived here, and it doesn't matter what hour. I've tried to make calls during day, night, ungodly hours like 4AM...still unable to maintain a stable connection. I don't think this is an enormous issue because I can still check email and read articles, but it's definitely a reason I would never choose again to pay this much and live here. 3. The cleaning is a complete joke. They shouldn't even advertise that there is cleaning included. Initially it was really good, we had a great staff named Rosie. Then after she left, our flat hasn't been cleaned. I share a bathroom with two very tidy girls, and even with weekly cleanings, there was weird mold growth in our shower that I had to report. That's because they DON'T actually clean. I get that we are adults and we can clean ourselves, but please don't advertise that there is weekly cleaning, because the truth is that there isn't. If you really want to have a clean bathroom and kitchen, you will need to buy all the cleaning supplies as if you lived without "cleaners" to clean the toilet bowl (because they don't), wipe the counters (because they don't), scrub the showers (because they don't). They basically just

I live on the construction side and it is unbearable. everyday I am woken up by the noise, and have to leave my room asap! I can't study in my room because of it. Also, I live just above the common room and when someone is playing the piano or partying, we can't sleep. they should have considered everything. For example, to put the common room separately or not to settle people above it. Why should I pay the same money with the one who lives on the back side and NOT above the common room? When I moved here in November, they didn't warn me about the construction. It is very annoying.

The construction noise from the backyard was super annoying during the first three months of packing into the building. This was because metal was being used to cut bricks. This terrible noise affected my studies (which reflected in my grades) as I could not read in my room. This was certainly not what I paid for.

There is a noise in the early morning.

These residents deserve to get their money back. These are students who are working on their education, and it seems like the university was just trying to take every penny from them any chance they got.

Stop with the exploitation.