Accommodation feedback

What you said

88% of students who completed the survey felt the way they were able to apply to book their room with us, and moving in, was a positive experience. 

What we are doing next

However, we won't stop looking at ways to continue to improve that journey. One of the ways we are hoping to achieve this, is by upgrading our allocation system, and streamlining the application route, to make it faster, more accessible, and clearer to use. 

We will also be updating the photos and videos of our accommodation that will be both on our website, and via the applicant portal. 

We will be increasing pre-arrival information, advising what you need to do, and what to expect, as well as increasing our signage, and other wayfinding information, such as using what3words, to help students locate exactly where they need to go when they arrive. We also doing extra room audits before arrivals weekend, wherever possible, so identify any issues in the rooms, so we can get these resolved in good time.

What you said

96% of students that completed the survey, highly rate the safety and security on campus, and within our accommodation. 

We provide 24-hour support on campus, whether that is help to get a new key, directions, first aid support, wellbeing support or general queries, the team are constantly around. To help security to do their job, and to help staff and students feel safe, we also have CCTV across campus, which is constantly monitored. 

What we are doing next

From the 2026-27 academic year, we are excited to announce that the University has signed up to SafeZone, which is a safety app, that we are asking all students and staff to download when they arrive. By doing this, you will have access to support at your finger tips. You have the choice to check in on the app, if you are working alone somewhere on campus, so they know where to find you if you need assistance, or you can hit the emergency or first aid button, and they can pin point where you are, even if you haven't checked in, and come and help. 

It's not just for emergencies though, you do also have the option to just chat via the non-urgent button if you have a query. So a real step forward in providing all round security, wherever you are. 

What you said

62% of students that completed the survey, rated the maintenance responsiveness positively, however, this is one area where students feel that improvements can be made. This is for communication, timeliness, and quality of the works. 

What we are doing next

We are working closely with all our hard and soft facility teams, across campus, to identify areas that need improvement, such as recording of jobs, assigning priority, and quality checking the works to make sure they are to the standard we would expect. 

We are also working on creating a future proof long term maintenance programme, that identifies areas of refurbishment that are needed, again prioritising these, and ensuring the works are of a good quality, and reflect a more modern style. Where possible, each time we refurbish an area, we are replacing the standard UK 3FT single beds we currently have, with UK 4FT small double beds, because we know sleep is important, and having the space to do this properly, makes all the difference.

What you said

42% of students that completed the survey, were positive about the value and affordability of our accommodation. However, this is also an area where students show the most concern. Managing the cost of accommodation, as well as other high living costs, can be a struggle, and some students find it hard to manage. 

What we are doing next

We want to help our students as much as we can, and have put an Essex Futures Bursary in place, to help students from less privileged backgrounds, to get financial support towards their accommodation on campus. 

We also have different offers, such as cashback, reduced priced parking for certain accommodation areas, where space allows, we also have work opportunities in the accommodation, such as the Show Flat Scheme, so residents can earn whilst living on campus. 

The main area of work is determining the rental charges each year, and for 2026-27, we were able to reduce the price in some areas. Work will continue for the 2027-28 rent setting exercise, where we will take into account benchmarked costs from other universities, cost of living pressures, and maintenance loan payments.