CB1 Cambridge, Cambridge

Please be aware that the hobs in all of the kitchens and studio flats do not work properly at all and the staff have been aware of this since day 1 and the issue is unfixable unless stoves are completely replaced which isn’t happening. The stove will never be hot enough to boil water and I couldn’t cook any meat such as a burger or steak because the heat wouldnt penetrate the meat… this was so frustrating, really disappointing when I realised this was the standard and was not getting fixed I was discouraged to cook a lot. I’ve checked with friends in shared flats in a different building and they say the same. I stay in a “deluxe studio” and the room is spacious enough and suitable but the decor is very outdated if you care about that sort of thing. A friend who had a deluxe studio in a different building mentioned that his room was much larger than the one I received and we payed the same amount so keep that in mind that it is a gamble on room size. Also to be noted that for 9.5k a year my studio flat has a stove that doesn’t really work and I have a MICROWAVE/oven. It works great DONT get me wrong but it’s a little bit of a slap in the face considering other accommodation in the area have better decor and a regular oven with two tiers to cook food on. In the microwave oven you can only cook one tray of food at a time. The fridge has a small freezer section which can fit a bag of frozen veg and maybe some frozen meat for another day. Overall the street outside of crick house which faces the bus stations and Railyard accommodation is loud with traffic and people yelling pretty much 24/7. This is to be expected when living anywhere in the city so don’t let that offput you because you wont even notice half the time but it is constant. I stayed in crick house and there was only two washing machines and two dryers.. and a wash and dry is £6 each time… absolutely insane. This is a standard with student accommodation everywhere but it’s a joke because you will need to wait in a cue of people to wash your clothes and spend a fortune whilst doing it. Overall the CB1 is fine to stay in I like the area and the bed is comfy and there’s always hot water, but if I knew about the stoves not working properly, the mini oven and the overpriced washing I would’ve considered looking elsewhere or pressing my friends for a share house. This accommodation is not cheap and they will want the first rent payment before everyone gets their student finance payments which is really cheeky and quite inconsiderate for students who might not have £1.5k laying around in the bank. Staff are very lovely bless them, helpful too! All downsides for the accommodation isn’t their fault at all.

Okay, SO. When I first moved in I loved it, it's modern, it's red, it's nice. The common room is great, although nobody reaaaally uses it... Staff didn't fix our broken fridge freezer or extractor fan, blocked sink and blocked alllll year after so many complaints - so you don't get everything you pay for. The price to wash your clothes is £3.90 for one wash and dry, but it doesn't really wash your clothes or dry them at all so that sucks. I'd hand wash if I were you - only I couldn't, due to a blocked sink that never got fixed. The fire alarms are A N N O Y I N G and sometimes go off at like 3am for a good 20 minutes. At LEAST 3 times a week. The neighbourhood is loud and keeps me up pretty much every night. The "24 hour security" don't actually answer their phone through the night. The buses and trains are so, SO loud and literally wake me up at 6am every single morning. The blinds don't actually block out enough light either. So overall, you don't sleep and everything breaks. Absolutely do NOT stay here.

I have lived here for the entirety of my degree and I wouldn't want to have lived anywhere else. The rooms are a great size, having an en suite is perfect and the kitchens are just awesome. The staff are incredible and are so supportive; they've really made my living here as comfortable as possible. Brilliant value for money as Cambridge is so expensive, but CB1 have everything included so I've never had to worry about bills. Love this place!