Homes for Students Pablo Fanque House

I moved in about 3 months ago, and I love it! I saw a negative review on here complaining about some things that I thought were pretty unfair, so I'm gonna address those.1. Bus ticket promiseThese year round free passes were sent out if you followed the instructions that pretty clearly accompanied the access code on the website. And the inclusion of a bus pass is pretty great for the rent value.2. Good security and hygieneWhen you first arrive, there are signs that clearly display which room block is where. As long as you know your room number, which you select yourself upon booking, you should be able to find your room without having to be shown around like the bloody Queen. Rooms were not locked if there were no belongings inside, ie if you were just moving in and had not rebooked from last year. Vacant rooms were not locked because the only thing inside that is not nailed down is the mattress, which was covered in a protective plastic wrapping upon arrival anyway. You can't get into the building without a key fob, and you can't enter any flat without one either, so the security is pretty good. There's a good amount of natural light from the very tall windows, which like most other buildings in the UK open inwards to keep people from falling out, especially since they are (as I said) tall and could easily fit a person through if they opened upwards. I saw no hygienic problems in my room, nor did anyone else in my flat. The bathroom has a decently sized shower compared to most other student accoms, and besides that is normal for UK bathrooms.3. GREAT customer service!I adore the people at the front desk. James is a sweetheart, and Dawn is genuinely the nicest person ever. I'm an international student, and when I first arrived Dawn was so kind in reassuring me that I was in the right place and getting my room sorted so I could put my stuff away despite me being early for my move in time. When I was sending mail to my parents and panicked because the mail collection was scheduled during a class, she made sure that my letters were given to the postman and got sent safely to my home country. She always notifies me whenever I get packages, she took the care of learning to pronounce my full name correctly, she always greets me and my flatmates when we're coming and going through the lobby, and she handles all the signage and notifications for events downstairs. She's a star, and my day is always made better by her presence.4. Clean and tidyGranted, this one varies from flat to flat, but here's the thing: it's entirely up to you. My flat gets along great, and we all take turns with the trash and recycling duties. It really isn't that hard to keep the kitchen clean since we all clean up after ourselves. You do have to take your own trash out, but Pablo has it's own trash bins that are in a secure area that can only be accessed by key fob, so it's easy to do and feels very safe. And as long as you keep your flat clean, there's no bug issues or smells. But if you leave your trash ripped open and spilling onto the ground... any ensuing problems are on you. We're in uni, so it should not be a difficult task to have a discussion with your flatmates about keeping your area clean! If there are problems, then consider telling management about your flatmates not picking up after themselves, rather than trying to pin it on the building itself. :)5. Perfect appliancesPablo flats come with two spacious fridge-freezers, with one shelf in each per person. Ours have functioned fine, save for a little bit of ice buildup in the back of the fridges. The only real problem we've had is with a drawer breaking in the freezer, which management responded to immediately and has been working on getting a replacement. Generally, all problems are responded to immediately, even if the solutions take longer.Overall, Pablo is great. If you have a bad experience due to your own hygiene problems or your flatmates, you should take that up with them instead of posting it so everyone can see how entitled you are.

I have been living here for a few years while studying, Pablo always have really fun events and nice communal spaces. Since the receptionist Dawn came in; The emails are always clear and always replies to emails and personal inquiries fast or in good time, she is always super friendly and a nice person to chat to. Gavin's really nice too and is really responsive to issues as long as you log the issue in the correct place. James is James, always there and reliable. I would recommend living here if you want a proper flat experience of cooking, cleaning and living with people, this is the best location as it has great bus routes, it has friendly staff and I was paired with some friendly and lovely people.

Slightly confused by the recent reviews and feel I should leave my own. Pablo Fanque House has been nothing but warm, welcome and overly accommodating since I moved in. The staff are incredible (James, Dawn and Gav) can never do enough for you. Always happy to have a chat with genuine interest and care. Any issue I have ever had has been sorted immediately and with kindness. The two 1 star reviews are ridiculous! A tantrum that has turned into blatant lies. I suggest posting craftier pictures to back up your claims as I doubt the staff put that overflowing bin bag there (no wonder you have flies) try taking out your bins once in a while and remember this isn’t a hotel!

Peter (the maintenance guy) is super helpful, he’ll always show up as soon as he can and fix whatever problem you have. James (the manager) is very friendly. This is a wonderful stay for all students at a very good location- close to absolutely everything & free bus pass for the year too! :)

My daughter just moved in. Bathroom absolutely filthy, so is the kitchen which is full of old food. Blinds in the bedroom broken. Management said they would fix stuff today but no-one showed up. Definitely not as advertised. I hope management pull their finger out and sort things out.

Pablo is a fantastic property. I have never experienced any of the issues raised in some of the previous reviews and I have been a tenant for 2 years. James and the team work tirelessly to deliver and excellent customer service. For example I have had to call maintenance a couple times for drainage issues which they have always been quick to resolve with no hesitation at all to help. The community here is what makes the place both staff and students collaborate here creating a warm environment environment to live in. The team have recently been decorating the building and adding things such as house plants to make the building feel more homely. When I have had issues with other students in the past the team have been quick to jump in to help us resolve these issues as young adults. Equally no building doesn’t come without challenges however when there have been issues with pests in the past, it was dealt with instantly restoring a healthy environment to live in. Again I couldn’t fault the place I’m so glad to call Pablo home and wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to live for the past 2 years.

Pablo is totally trash. Don't trust anything it said.1. Late Bus Ticket Promise2. Security and Hygiene Issues3. Bad Customer Service4. No Pest Control5. Electricity ProblemMy friends and I booked to live here mainly because of the free annual bus ticket promotion, but the bus ticket was not provided on time. We have to pay for tickets for transport. Plus, the room's door was not locked. Before I arrived, no one showed us the room. We have to find the way ourselves. When I first came, I saw dead moths, yellow water drains, and hair, which are disgusting, and who knows, no one was entering and doing something in my room before me. Also, the toilet has no exhaust fan, and the window opens upward, making the room very stuffy. I have to buy a fan myself. Even the service here is terrible, specifically a receptionist named Dawn. She is impolite and not welcoming. Whenever we went to the reception and asked questions or took the parcel, she responded annoyed. And even refused to arrange my maintenance issue once. She is the one who told us there was a gym room in Pablo (but it turns out they didn't. I feel totally tricked ) when we were having a room tour before we lived in, and she had a good attitude back then. We live on the 8th floor, so technically, there will be no or fewer buds, but there is a lot in our rooms and kitchen. Even though we put a lot of insect killer spray, it didn't improve the situation. It shows Pablo didn't have any pest control. The electricity always goes off in my flat, we can't charge our phone or cook, and all the food in the fridge goes bad. And when I told the reception manager about this, he asked me to flick the electric board and tried to fix it myself. And the next time it happened again, but we can't fix it, the reception is closed so we can only call. And I spent nearly two hours having a guy try to fix it. But he can't eventually. We have to wait over the weekend to get back to normal. Overall, everything is terrible with Pablo. I have regretted it since the first day I arrived and have written a complaint email to them. Still, they didn't show apologies and improvement. Very disappointed with their response. I have already booked a room in another accommodation for next year.

- where’s the gym?- the pricing of the rooms are quite high, but I guess that’s what you get for the cost of living- I really like the reputation this place has: makes me feel like I live in an expensive place- not enough washers and dryers- helped me out in a pickle- team were very helpful in recent dramas