Grand Central Unite

I do not recommend students booking accommodation here for several reasons. Firstly, I booked an ensuite room in Block E and prior to my arrival I was told my room had been inspected thoroughly and there were no issues. However, when I arrived this wasn’t the case as the room had been left in a filthy state: the shower wall had dry mould on it which was extremely difficult to scrub off. This could have been avoided if the staff had done their job properly and actually bothered to ensure the shower was clean before I moved in. It felt like it had never been cleaned before. In addition to this, all the desks were dusty and had bits of dirt in them so we had to clean all the draws. I then had problems settling in as during the first week my toilet did not flush which happened twice. I had to wait over a day for this to be fixed when they could have easily come on the day it happened as I made staff aware of the issue immediately. I also had a broken chair leg which meant it was difficult for me to work comfortably. Furthermore, my room was really dark, there was limited cupboard space and the curtains needed updating. In terms of the kitchen this was not fully equipped as no bin bags or dish rack was provided so myself and my flatmates had to go out and buy these items. Regarding the location, there is a smoking area with benches directly below my room so every night many students were chatting really loudly and some students were running up and down the stairs so I couldn’t sleep. As a result, I complained several times to reception and asked if they could move the benches and the smoking area but they didn't move the benches. I also suggested they have night-time security staff patrolling the area so there aren't too many students outside making lots of noise but they didn't listen so I continued to suffer. After a week I had no option but to go home. Grand Central are also greedy for money since I only stayed one week (21st September - 28th September 2020) and was still made to pay the second and final rent instalment even though I informed them that I wasn't planning on returning until the covid cases in Liverpool had dropped and we were out of lockdown. They did not take this into consideration at all as I only received back £186 which equated to 3 weeks rent. This proves that Grand Central didn't take the pandemic seriously as they forced students to carry on paying rent even though they know we are unable to make full use of our rooms. It is unacceptable and therefore a waste of money booking accommodation here as you won't get a full refund if the same situation happens again i.e., another national lockdown. Furthermore, when you book online you don't have an option to select the contract length so you are forced into a long contract that runs into July by which time all students are finished with their studies. This is ridiculous as they know students won’t be using their room during this time. Finally, they don't give you the option to cancel your contract if you finish your course well before your contract ends which is not fair at all. I finished the first year of my degree in May and when I asked to cancel my contract, they made up an excuse to say they released students from their contract at the start of the pandemic which was a lie since I was never informed about this. To summarise don't book accommodation in Grand Central because it’s not good value for money, you’re not guaranteed a good night’s sleep, the staff aren't helpful and you won’t receive a well-maintained room and bathroom. Thank you for reading my length review and I hope you find it helpful in the future.