Don’t accept NCI Student Accommodation (Review)

DublinSeagull

I spent a year in the campus accommodation in the national college of Ireland in Dublin and I seriously cannot stress this enough: AVOID IT by any means possible.
1. Ineffective communication - The staff would consistently do things without informing any residents, maintenance workers would simply walk into the apartment and do some work, without us knowing. We’d wake up to the sound of someone testing our smoke alarms in our rooms without having been informed this would happen. Move out and move in dates would constantly change with no warning or reasoning.
2. Invasion of privacy - as above, staff would constantly randomly walk into the apartment and even our bedrooms without warning and reason, it was very concerning.
3. Staff issues - staff were oftentimes aggressive - they walked into our apartment at random and accused of things we did not do and refused to step down even though they were in the wrong. It is a clear breach of the letting agreement for staff to enter without warning and permission of residents but they consistently would, and they’d be aggressive about it. In one case, a security worker was so aggressive it made a friend cry.
4. Costs and Not Communicating Costs. The accommodation costs are high and not good value for what you receive. Rates for the upcoming year have not yet been released despite multiple promises to do so.
5. Health and Safety during Pandemic - staff would never wear masks and continue to enter apartments without permission and handle our cooking utensils etc with unwashed hands. No social distancing was in place eg multiple people could be in one small Elevator (if the elevator wasn’t broken, which it consistently is.), no hand sanitiser was provided for weeks. As well as this, if you had gone home for the pandemic, no exceptions were made for paid rent, no refunds or no mention of a discounted price. Also, a move out date was still enforced so all residents had to return in June to move their belongings, even if this meant trying to fly back from another country.

Overall, this accommodation is the WORST in the country and you’re better off shelling out a slightly higher price for one of those stupid “luxury” student living, or finding your own house.