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3.51 / 5
3.51 / 5
456 ft from Keele University - Main Campus View map
  • 2 mins
  • 1 min
  • 2 mins
456 ft from Keele University - Main Campus View map
  • 2 mins
  • 1 min
  • 2 mins

How do you rate Holly Cross?

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Most helpful review

Holly Cross is located towards the edge of campus, and is only a 5-10 minute walk from the facilities in the heart of campus. Throughout my stay the maintenance team have been quick acting in solving any issues. En suite is cleaned every two weeks. The only real issue is that the heating in the building is dodgy as it only turns on during day/evening and not during some cold nights. However this can be fixed with a thick blanket (7.5+ tog recommended) From my experience the accoms would be ranked: Holly Cross: biggest en suites, double bed, peaceful Barnes: best social spaces, temperature, double bed Lindsay: best value for money, shared bathroom Horwood: best location (but depends where your lectures are), overheats, shared bathroom, noisy

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
By member4108570
On 14th May 24
verified Verified student
Read all reviews

Most helpful review

Holly Cross is located towards the edge of campus, and is only a 5-10 minute walk from the facilities in the heart of campus. Throughout my stay the maintenance team have been quick acting in solving any issues. En suite is cleaned every two weeks. The only real issue is that the heating in the building is dodgy as it only turns on during day/evening and not during some cold nights. However this can be fixed with a thick blanket (7.5+ tog recommended) From my experience the accoms would be ranked: Holly Cross: biggest en suites, double bed, peaceful Barnes: best social spaces, temperature, double bed Lindsay: best value for money, shared bathroom Horwood: best location (but depends where your lectures are), overheats, shared bathroom, noisy

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
By member4108570
On 14th May 24
verified Verified student
Read all reviews

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All the Answers You Need About Student Accommodation

What tenancy length do I need?

Some students choose to stay during the academic year, whilst others – particularly international students – require a tenancy that covers the entire year. You can also find student accommodation that is available for one or two terms, classified as a “short stay” on our search filters.

Should I stay in catered student accommodation?

This is totally up to you! Catered accommodation means you will be served meals at set times in a dining hall, and you’ll likely have access to fewer kitchen facilities than if you were to stay in self-catered accommodation.

What is a guarantor and do I need one?

A guarantor is a person who signs a contract to agree to pay your rent if you are unable to. Most university accommodation requires a guarantor, and this applies to both domestic and international students.

Will I need to pay a deposit on student accommodation?

Most likely, yes, you’ll need to pay a deposit. This will be refunded at the end of your stay as long as there is no damage to the room or property.

What bills will my rent include?

If you are staying in university-run accommodation or private halls, your rent should include any utilities such as electricity, gas, water, and internet. Students are not required to pay council tax, however you may need to fill in an exemption form so make sure you check with your local council.

What is purpose-built student accommodation?

Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) are residential buildings designed for students. They are often located close to campus, boast modern facilities, include all bills, and often have staff on site to assist residents.

Will my student accommodation be furnished?

Student accommodation is typically fully furnished. Your room should include at least a bed, clothes storage, desk and chair. You’ll likely need to bring things such as bedding and kitchen utensils, but we have a full list here of everything you’ll need.


Read Holly Cross Reviews


Student Review: 4.3 /5
By member12109808 On 28th May 24 verified Verified student

Holly Cross is amazing for student accommodation, although it is slightly pricey its definitely worth it. The bathroom and kitchen facilities are great, big spacious bedrooms and the kitchens are perfect for socialising in. The common room isnt particularly appealing however its still a very nice space to chill. The beds are perfect size lots of storage honestly the best first year i couldve asked for in this accommodation.

Value for money
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Property management
Cleaning
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Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.1 /5
By member10108684 On 15th May 24 verified Verified student

Price of accommodation is high considering what you get

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
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Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.6 /5
By member1378179 On 15th May 24 verified Verified student

Nice accommodation. Room and bathroom size is decent and equipped with the things you need. However, paying WAY too much for what you get. Doors slam way too loud here too.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 2.9 /5
By member4108653 On 15th May 24 verified Verified student

I've enjoyed living in this building however, the flats have been broken into several times as there is no security inside the building with only 2 cameras facing the car park and one road. Don’t feel very safe and for the price it could be a lot better. A lot of things are very loose like my desk leg and bathroom door handle.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 4.6 /5
By member4108570 On 14th May 24 verified Verified student

Holly Cross is located towards the edge of campus, and is only a 5-10 minute walk from the facilities in the heart of campus. Throughout my stay the maintenance team have been quick acting in solving any issues. En suite is cleaned every two weeks. The only real issue is that the heating in the building is dodgy as it only turns on during day/evening and not during some cold nights. However this can be fixed with a thick blanket (7.5+ tog recommended) From my experience the accoms would be ranked: Holly Cross: biggest en suites, double bed, peaceful Barnes: best social spaces, temperature, double bed Lindsay: best value for money, shared bathroom Horwood: best location (but depends where your lectures are), overheats, shared bathroom, noisy

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 4.4 /5
By member12108573 On 14th May 24 verified Verified student

Good distance to campus making it easy tk get to lectures. However, there is only a kitchen and no other social space which is disappointing for the price we are paying.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.1 /5
By member894770 On 12th November 23 verified Verified student

Holly Cross is a strange hall. Instead of separate blocks, it's set up so you might have to walk through up to two other hall 'blocks' to get to your own. You can reach the science areas of the University in under 10 minutes on foot. There is a bus stop nearby. The vast majority of the bathrooms here use non-touch shower units. They turn themselves off after 2 minutes. I'd just prefer a normal shower (especially as mine often malfunctions). You don't get mixer taps. Unfortunately, the walls are NOT soundproof. I can often hear things like loud music and banging in the rooms near me, and I have had to submit noise complaints because of this. The desks are not suited for desktop PCs, there's no cable management holes in the desk, so cables need to go over the edge. You don't get Ethernet, only WiFi. For the record, I'm autistic, which allowed me to claim a discount (through DSA), making the price I pay the same as a Classic Plus room. I wouldn't pay for this room at full price.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
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Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.3 /5
By member1378179 On 12th February 23 verified Verified student

Unfortunately gone a bit downhill since the unnecessary renovations. The yellow, brown and grey colour scheme is vile. However, it's a nice enough place to live with spacious rooms and bathrooms. Kitchens are also decent for sharing between 8 people.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.4 /5
By member1069720 On 29th June 22 verified Verified student

Accommodation is decent but I'd say way too expensive for what you get, so take it as a tax for living on campus but if you have DSA, you're eligible for a discount if they see you have a reason. The room and bathroom is a decent size and you get a pretty big desk, along with having a 3/4 size bed. Internet is good but there's no ethernet in the rooms and the desks are bolted to the wall with no where for cable management if you have a desktop. Rooms are cleaned every 2 weeks but only the bathroom.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 4.7 /5
By member732110 On 4th June 18 verified Verified student

Clean and modern. Rooms are relatively spacious. Generally, very good. A very pleasant (and short) walk into the heart of the campus. The only caveat is that there’s no bar within these halls, and so, if you fancy a pint, you need to walk to either the Sneyd arms (just up the road), or to lindsay cafe bar (again, a 5 minute walk).

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 4.9 /5
By member831743 On 24th May 18 verified Verified student

Loves living here, not the most modern but is a nice size room with a huge bathroom, the kitchen is not cramped and there’s places for everyone to hang out

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
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Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 2.6 /5
By member1130203 On 3rd February 18 verified Verified student

I have not enjoyed living in these halls. It's very loud at night and the facts that the walls and doors are paper thin, and that the noise carries through the vents don't help. The rooms are incredibly overpriced and the social spaces are quite bad (although The Cross is alright). The showers get incredibly annoying, as you need to push the shower head into place each time you turn it on and as it has a "non-touch" system, it turns off every time I wash my hair and accidentally go too close to the sensor - it also turns off by itself randomly and lowers the water temperature. Good sized beds. Halls smell strongly of dust because of old carpet-flooring. I haven't unfortunately enjoyed the company of my annoyingly messy, loud and thoughtless flatmates either, but that's just me. Wifi works very well and the location is nice, as it's not too far nor too close to the central campus.

Value for money
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Property management
Cleaning
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Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 2.6 /5
By member1029057 On 14th November 17 verified Verified student

I had a horrible time living here, the people were very hostile and you felt completely trapped, and the rooms felt like hotel rooms. Despite being en-suite, it was very noisy and the halls and rooms were very dark which was depressing. I would recommend Hawthornes as it is cheaper, and even though you have to share with more people, it feels like more of a homely environment, and not a massive block of flats, but individual blocks.

Value for money
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Property management
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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 2.1 /5
By member1225315 On 19th December 16 verified Verified student

Very outdated halls of residence. Needs major updates.

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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.3 /5
By member1116964 On 18th October 15 verified Verified student

Lovely Halls but personally didn't have a good experience with the people I was with. Would be great if the university out you together with people on your course

Value for money
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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 5 /5
By member816930 On 18th October 15 verified Verified student

Holly Cross is the best accommodation on campus! I love how it is one block so it makes it very easy to meet new people!

Value for money
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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.9 /5
By member415488 On 21st September 15 verified Verified student

The overall halls were brilliant, very clean and for accomodation you are given alot of space. The cleaners did a good job, however the management of the halls were shocking.The management were never there, arrogant and patronising when they were plus always tried to avoid doing anything.

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
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Internet / Wifi
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 4.1 /5
By member1015478 On 21st September 15 verified Verified student

Could have done with a bar but good location and nice rooms

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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3 /5
By member45545 On 27th March 15 verified Verified student

find it ridicules that we have to move out over Easter with nowhere to put our stuff and then if we leave anything we get fined.. its stupid.

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Student Review: 3.2 /5
By member112000 On 9th March 15 verified Verified student

It's great having an ensuing bathroom, but we have no bar :/

Value for money
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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.5 /5
By member111870 On 8th March 15 verified Verified student

Had an amazing time living in these halls so far. The kitchen's are a great size and a good place to chill with your flatmates. It's close to the centre of campus just a 5 minute walk from most places!

Value for money
Location
Property management
Cleaning
Social spaces
Social experience
All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited
Student Review: 3.3 /5
By member81786 On 7th March 15 verified Verified student

Massive problem with bed bugs in this hall and management are not keen to address the issue.

Value for money
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Property management
Cleaning
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All reviews are the views of StudentCrowd members, not of StudentCrowd Limited

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