Internet is either slow or cut out. Heater turns off when you’re in the room and it is much too cold to be 19 degrees even though that is the line they hold. Parcels take a long time to be processed after delivery, not good for essentials. Front desk gets upset if you try to collect before it is processed so can’t work around it, and some have quite a fierce attitude.
I am a first year student that stayed during the pandemic (2020-21) and this accommodation is NOT worth its prices. Staff are friendly and then you are greeted into your 10 man-flat with very little space and £270 per week room that hasn't been cleaned since its previous tenant. Social scene is DIRE, not just because of the pandemic, oh no, because the advertised common rooms and terraces are actually inaccessible. We were told it was because of lockdown, yet all advertised facilities except for the £7 for-every-wash-you-do Circuit Laundry remained locked for the entirety of our stay, even after restrictions were lifted, despite the fact that 'Covid Helpers' from UCL in pink shirts got to use them?! Furthermore, St Pancras Way management refused to acknowledge or reply to many of our concerns, we feel bad for the staff that clearly cares about the students that live there, sadly this is not reflected in their managment's actions. No reduction in accommodation fees, no uni social life and thus no reason to waste your time, I advise intercollegiate or private renting.
I lived at St Pancras Way during the 2018-19 academic year. The building is in an excellent location, five minutes' walk from Camden High Street and close to bus and tube etc. The rooms are quite large, although the space isn't used very efficiently and would benefit from a redesign. Storage capacity was more than adequate for me, but might not be suitable for people with a lot of clothes as the wardrobes are very small. The ensuites are uncomfortably tiny and there were constant problems with the hot water supply during my stay. Maintenance tasks were not carried out in a timely manner, even those legally requiring immediate action. There is (or was) a general state of disrepair throughout the building, in addition to an overall lack of adequate ventilation. There is no air conditioning. The walls are paper-thin - earplugs or earbuds are essential if you wish to sleep at this property. The WiFi is a 6/10 - download speed was good, upload speed wasn't, and VOIP was poor. Desk staff are very friendly and happy to help, but I got the impression management does not communicate with them effectively so it was fairly common for issues to take some time to resolve. The building does feel secure and I had no safety concerns whilst staying there; staff do seem to have a habit of letting themselves into occupied rooms without providing the necessary notice, however, so it's advisable to keep any socially embarassing possessions out of sight. Finally, the price. Yes, it's in Central London, but even taking that into consideration the value for money provided by St Pancras Way is poor. That said, if you're able to secure a lower rate for a room here and you don't mind sleeping with earbuds in, it's not the worst option in NW1. Beware of scheduled construction work, though - during my stay, five months' worth of major building works began just as the exam season kicked in. We had been given no warning about this during the booking or moving-in process and it was too late to make alternate arrangements.
This company is a complete rip off. My room was disgusting once I arrived - piles of dirt (including snot) under my chair and desk. Dirty common rooms, kitchen cleaning only once a month, and rat problem You pay so much yet they still overcharge you for laundry every week (the machines and dryers work poorly so you have to use them over and over again for them to work, hence you pay almost double for everything in the end). Mediocre staff. They even make you pay if you want properly printed text (without ads). UCL is NOT 15 mins walking as mentioned on the website, instead it takes around 30 mins to walk to uni. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY!
St Pancras Way is expensive and dirty. Not only are there mice running around in the bin store, some kitchens and outside the building, they are now also crawling with bed bugs. The staff are friendly but incompetent as they are always losing parcels and room keys stop working. I have felt that they have been patronising on a number of occasions. They have a lot of common rooms but noone really uses them. They don't make an effort to help everyone socialise at all.
Starting on the pros, the rooms were by far the best offered as a UCL hall. Spacious, modern, double bed and plenty of storage, with a well functioning and clean bathroom. The kitchen was similarly modern and well-equipped. Security within the building is of a very high standard, you require a key to get in at 3 separate stages before you even get to your room, and there is someone at the front desk 24/7. The management also respond efficiently to maintenance requests. The location is great if your not fussed about being close to UCL - that's about a 20-25 minute walk although there are plenty of buses too if necessary. Close to Mornington Crescent, Camden Road, and Kings Cross St Pancras stations, so there are plenty of transport links, and close enough to Camden Town that there is plenty to do in the local area. However, it's not rare to see some dodgy looking people nearby. With regards to cons, my biggest issue was with the kitchen. My flat of 10 people had a significantly smaller kitchen, with the same amount of fridge and storage space as a flat equipped for 6, with the result that we often felt tight on space. Furthermore, while other UCL halls have the kitchen cleaned twice weekly with a bin service, ours was only cleaned once fortnightly, and with 10 people it was hard to maintain cleanliness in between. Furthermore, the management were very strict on noise so that small flat parties were regularly shut down, which was very frustrating and damaging to the whole experience of it. The halls as a whole did not have a particularly good social scene as compared to Ramsay or the other big UCL halls. Overall I'd say if you value the quality of your room and stay over the social scene, then St Panc is a great bet. If you're looking for somewhere typical of the uni experience, then maybe not.
Living here was not worth the amount payed per week. Compared to other ucl halls which get cleaned every few days, the bins taken out for them and the corridor cleaned, the cleaning service at st.pancras way is below adequate. The kitchens are cleaned once a fortnight and not thoroughly done. The size of the flat is not big enough for 10 people and is smaller than most of the other flats with the same number of people. Our flat had the same number of fridges as a flat with 5 people so didn't have enough storage in the fridges or cupboards. There also was not enough places for everyone to cook or sit. The kitchen was also one of the smallest however had to fit one of the largest numbers of people. Being on the 1st floor the blinds provided were not the same as the roller blinds on the other floors and so blocked out no light. You also could not have your blinds open during the day other wise people look in your room and kitchen, and the footfall past the windows of both bedrooms and kitchens can get very busy. It is also possible for people of small size to climb through the kitchen window. People also sit on the window ledged and smoke outside your room and so having the windows open isn't always an option unless you want the smell of smoke to come in. Another problem with being on this floor as you can hear all of the noise from common room and also from people getting in and out of the lifts. The location is okay however at night it is not the safest of areas and can feel quite dangerous. It is sometimes hard for taxis and deliveries to find the building too. The rooms are a good size however some are bigger than others, but the bathrooms are a good size and have decent new facilities. The only complaints about the actual rooms is that the wardrobe is quite small and the shelves are too high up if you're a short female. Also the beds are quite hard to lift up if you're alone and so you can't store stuff you use frequently in the underbed storage. The management is okay, however resolving problems does take a while and constant reminding. The problem with the noise of the generator took months to sort out, with not much updates from them. Overall I would say going to a slightly cheaper older hall would be better value for money
Well, when you pay 208 for a single I'd say you get what you pay for. The halls are clean, the rooms are neat and organised with plenty of storage space. Double beds are always a plus. Close to MC station (about 6-7 minute walk away from MC, Sainsbury's, and KOKO), about a 25-27 minute walk to UCL if you're slow. Management is fairly friendly, if a bit anal retentive, internet is decent, kitchens are nice and spacious. Common rooms are sound. Location is alright, don't walk alone late at night if you're a girl (true of all of London) but generally pretty safe. Brand new building, good security––operates on a keycard basis, so don't lose your card. All in all probably the best UCL hall. Not too great on location and it is expensive, but by and large beats Ifor Evans and Max Rayne.
