I recently met with a friend and spoke to her about the unfamiliar sadness that envelops me everytime I think of my inevitable departure from this place. Dinwiddy has come to mean so many things for me- The Office in the common area where you can hear and see people meeting strangers and becoming friends, where echoes of laughter always fill you with a sense of company in the depths of loneliness, and the 12am birthday parties that you get to witness (or be part of) in that little shed. I will forever remember the awkward morning encounters in the laundry rooms, and the unreasonably slow elevator in block E that sparked the beginning of many acquaintances. My most treasured memory will always remain the two dinwiddy cats in the courtyard: to just see them bring joy to despairing graduates and undergraduates during finals or assignment season, has helped me through the worst of days. Dinwiddy, in many ways, is my experience as a postgraduate in a different country.
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I recently met with a friend and spoke to her about the unfamiliar sadness that envelops me everytime I think of my inevitable departure from this place. Dinwiddy has come to mean so many things for me- The Office in the common area where you can hear and see people meeting strangers and becoming friends, where echoes of laughter always fill you with a sense of company in the depths of loneliness, and the 12am birthday parties that you get to witness (or be part of) in that little shed. I will forever remember the awkward morning encounters in the laundry rooms, and the unreasonably slow elevator in block E that sparked the beginning of many acquaintances. My most treasured memory will always remain the two dinwiddy cats in the courtyard: to just see them bring joy to despairing graduates and undergraduates during finals or assignment season, has helped me through the worst of days. Dinwiddy, in many ways, is my experience as a postgraduate in a different country.
Dinwiddy House Information
| Telephone | 0300 123 5050 |
| Postcode | N1 9NF |
| Price from | £211.86 per week for 23/24 (subject to availability) |
| Features | 0.8 miles from SOAS. All-inclusive bills, Wi-Fi, on-site laundry, bike storage, free contents insurance, electronic entry, on-site security, CCTV, 24-hour staff cover, garden area & common room equipped with large screen TV & games machines. |
| Top tip | Flexible cancellation option- up to 45 days before your contract starts. Visit website for more details |
Dinwiddy House Biography
At Dinwiddy House you’ll be within walking distance to both SOAS campuses and nearby transport links to numerous other London universities The local area has supermarkets, a shopping mall, plenty of restaurants and bars with easy access to the rest of London.
You can socialise with friends in the garden area or common room which has a large TV and games machines. The building is safe and secure with electronic entry, CCTV, on-site security and 24-hour staff cover. There's an on-site laundry facility and secure bike storage. You'll also enjoy free contents insurance and broadband with all-inclusive bills.
You have a choice of staying in a standard ensuite, double ensuite and studio room. The ensuite rooms provide a sense of community as they have shared kitchen and dining facilities whilst the studios are the perfect choice if you are looking for independent living.
To find out more, visit Sanctuary Student website!
Read Dinwiddy House Reviews
Love it! Best location ever and great management
I met great people and was in the perfect location to go to school or on night out. However I had no hot water for month and the flat was dirty.
I had a good time, the location is definitely a bonus. The accommodation is a bit old and could use some renovation, but definitely worth for the price. The staff is friendly. I noticed there were a number of problems from internet issues to heaters and water issues, however the staff was always trying to get it solved as soon as possible. I had some trouble with my flat mates who did not respect quiet hours. Overall a decent accommodation for first and second year students.
Diwiddy House is an extremely isolating place to live with zero indoor common space besides the kitchen in each block and the tiny common space in the lobby. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone besides the location.
I recently met with a friend and spoke to her about the unfamiliar sadness that envelops me everytime I think of my inevitable departure from this place. Dinwiddy has come to mean so many things for me- The Office in the common area where you can hear and see people meeting strangers and becoming friends, where echoes of laughter always fill you with a sense of company in the depths of loneliness, and the 12am birthday parties that you get to witness (or be part of) in that little shed. I will forever remember the awkward morning encounters in the laundry rooms, and the unreasonably slow elevator in block E that sparked the beginning of many acquaintances. My most treasured memory will always remain the two dinwiddy cats in the courtyard: to just see them bring joy to despairing graduates and undergraduates during finals or assignment season, has helped me through the worst of days. Dinwiddy, in many ways, is my experience as a postgraduate in a different country.
Flies, rats, and unpleasant staff. Having lived at the accommodation for three consecutive years I can confidently say that although it is value for money the service by the sanctuary students staff and the quality of the accommodation is below par.
Pros: Grateful for the friends I made & love the sense of community felt during my time at Dinwiddy. Cleaners were exceptionally sweet and please be patient and kind to the staff at Dinwiddy <3 The accommodation is quite affordable for central London so that is a bonus! Cons: the downsides were the Lift (specifically in F block) broke down every other day.. so got my steps in every single day living on fourth floor!
I stayed at Dinwiddy for 2 years, and I generally enjoyed it. The staff in the reception and the cleaners, are really friendly and helpful. If something broke, they’d usually fix it within the week, if not sooner. You won’t find cheaper student accommodation so close to SOAS, and having Kings Cross a 10 min walk away means that you’re very well connected to the entire city, as well as to the rest of the country. On the downside, there are a few things to be mentioned. The lift in F block was broken for the majority of the second year, and likewise, the hot water didn’t work on and off for months, during the winter (they were waiting for spare parts in order to fix both, but honestly, it wasn’t very professional). Also, while the kitchen was cleaned every week whereever the countertops, stovetops and sinks are clear from stuff, the rest of the time, the kitchen is only as clean as 6 students bother to keep it. So it was pretty disgusting a lot of the time But overall, I do recommend
All in all, pretty reasonable place to live. Not the best but for what it was worth, you can certainly live in it. Close to University so very convenient and I got a pretty spacious room so can't really complain
Great value for money! Loved the 24/7 security
We were met with several hot water supply issues throughout winter, occasionally laundry machines not working, one power outage caused due to some issue on the tube network at Kings Cross - but the management was quick to resolve them, apart from the water issue that took longer due to issues beyond their control. I had some issues with a few flatmates, with one attempting to break into my room at 1am with her boyfriend, in my female only flat. The security team took instant action and I got a new room within the week. They were very helpful and kind. Especially Sharon, the Assistant Accommodation Manager and Jacob, the security officer.
Horrible experience as there were leaks in every building, which was a major violation of contract. And when my room was flooded there was no maintenance or managers on-site to fix the issue immediately despite there being 24/7 maintenence advertised on the website. I had to wait the next day whilst waiting in a flooded room and this was a very stressful experience. Then when the managers did intervene they moved me into another room that had another leak in the building and I had no hot water. For other repair issues, it would take weeks to get them resolved. Living at dinwiddy was just a traumatic and stressful experience.
Really helpful staff, great location and the room was great value for money
It was okay, didn't have hot water for half the time
This place is a money making SLUM. Disgusting managers and staff who couldn’t care less about their job despite it being their only career prospect and the best that they could do in life. They’re rude, probably orphans as they have no manners or morals which is shown through their poor attitude towards teenagers even though they are nearing menopause themselves. They are slow and lazy and would do anything to not do their jobs - one of the MANY examples is when there were mice in the flat and refused to move flatmates out of the mice infested room and also refused to get pest control until a week later. The rooms themselves have mould, stains and putrid smells coming from the carpet which I don’t doubt has been replaced since the place opened. There’s fungus and unknown juices leaking everywhere in cracks of the rooms. There are maggots and worms in the drains that eventually turn into flies and swarm the room. The bed is a disgrace, you might as well sleep on the street on cardboard.
I really enjoyed my time at Dinwiddy. The staff is phenomenal and so helpful, and while the facilities are not super updated, the location and the people make it very worthwhile.
It’s a good locations and staff are alright, but there’s been wayyy too many issues this year with the accommodation to be paying anywhere near what we are paying. For example, the lack of hot water and heating throughout the whole year, constant wifi issues, the lifts almost never working, maintenance taking forever to come and requests for maintenance being ignored. It’s just not what I’m paying for :(
In all honesty this accommodation gets away with things because it’s cheap. When we lost hot water in December they would lie and say it’s just individual people and it would come back soon then do nothing. It only fixed in late March, isn’t 100% back and there was no compensation. The manager is argumentative when you discuss issues with him and don’t accept his brush off apology because you want actual help. Rent is increasing even more next year and this feels like them making us pay for the temporary boiler mess of the last year. However, the room is ok, heating from the radiator is good and the kitchen supplies work. Maintenance is very good, always fixing things as quickly as possible and the reception/security staff are always there to answer anything.
Very helpful staff members! Haider khokhar helped me into my flat when I forgot my key and was so kind, lovely company!
Dinwiddy House is a popular choice for SOAS students, but BEWARE when you end up in a situation like the current Covid-19 crisis, they will not respect you at all. Lots of students this year literally begged them for altering the contract or reducing the rent fee, as they were going back home. I personally haven't been in my flat for 3 months and paid £3000 for nothing. Some of the staff at the reception are very hostile too, so it's not a very pleasant place to live anyways. On top of that, getting your room is like a Russian Roulette, you might end up in the nicely refurbished block A with normal showers and new furniture, or in Block E, where you have to put up with 'swimming pool showers' (you push a button and the water flows for about 10 seconds) and of course you can't control the temperature. There is an outdoor courtyard, but if you end up living with your window facing the courtyard, you will hear screaming and laughing every single night. I don't recommend.
I have been living here for the past nine months and I am low maintenance and don't have much to ask BUT I have never met unhelpful staff in my life as the staff here. They don't reply to emails and dont track their communication. I have to explain my issue to everyone who happens to sit on the reception on that day. They dont even try to make an effort, all they say is 'there is nothing else we can do about this' for a simple thing that can be resolved. The manager is there from 2-4pm (only) and we have to plan our days according to that time slot if we have a problem. The only reason I am staying here is because it's close to my school.
Good afternoon Thank you for your feedback. We are disappointed to hear that your stay with us was not as expected. We have recently changed management, so hopefully any future visit should be improved. Thank you. Dinwiddy House Management
The location of dinwiddy is really good. It is only a short walk from SOAS and is very close to Kings Cross. I did however move out halfway through the year. Other students there are also very nice and very welcoming but the quality of the accommodation was very poor, especially for the amount of money you have to pay. Rooms, especially bathrooms, we're pretty poor and the shower wasn't good at all. I also have seen both cockroaches and mice within the building. There are also frequent fire alarms and times when water (usually hot) does not work. I also know people who's locks have been broken for a long time. Overall, it is in a nice location but if possible I wouldn't pay the money for the quality of accommodation you get.
Good Morning, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear you experienced these problems during your stay at Dinwiddy House. We are expecting to undergo a refurbishment during the summer period to help improve the building so we hope any future visit will be improved. Thank you. Dinwiddy House Management