Collegiate Castle Street, cambridge

I am not surprised this accommodation has one-star reviews. I lived here from September 2022 to September 2023, and the amount of racism and racial profiling I experienced was unbelievable. Nick Frinton, in particular, is a manipulative narcissist. Some reviews say he’s nice, but my experience was very different. He made comments like, “Of course, you have no money” For reference I am a dark-skinned Black woman, was made very uncomfortable by his behavior. In addition this was extremely disrespectful as if I would go into an accommodation I cannot pay for, I had 5 figures in my account at the time, i am not the one to be racially profile I often found him pretending to be busy but actually watching me, knocking at my room door at the evening asking if I had someone in, flirting with the female cleaners Their room inspections are done unlawfully and excessively. They’re supposed to be once a year, but while I lived here, it was every 3 to 4 months. They give only 24 hours’ notice by email and force their way in. On one occasion, when I was naked and sleeping, the cleaners tried to enter. My door was locked, but Nick tried to get in anyway. When I opened the door, I was distressed and angry. The male inspectors laughed, while Nick looked embarrassed. In addition, the walls are paper thin. You can hear every sound, every word, everything from your next-door neighbor. There is no privacy. And if that wasn’t enough — There are constant hot water and boiler issues. This didn’t just start during my stay — it’s been happening since before I even moved in. It’s been a constant problem. No running hot water, boiler breakages, etc. When I first arrived, the bowls were greasy and I had to do a deep clean myself. Also, you must email them to get your security deposit back; otherwise, they won’t refund it. The white lady staff member is also very racist — pretending to be nice but making condescending remarks, like accusing people of supplying drugs to her husband. Nick even reported me to the head of accommodation over rent payments. He gave me the wrong payment amount, but then tried to push for my eviction after I paid what I thought was correct. I had to have a formal meeting with him. My mother had to call him and pretend to threaten me to get me to apologize — even though I did nothing wrong. They used manipulative tactics to make my life a living hell despite me paying rent. I also had an incident with a long-term roommate who knocked on my door aggressively at 4 a.m. I punched her in self-defense because I couldn’t regulate my emotions. I even had to stay with my father afterwards until my tenancy ended. During this time, I was being diagnosed with ADHD and struggling mentally. They didn’t inform me that I could leave the accommodation since I was no longer a student, even though they knew. After the incident, Nick held a meeting telling me I “needed to get help,” which is no surprise given the treatment I endured. Many students have claimed that items were stolen from their rooms during inspections. Avoid this place at all costs. Always communicate by email, especially when requesting your security deposit or the £800 they often refuse to refund.

Worst student accommodation experience ever in my life!!! Can’t feel being respected as a Cambridge student who should at least have a decent living accommodation at all. The staff are so rude to us, and the infrastructure in this building is so bad, everything constantly break. No water, no heat in cold winter, constant noise, extremely rude staff who know only how to threaten and harass students, made my past one year experience here sucks. My friends in other college accommodations are checked maybe once a year, if at all. Here, I feel constantly stressed about the excessive room checks. They inspect everything—from water temperature and radiators to basic facilities like EVEN toilet cleaner!!! Rude staff used his feet to open my toilet lid to inspect my toilet, which was shockingly rude. It happens almost once per month, or even more frequently! The rent here is much higher than in college accommodation, yet you don't really get what the rent should provide. Despite their claims of diligence, these inspections do nothing but add to the stress of living here. These experiences make me feel I’m living in an expensive prison and don’t have privacy and respect at all. If you value your peace of mind, if you want to have a decent living environment that you can enjoy your study in Cambridge, if you don’t want to be intimidated and disturbed daily, I strongly advise looking elsewhere for accommodation in Cambridge.

I have never written a review but this was needed. I am not the type of person to go out of my way and write one but this place made me cry continuously and feel so upset. This place feels and looks like a prison. I moved in paid nearly a months worth of money and left after a week and a half. This place made me feel depressed I cried every night. I felt so uncomfortable I had to ask a friend from another accommodation to stay with me until I could find another place. It wasn’t clean nothing worked properly. It was definitely money not spent well. Furthermore the people that work there are absolutely rude. They invade your privacy and are rude with their posture and attitude. Considering we’re paying for this place we’re helping you to run an accommodation so minimum treat us with respect. They act all highly of themselves. Their attitude is absolutely disgusting. Unfortunately I didn’t meet anyone in the team who was professional and had good worth ethics besides some of the security who comes late in the evening. Students avoid this place!!! Please mentally it will not be of any helpp!!!!!

Worst accommodation ever. No hot water for weeks during winter, privacy invasion by frequent room inspections, constant noise issue and rude receptionist - most of the them are kind and helpful, apart from a few. Building is poorly designed, that it’s cold in winter (and the heating always went off automatically in midnight) and hot in the summer (no AC). Please avoid this place at all cost if you don’t want your Cambridge student experience to be ruined.

The location of Collegiate is superb, just a 5-minute walk to the city center and close to almost all university colleges. The rooms are spacious enough, so you don't need to share the bathroom, fridge, or kitchen with anyone else. You'll feel like you're in a studio flat. It's a safe, clean place with plenty of facilities such as laundry and a gym center. The management team, comprised of Nick, Mariyana, and Irina, is very supportive, polite, and professional; they do everything to ensure a comfortable stay here. If you have any questions, they can easily help and provide support. I've witnessed Nick assisting tenants not only with Collegiate-related matters but also providing support on various aspects such as preparing presentations, explaining the city, and recommending places to visit. When you live far from your home country, it's important to not feel alone. Additionally, it is a modern young building compared to other "Victorian" properties in the city.