South Courts Reviews

Very comfortable space, friendly flatmates and good service

Upsides: super close to everything on campus and the room is quite spacious with a good layout. Downsides: NO SOCIAL SPACE - only the shared kitchen. Super thin walls, so a peaceful night is pretty rare. Small and un-atmospheric kitchen. Unfortunately my flat mates are not the friendliest; my accommodation was meant to be ‘mixed gender’ however it is just me and one other girl (who I never see) + six guys, so not very mixed in the slightest. Personally, I would not recommend this accommodation to first year students, unless you enjoy having broken sleep and a lack of friends. Excited to move.

The only good thing about this accommodation is that it’s very close to the computer science department. Only 2 minute walking but the state of it is absolutely disgusting. The walls are paper thin so you can hear everything above you, next to you , below u , outside, everywhere. The kitchens are very very small and gross: even if u have clean flat mates. I was very unlucky and got unfriendly flat mates. Some moved out, or never saw them outside of their rooms. Have fun trying to sleep at night with very loud music blasted 24/7 and people screaming. No privacy from the cleaners, they just show up and bang on ur door at 8am with the hoover. The room itself is tiny and dirty, spiders everywhere and broken tables/beds

The size of your room and kitchen completely depend on which block you are in as some are significantly bigger than others. I'm in one of the smaller ones (will not name it) and our freezer has only three spaces for four people. However other than that everything is decent and its close to central campus.

So noisey due to builders room is constantly over heated due to pipes in room. Had builders being noisey from 8am onwards everyday except saturdays and sunday and still get charged 140 a week. what a Hole

Three words to describe the South Court based on my experience: Old but expensive Kitchen : Small Location & Room : won't deny it's spacious, nearer to laundry and it's ensuite. But, my toilets stinks, found molds on my water tap the first day I arrived, and until now my toilet still gives out a foresty smell. Things are old, bed is like a good prison bed, my table is wobbly and the cabinet have a musty smell, carpet have stains and have torn parts. I was truly shocked when I visited my friend place at the Houses where he's paying lesser than me but his kitchen was much bigger, room though smaller but much newer and cleaner, which I wouldn't mind paying lesser to have a smaller, but better room. Also, wifi here tends to disconnect alot. Accommodation team : responsive as first but when they can't solve your problem, you are better off telling your housemates about it as your housemates probably care more. side tip: don't pay rent until you check your room. don't be dumb like me.

Was really close to all lectures and uni activities but was also far enough to block out most noise

South Courts was a great place to live as a fresher. The main advantage of South Courts is the proximity to the main facilities on the university campus. Anywhere onsite is within a 10-minute walk maximum and the majority of teaching and lecture buildings are within a 5-minute walk or less. The bedrooms are all ensuite and relatively spacious for University accommodation. There are between 4 and 6 people to a flat, sharing a kitchen. However, there is no common/social area. For a fresher, perhaps the only downfall is the social aspect. It is quieter and has less of a party atmosphere than the Towers. For older students and postgraduates this may be preferable. The weekly rent for South Courts has increased recently. It's an excellent option provided expense is not a concern. Similar experiences can be had in other accommodations for a more reasonable price. (N.B. I lived in Harwich court, South Courts. Friends of mine living in other sections had different experiences)

Really enjoyed staying in South Courts- especially because I stayed in the most modern one! Really sociable which is a bonus and lived with a lovely group of people. The kitchen isn't huge but a lovely size for 6 people. Totally recommend it all in all

If you want to go out go to the Towers/Meadows

Extremely poor level of security for such high rent. Cramped social space with nowhere comfortable to sit other than in your room. Only positive thing is the proximity to campus

South Courts is fantastic for its location as it's only 1min away from your classes & right next to the Sports Centre on South Campus. However the social atmosphere is terrible as the kitchen is absolutely tiny with chairs that are the same as what we had during Science classes in High school. You cook & usually eat in the comport of your room. However it is en-suite so you're mainly paying for the luxury of your own bathroom. It's far too expensive for what you get.

Quite pricey but close to campus, large rooms and very nice en suite, cleaners once a week and not excessive noise however if your looking for something more social I would highly recommend Towers, people think because it's shared toilets and showers it's really bad but it's quite the opposite, however Rooms are quite small compared to South Courts

It is definitely a good room. I share a double room with our partner. Sometimes the cleaner yells at us for having dishes on the side. The only common room is the kitchen, which is a bit too small to hang out in. The WiFi sometimes cuts out but there are cables in our rooms which is really good internet. The halls management is good, all issues I've had have been excellently resolved. 15 minutes tops walk to the furthest place on campus, with the closest being a 2 minute walk.

Walls not thick enough, particularly noisy in the evening when club events are on. Kitchen is the only social area and is small for socialising. However, within walking distance (10-) of sports centre and majority of lecture locations.

I do get on with my roommate (i don't really speak to the other two) but the accommodator that we were given was nothing like the one we were shown and So i was very let down when I arrived. We were chucked into post-grad and international student accommodation. Our rep hasn't visited us once and our cleaner doesn't do a very good job. We have no social space but thats fine considering we hang out in our rooms because theres just 2 of us but if there was more it would be more of an issue.

Very nice halls to live in, it is quite expensive but if you would like to be on campus with an ensuite bathroom and a full size wardrobe then South Courts is the one to choose. South Courts comes in three phases which all have the same rates and I have heard a lot of negative comments. If you would like to choose south Courts I strongly reccomend you choose phase 3 (Harwich or Arlesford Court) as they are the best ones and phase 1 and 2 are different from phase 3. There isn't a common room in South Courts so there isn't much spaces however Harwich Court has a large outdoor space in the centre which you can have a social gathering if the weather is good. Internet and Wifi is okay, we are provided free wifi however there is maintenance every fortnight which results the internet being unavailable for a few hours.

Wifi can be slow, cuts out occasionally for maintenance. Harwich is nice but some are not renovated e.g. Brightlingsea and hence have problems with heating, hot water, wet room overflowing etc but most of the buildings are new and in great condition.

6 people aint good enough especially when 4 dont talk

Such an amazing leap from living in greenstead

terrible wifi, and the only "common" room is a small kitchen

big rooms, close to central campus, ensuites, reasonable price, social life is better in towers but not bad,

Personally pulled the short straw and didn't have a social flat, don't think only having 6 to a flat helps. But close to everything:)

the only social space we have is the kitchen, which is honestly quite small, plus when someone is trying to cook it doesn't make it easy. The cleaners turn up early, however they do clean the kitchen entirely once a week. Our house was lucky enough to socialise with eachother over all the flats, however not everyone's does that. The ensuite bathroom and big wardrobe is a plus, and it is 5 minutes from the main squares.

Pretty good for me cause it's really close to the Evolve gym, and the main campus. It's actually really quiet though, so if you're looking for an accommodation where people will hang out in the kitchen and socialize, you're better off applying for the Towers (shared bathrooms, right by the main campus) OR the Quays (en-suite, closer to Tesco, ~8 min walk to Campus)

South Courts is right on campus and a 2 minute walk away from Square 3. It's quieter than other accommodation so you can get your work done but there's a party somewhere. Close enough to South Towers so if there isn't a party then you can walk to towers in for predrinks in 2 minutes. The laundrette is a minute walk away or right next door if you're lucky and the cleaners clean once a week. Other accomodation had internet and maintenance problems but South Courts were fine. It's the most expensive but if you want everything then you pay for it, there's also ensuite bathrooms. Only problem is that there's only the kitchen to socialise in which is smaller than other places but that's because there's less people on one floor. Which is also good because if you don't like your flatmates you can avoid them easily or if you like them you can hang out together, whatever takes your fancy.

most useless cleanser ever, didnt even bother to clean our kitchen. 12 people had to share two tiny kitchens (did not sign up to that). rooms were nasty and old with a very bad smell and stain of vomit on the carpet. wifi was ALWAYS under manitenace, hot water and heating were rarely switched on

Great location with en suit and decent sized room. Plenty of storage and all round great accommodation.

Fairly ok, not all rooms had been done-up over the holidays. Large rooms with en suite bathroom, but bathroom is outdated.

It's a great location as it is so close to everything and en-suite room are big and spacious so it's great can be quiet or social

If you prefer a quiet place to study and get a decent night sleep this is the place to go. However the social aspect I find is very good to you simply get more of an option if you'd like to join in or not

Wifi was a bit slow in beginning but now works fine.

Had to be put in shared rooms for 3 weeks due to there being to many people. The shared room was not big enough for two people. Internet was slow. This resulted in 12 people living in a space built for 6 - not ideal. There was no enough space in the cupboards and the fridge space was abysmal. Save yourself the money and go to private accommodation from the start or the Towers.

The rooms are spacious, and it's nice to have your own bathroom. South Courts is quiet and cosy, and I'd say it's the best accommodation on campus. However I miss having a social space other than the kitchen.

Decent accomendation located very close to campus, which makes it worth paying a bit extra. Gonna miss South Courts!

I was put in one of the smaller flats with only 3 others making the social experience not so great but made lots of mates through other ways. I got quite a big room compared to most south court rooms which was a bonus plus an ensuite which towers don't have

A bit too expensive for what they are, but at least one gets en suite bathrooms. Cleaners coming monthly for the toilets is at times not enough, and no action is ever taken against students that leave dirty dishes for months in the common room, other than occasionally threaten the whole flat with a fine. Better monitoring would improve the situation.

Great location, gives you an amazing experience.

South Courts does not come cheap, but if you can afford it, it's worth the extra cost. The location is extremely close to central campus, the rooms are nicely sized and the really en-suite swings it. Coming back from game days for my sport warranted nothing more than a hot shower and a beer afterwards and when your own room has both to a good quality degree, how could you want for more?

Rooms were lovely and great size, however not very social as only shared with 4 people, of which i never saw. 2 minutes away from everything, however so great place to live for first year

The accommodation was lovely, perfectly located and had good facilities. What was lacking was a form of social room.

Cosy, while spacious. South Courts provides an intimate social experience, where you share with between 4-6 people (possibly slightly more). You receive and ensuite and share a kitchen. A laundrette is close by and its 2 minutes from the centre of campus, where banks, the Students Union, several shops, restaurants, a night club and numerous bars are located. The kitchen and bathrooms are cleaned regularly. It's fantastic!

Really nice accommodation, not as social as towers, but nicer facilities.

Huge rooms, about 2 minutes from centre of campus. Quieter than towers and en suite rooms (normally 6 to a flat) - some kitchens are more modern than others

Living in South Courts is pretty good I think for a first year if you still want to get your head down and study. If you're anything like how we are in my house we all know each other very well on each floor and see each other as often as we can so do make the best of the people who live in your house. As for the value for money, it is one of the most expensive accommodations at the University of Essex but when you think about it you get a decent sized room, your own bathroom and then your communal area (the kitchen) which is cleaned on a weekly basis (don't get too excited, it's only sort of wiped down. You do all your dishes yourself and if your cleaner is anything like our one then she'll complain about the kitchen if it's anything but spick and span when she comes). The location is also the best. 5 minutes from the Lecture Theatre Building which is where majority of lectures are. 2 minutes from square 1 and 10 minutes (at a stretch) to the Tony Rich Building. 4/5 I'd say :)

Walton Court is terrible. I'm a first year who got thrown in with a bunch of 2nd & 3rd years. Only 1 of the second years bothered to talk to me when I first arrived. The other students were international students who didn't seem to have any interest in being my friend. I was lucky enough to find friends outside my flat but it was much harder than it should have been