Avon Studios - Student Accommodation Bath Midland Road, Bath BA1 3BZ

"I have been staying with Avon Studios for the past year and for the most part it has been a fantastic place to stay for students. It is a little expensive, but that is the price to pay for a riverside studio in the centre of Bath. Anything you might need are all within walking distance - shops, supermarket, buses to the university, etc. So if you are an undergraduate who wants a private, high-quality studio apartment, Avon Studios is ideal. However, if like me, you are a postgraduate student who will live here all year round, this is where the quality starts to slip. Once the undergraduate students finish, the reception staff are no longer deemed necessary and the services they provide are limited. This is mostly small things like parcels and a vacuum cleaner to borrow. Despite this, I had previously agreed to renew my tenancy for another year so I recently went through the transition from one contract to the next. It is important to mention how the default rent payment instalments are very awkward for PhD students. My student stipend comes in quarterly throughout the year (Oct, Jan, Apr, Jul), however the full rent is due by March. With the cost of living increasing, I found it difficult last year to stretch my savings to pay all of the rent on essentially half my stipend. In an effort to avoid the previous year's issues with finances, I attempted to change my contract to monthly rent payments instead. Originally, this was agreed informally by the staff as being possible, yet they were unable to change the specific contract details. Over the summer, the absent summer staff made it impossible to get confirmation of how my contract would work. During this time, emails were handled by an anonymous person off site who dismissed all of my concerns. Finally in September when new staff returned, the discussion could finally get traction. They were also quite slow and uncommunicative, requiring many visits to the reception and evidence of my financial situation. In fairness, this is due to the large volume of new tenants, but the blame has to be on Avon Studios for letting it reach this point when I had been desperately trying to address it earlier. Eventually, a week into the new contract it has been mostly sorted out. During the time I was trying to resolve my apparently complicated contract request, my key fob was also repeatedly deactivated before the end of my first tenancy. Each time, I was locked outside of the building and the security team was an hour away. They advised me not to leave my studio until reception staff are back in case I can't get back in, which at its worst was a 3 day bank holiday. Each time, they would say the issue was fixed and inevitably it would break again a few days later. If the last 2 months hadn't happened, this review would be 5 stars. I have genuinely enjoyed my stay here during my studies over the past year. However, I must factor in the incompetence of whoever set-up the contract rebooking and the lack of summer communication in my review. They caused me to waste a lot of time, financial stress, and to be locked out of the building out of hours multiple times. They didn't acknowledge, offer any apology, or provide compensation for the circumstances that they caused. Therefore my rating reflects this. As I am staying for another year, my review may be updated after this tenancy ends."

"Great place to be. Good Ambiance. Friendly staff"

"I stayed here for the first year moving out and I cannot thank these people enough for making me feel so safe and at home and always accommodating my needs. The staff is extremely welcoming are always listening to suggestions and looking for ways to make each individual resident more comfortable ! Rooms are very spacious, price is reasonable considering what you’re getting, location is great, great social space. I absolutely loved my room and having my own kitchen and bathroom was a must for me ! Avon studios met all my standards and I would definitely go back and recommend to anybody :)"

"Friendly staff and a nice location. You should ask people not to weed in the garden right outside of our rooms in the early mornings when people are still sleeping. The noise almost killed me, can barely get a good sleep."

"Enjoyed my stay at the Avon Studios in Bath very much. The management was super friendly and helpful at all times. If was nice to experience the pragmatic collaboration. Everything was always clean and they have an extensive recycle program. Perfect walking distance to downtown Bath. All the Best!"