Downing Students Avis 

Friendly staff, incredibly well managed accommodation. Would absolutely recommend.

it feel like home away from home, loved my four years here xx

john louisa were incredible in all the way

Overall, my experience started off very positively but became extremely disappointing towards the end of my tenancy.

At the beginning and throughout most of my stay, I thought the reception and on-site staff were excellent. They were consistently friendly, helpful and easy to deal with. I also appreciated the regular events and freebee offers which made the place feel more welcoming.

However, this was completely overshadowed by the way things were handled at head office / central management level. I raised a formal complaint regarding conflicting tenancy information provided to me and it was not properly acknowledged, investigated or resolved. There was no meaningful response or apology, which I found extremely poor.

To be clear, my criticism is directed at head office management rather than the on-site team, who I found to be consistently good throughout my stay.

I also found aspects of the accommodation itself difficult to live with. The ventilation in my studio was very poor, making it very uncomfortable during warmer periods. There were times where my room felt so stuffy that I spent as much time as possible outside of it, and I regularly woke up feeling congested and uncomfortable. For the price, I do not think the accommodation represents good value.

I have also seen other residents raise similar concerns regarding ventilation and complaint handling which suggests these are not isolated issues.

White the on-site staff are genuinely good, the overall experience was significantly let down by head office management. I would not recommend this accommodation group based on my experience.

I stayed here for 4 years and all the staff are absolutely perfect and so welcoming. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, they go above and beyond making you feel like you have a family you can rely on outside of your own. 100% would recommend over anywhere in Cambridge from experience and have recommended here to all my friends.

I have been living here for about two years and have had the absolute best experience. The studios are spacious, very well equipped, and the team is extremely helpful and kind. Luisa and John are fabulous and truly make life at the Railyard fantastic. Highly recommended if you’re searching for student accommodation in Cambridge!

Louisa and john provided the best help and ease when it came to rebooking accommodations as well as they’re easy to chat too and did the best little events!!

I’ve really loved living at the railyard, the staff are incredibly helpful and lovely! They’re always happy to help and have supported me living here for three years. You also get security 24/7 so it always feels safe. I really like the modern facilities and it’s great having your own bathroom!

the last two years have been incredible living at the railyard - can’t fault Stan, John or Luisa they have all been so helpful. Maintenance has been great too! looking forward to spending the rest of uni at the railyard!

The Railyard has been the best experience for my 3 years doing my undergrad - the accommodation staff have always been so helpful and warm, making it feel like a home away from home.

I’ve lived in this building for the past year, and honestly everything is great. The residents are so kind to each other and try to make a good atmosphere. What ruins this atmosphere- the rude attitudes of the staff. Every interaction I’ve had with one particular staff member (tall woman, brown hair, glasses), I’ve been met with backhanded comments, attitude, and disinterest. If this is supposed to be such a welcoming accommodation, then why is there someone there who constantly acts like she’s annoyed at students? I don’t even like going up to the front desk anymore when I need help during the day because I just feel like I’m going to be met with an unpositive energy all around. The only staff that have helped me are the ones who work at night and the day staff that had the best attitude no longer works here. Even though it’s a student accommodation, we’re all still adults and no one has the right to act like they’re better than the other.

The front desk experience has been hit or miss. While some staff members are warm and approachable, others have come across as noticeably rude. On one occasion, a staff member threw my student pass on the table instead of handing it over respectfully, despite my politeness. Kindness costs nothing.

As an exchange student who arrived only a few days ago, it's unfortunate that this has been my first impression of London and King's Residences. I hope that other students have not felt as disrespected as I did.

Scottish law mandates a "habitability obligation" – you must provide a safe, healthy living space. Yet persistent nighttime noise (neighbours, appliances, heating) and cooking fumes from faulty ventilation violated this, worsening my migraine and prompting a doctor’s advice to relocate. Your tenancy Clause 5.8 bans tenant harassment, but as landlords with joint liability, you ignored my repeated formal appeals: no noise mitigation, perfunctory responses, and even staff assisting the noise-maker to restrict my rights. As accommodation providers, you failed your core duty to ensure quiet safety and address reasonable requests. This neglect, paired with ongoing nuisances, caused severe physical (sleep deprivation, migraines) and mental (anxiety, stress) harm, derailing my studies. My medical certificate confirms these damages – your inaction is the key culprit. Your refusal to approve early termination is deeply flawed: you cited "noise" as the sole reason, completely ignoring my medical certificate proving worsening migraines, stress, and anxiety from the noise—neglecting the critical premise of health harm. Your contradictory solutions (once a room swap, now subletting) offer no clarity: if no new tenant is found, I’m stuck paying rent indefinitely, contradicting my urgent health need to escape. Worse, you evaded my core requests—confirmation of receiving my email/medical certificate and written progress updates—failing even basic communication duties. Your inconsistent rules and disregard for my well-being are unacceptable.

Square Gardens - Extended periods of time in winter with no or extremely limited hot water and very slow maintenance response with very poor communication to residents from the building and management

Great facilities, communication and lovely staff! Would recommend!

People are very friendly and helpful when I confront some difficulties.

Extremely helpful and kind staff

amazing place to live, the people here are so friendly

At the front desk, there was a staff member with long white hair. After I showed her the delivery record of the parcel, she just sat there unwilling to get up and help me look for it. She said coldly that it might be lost and it had nothing to do with her. And when I asked to borrow a vacuum cleaner from her, for some reason, she gave me the one that was broken among the two. It was only after I asked the cleaning staff that the problem was solved.