The Vale Village

Reviews

Anonymous

Location was quite a far from uni so had to walk half an hour there which wasn't too bad except when it rained. The distance wasn't good for sports clubs and sports night as it was too far. Also the nearest aldi was a mile away. The kitchen was too small so it was difficult to host pres or even eat in the kitchen as the was usually dishes in the breakfast bar bit. Because it was so small people didn't often hang out in our kitchen. Rooms were fine and so we're the bathrooms if you kept them clean. Maple bank is very old so had a lot of problems. Our kitchen flooded at one point and it took maintance about a week to sort out. Overall okay but not great.

Anonymous

It is very green and has a nice lake. Social experience is amazing as it houses the most students so most freshers or new students stay here. There are loads of events organised by the accommodation foc or at a cheap rate. It's not very convenient in terms of grocery shopping as there is only a costcutter nearby. Otherwise you would have to walk to five ways or selly oak or take the bus to city centre. Delivery is always an option though. The room was nice. The only thing that shocked me was the wardrobe space and I'm not one to buys loads of clothing items. It can get noisy past midnight as there are students partying or coming home drunk. Some blast they're loud music.

Anonymous

I enjoyed the location because based around a beautiful lake with lots of green space, although it was a 15-20 minute walk to lectures which I didn't mind but some people might. The accommodation has now been refurbished where I stayed i.e. Tennis courts but 4 years ago some of the blocks had not been refurbished and we still paid the same price as the newer ones, which I thought was unfair. Accomodation here is quite pricey, but you do feel safe.

Anonymous

The location in relation to campus is reasonable, however after a long day of lectures, the 20 minute walk can be tedious. However the social aspect of having a village of students that are mainly first years allow for a very good experience- there are always people to go out on broad street with! The room is really well done, the only issues are that the shower blocks and the lack of ventilation in the room. However I would recommend the vale as a student village

Anonymous

Good location on the vale as in between walking to the city centre and walking to university. Ensuite and 3/4 bed are nice. Walls are thin which can lead to some issues with noise. Kitchen layout means it can be quite unsocial. Loud at night especially on particular nights.

Anonymous

Chamberlain accommodation. The location is pretty much ideal with catering, laundry, costcutter and the duck and scholar (pub) all within the accommodation. It is also only a 15 to 20 minute walk to the university. The facilities are also practical, with large social kitchens with comfy sofas and enough room for all of the flat to cook, clean and eat. However, i found it isn't the most homely feeling accomidation. Rooms are all differently sized and the curtains are hideous!!! The ensuite is very handy although showers are a little on the small side. I also found the rooms were pretty chilly during the winter. Worst part of chamberlain- meal plan. DONT DO IT.

Anonymous

The room is okay, the location is quite useful in terms of getting to local shops and to the university and the social experience is average, could be improved with a wider range of cultures.

Anonymous

I thought that the rooms were very modern, however the en suites were more of a wet room than a bathroom. The layout of the kitchen was really awkward too, with it being a long rectangle, meaning that you couldn't socialise while cooking, as the people eating were the other end of the room. Location was good, closest to campus, but was not worth what we paid.

Anonymous

Lots of friendly people and stuff to do. Good location to the pub and covenience store however is far from any real supermarkets. Basic rooms and kitchen for the price however is very liveable.

Anonymous

Nice place with lots of friendly people. Convenient having a store in the village as well as the different restaurants and pub. Basic rooms for how expensive they are. Any problems are not quickly fixed when reported.

Anonymous

I was in chamberlain main tower. The facilities were nice and on a whole a positive experience. However, I hated the flat I was in and didn’t get along to any of the people within it due to language barriers (I was the only English speaker bar one other girl who basically lived at home). I think there needs to be a better system for matching people with flatmates, luckily I made friends with another flat in chamberlain c and they basically adopted me into their flat. I also made friends with the flat below and are living with them this year which is 1000 times better

Anonymous

For the price I pay, the room is not exactly the best. I’ve calculated that for approximately £5 extra per week I could have a personal studio in some other accommodations in Selly Oak. The kitchen is not very well designed, especially as the appliances are poor. However the room itself is nice, and the services available in the Vale village are pretty up to standard.

Anonymous

Halls were cheap which was good, but the kitchen was very small. However I was on meal plan so this wasn’t a massive issue. Halls were too far away from shops however and also far from uni. I felt their could’ve been more on offer on the vale. The bar on site was very poor. Also no lounge / common area in halls made it hard to hang out.

Anonymous

Very sociable place to live, definitely a community feeling. Takes 10-25 minutes to get to campus depending on where exactly you live. The flats are nice and spacious enough, the only reason I give it less is because we've had a lot of problems with our boiler, heating, hot water and WiFi which has been really annoying.

Anonymous

Mason is one of the pricier halls but not worth it, halls like tennis court or victoria are more sociable and better value

Anonymous

The location was good as walkable to uni. The social side of it was also excellent as everyone’s accommodation was nearby and there was a bar and events on there and on the vale. The facilities of my accommodation were poor - it was not refurbished, a lot of maintenance issues, the rooms were tiny as well - it barely fit a bed inside. The rooms definitely could have been bigger. Also when we started the flats weren’t particularly clean at all. It would’ve been nice if there were more communal areas eg. On the bottom floor of a block of flats to make socialising with people not in your flat easier and not as squashed.

Anonymous

The Vale Village is a really beautiful place because of the lake and the surroundings, but i live in Maple Bank, the cheapest accommodation there is. I like my room i think it offers enough for the moeny spent but there are some disadvantages like the position which is really far from the university and the fact that is really noisy. Also, there are no shops near the halls except for costcutter which is quite expensive.

Anonymous

Facilities good, but EXTREMELY pricey. Prices increasing every year really, really unfair. Pizza from Melt is very nice though. Washing machine room has nice smells but unfortunately condoms in 'charity donation' bin sullys the experience a little. A decent walk to the main campus, but nice paved yellow road makes it relatively easy to find, but on other hand could have better sign posting.

Anonymous

Maple Bank in the Vale is I think the tied-cheapest option - and the facilities do reflect that. Despite self-catering being the only option, compared to the other housing options, you get the smallest kitchens. The kitchens are so small that you don't get a dining table, but instead a breakfast bar that technically seats 3 (at least, there are 3 stools available) and a 'sofa' the width of a love seat. All 5 flatmates could technically cook at the same time - but only if four flatmates use a hob each and one uses the oven, and you don't all stand in the main cooking area at once. You get a freezer, 2 fridges, a microwave, and an oven with the kitchen. You share a laundry building with the rest of Maple Bank. All common areas in the flat - the kitchen, the corridor, and the two rooms with toilets - have automatic lights. In the corridor and kitchen this is fine when you move more often, but in the main bathroom, the shower cubicle blocks the sensor, so you have to keep opening the shower door when you shower to keep the lights on at night. The highlights of the Maple Bank flats are the personal rooms. The rooms are a good size, the wardrobes are adequate, there is room under the bed for storage boxes, and the desk is huge. There are more than plenty sockets. Because the rent is all inclusive, WiFi and heating are included in the room. You can control the heating in your room (which is great, until, like our flat and the ones above and below, the boiler goes out of service for over a week...but this also affects the shower and kitchen etc.) and once you sign in to the WiFi you can use it throughout the flat. The outside bin areas (shared by a lot of flats) had rats when I was there in 2015/2016. It isn't the longest walk from campus, but it is still at the top of the hill. Despite a lot of negatives, it is the cheapest option, and as long as you keep requesting (repeatedly and loudly if needs be) maintenance, you should be fine if you don't mind sharing a bathroom and a small kitchen.

Anonymous

Chamberlain Hall at The Vale Village is a new, albeit not perfect place to live. The construction quality is poor, the fittings and fixtures are cheap, and there were a huge array of issues during my time in the hall. The building is situated a long way away from anything else, up a hill. The only food and shops available nearby are extremely expensive and vastly overpriced.

Anonymous

Stayed in Elgar court. Excellent hall with en suite and a nice kitchen. Has a nice lake and close laundry service. However, is located quite distant from the university.

Anonymous

The location is very good being a 15 minute walk to the university main campus and university train station. It is also between a 30-45 minute walk to the centre of Birmingham and also to Harborne which is convenient, as this allows you to see a variety of different shops. The room is decent, although the walls aren't great as paint has been peeled off and the walls have holes in from previous students - the could do with filling and repainting. The three quart beds aren't particularly worth it, and the room is laid out in an awkward position initially, although a group of us have realised you can rotate the bed making the room a lot easier to live in. This is one convenience of having furniture in the room that is fully moveable. Not an excess of storage in the room but enough to get by on. Bathrooms flood which can be an inconvenience when wanting to have a quick shower as you have to clean up straight away or have the peril of wet feet. There can be a lot of noise and the kitchens aren't a particularly social place due to the arrangement of the eating area. However nightlife is good and there are always event posters being put through our door.

Anonymous

The Kitchen means that the social side of the flats isn’t overly brilliant. Rooms are loud on a night often and wet rooms flood easily. On the plus convenient to walk to everywhere with easy access to the canal, uni campus. Overall not bad value for money but there are many improvements that could easily be made to make it better.

Ayo Ajayi

about 15 mins from uni not too bad, i moved in when the building was just opened which wasnt ideal as there were still many issues

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