Londonist DMC Student Accommodation Arvostelua 

This company misrepresented a the student accommodation to us. I have been asking for a refund for over 6 weeks. We have not moved in, I had to find accommodation elsewhere, thru are not returning the £4260 paid and are asking for the rest of the rent. I call and e-mail and no one gets back to me. They told me the issued a refund only to tell me 10 days later it was for another client, even sharing that clients detail by mistake. I requested a SAR and still no one for back to me. When issues rise, thats when you realise a companies business ethics. This company has none. Im surprised they are allowed to operate in the UK like this being Bahraini company.

From the outset, I have experienced repeated misinformation, poor communication, and significant inconvenience. The issues are outlined below.

1. Incorrect and inconsistent pricing
From the beginning, I was provided with conflicting information regarding the cost of my accommodation. This inconsistency created unnecessary confusion and demonstrated a lack of clear communication.

2. Misleading information regarding bedding
After I had already booked and paid for my accommodation, I was informed that I would be required to pay an additional fee for bedding. This charge was never disclosed during the booking process. Although this fee was later waived as a gesture of "good faith", I was subsequently informed that no bedding would actually be provided. However, upon arriving at the accommodation, the Londonist representative advised me that this information was incorrect and that bedding was, in fact, included. Once again, I received contradictory information from the staff.

3. Delayed check-in, poor room condition, and significant inconvenience
I was initially informed that my check-in would take place between 12:00 pm–3:00 pm, and I arranged my travel plans accordingly. My agent changed this information after I had already booked my travel.
Despite arriving based on the timings provided by my agent, my room was not ready. When I was given my keys and checked in for the first time, I found food packaging scattered across the floor, rubbish in the bathroom, and an overwhelming unpleasant odour, all of which I have photo and video evidence of. The room was clearly not ready for occupation. I was unable to enter my room until approximately 6 hours later. Waiting in reception with all of my luggage was humiliating. This delay caused me considerable inconvenience. For instance, I was due to work the following day and was unable to prepare because I had no access to my room. Throughout the process, I repeatedly received inaccurate and contradictory information from Londonist staff, demonstrating a lack of transparency and professionalism.

4. Incorrect information regarding check-out
I was informed that I could check out at any time. However, upon arrival, the onsite Londonist representative advised me that I was required to vacate the premises in the morning. Whilst the onsite representative said he would allow me to leave in the afternoon, this is another example of clear misinformation. I specifically pre-booked my travel based on the information that had been provided to me, meaning I would have incurred unnecessary financial loss.

5. Unsanitary condition of the room
When I was finally able to access my room, there were at least 15 flies inside. This can be verified by both the Londonist cleaner, the Unite Students receptionist, and by my video and photo evidence. I had to use fly spray in my room, which caused significant difficulty breathing, and was an additional personal time and financial expense.

6. Resolution
The onsite Londonist representative reassured me that the company would reach out to me to discuss compensation and to express their apologies within one business week. This did not happen. I have since been trying to contact Londonist for 5 whole business weeks. However, I have been consistently ignored and have been left without any resolution. This whole experience has been disappointing and disgusting. It was worse than I could have imagined, and as a student I have seen a lot. I would not recommend Londonist. I am still witing for my deposit to be returned.

UPDATE (03/08/26): Londonist replied, asking me to reach out to them on their email. However, I had already contacted them to complain via this email (on the 18/07/26 and the 27/07/26) and was ignored.

UPDATE (14/08/26): Londonist replied, asking me to reach out to them on their email. It has been a week, and I haven't received a reply. This is a continuing pattern, as I had already contacted them to complain via this email (on the 18/07/26 and the 27/07/26) and was ignored. Londonist have a continuing pattern of ignoring its customers and leaving them without solution.

UPDATE 17/10/2026: I still have not received my deposit back (nor given a refund) after almost four months and I have been continually ignored by when reaching out to Londonist via their customer support email that they provided me. Awful service and they take advantage of students. I would not recommend them to ANYONE.

My agent Thakur called me about an hour after my initial request for student housing was made through the website. He was professional, helpful, insightful and efficient. Thakur narrowed down about 7 options for me based on just a few questions he asked. The email correspondence from him was professional and to the point, I cannot recommend Thakur enough to any prospective student in London!

We booked accommodation through Londonist for my daughter for the 2026/27 academic year and paid just under £4,000 in June 2026.

On 1 September 2026, the very day my daughter moved to London and just over two weeks before the contractual start date, Londonist cancelled the booking, citing “operational issues”. The alternatives offered were unsuitable due to cost or location, leaving us to find replacement accommodation at short notice and costing us an additional £1,200. They then stopped responding to us and offered no further help.

The contract (clauses 7.1 and 7.2) sets out financial penalties for students who cancel, including losing their £250 deposit and potentially owing six weeks’ licence fees. However, clause 7.4 allows Londonist to cancel before the start date, requiring only that fees already paid are refunded. There is no provision for the additional costs families may face when left scrambling to find alternative accommodation.

Despite repeated attempts to resolve the matter, we received no meaningful response for six weeks. It took a formal Letter Before Claim threatening court action before our refund was finally paid.

I’m pleased we got our money back, but there was no apology, explanation or meaningful communication. Cancelling student accommodation at such short notice causes considerable stress and financial pressure. I would urge students and parents to read the cancellation terms carefully and consider how they might be treated if things go wrong.

Room was okay, staff was great (drapery place) common kitchen was filthy. Took me months of going in circles for anyone to send me a link to get my deposit returned, submitted my banking info, was told it would take 4-6 weeks. It’s been months since, and no one is answering my emails.

It was a very pleasant booking experience. Shenshen responded promptly and was extremely helpful. The room was well-equipped. I highly recommend booking through Londonist.

It was a very pleasant booking experience. Shenshen perfectly solved my accommodation needs in London. The booking process was convenient, communication was smooth, and the room amenities were excellent. I highly recommend booking through Londonist.

I am extremely disappointed with Londonist’s handling of my son’s accommodation at Paddington Citi View.

I booked Room 135 for my son, and the original placement clearly confirms Room 135. It is a south-facing room. We have now been told that his allocation has been changed to Room 139, which has a different orientation.

My request is very simple: we booked Room 135, and my son should stay in Room 135. We do not accept Room 139 as a substitute.

I have already asked my agent to raise this matter with Londonist and to help secure the room that was originally booked and confirmed. The issue has also been escalated to the Londonist London team. However, despite repeated follow-ups, there has been no acknowledgement, update or solution.

Andrew, the original contact, is currently on leave, but this should not mean that a serious issue concerning a student is simply ignored. As a parent, I find the complete lack of communication extremely unacceptable.

I requested a response by 9 October, but have still received no substantive response. I am therefore raising this publicly after our attempts to resolve the matter through the appropriate channels have failed.

I expect Londonist to confirm before 9 October that my son will be placed back in Room 135. If this matter remains unresolved, I reserve the right to take further action, including seeking legal advice to protect my son’s interests.

Upated:
I appreciate that the issue was eventually resolved and that an alternative room was provided. However, the experience was more stressful than it needed to be due to poor communication between the booking team and the accommodation operations team. It took considerable time and effort to get the issue addressed, and the process was frustrating.

Thankfully, once the matter reached the right person, a solution was found. I hope the company will improve communication and coordination between its teams so that future customers can have a smoother experience.

They are really helpful and thoughtful company. If you choose londonist you wouldn't be regret for sure!

Mr. Derin was very helpful through the process. I am very pleased

My needs were met with excellent organization by a professional team. They were very helpful in all matters. I completed my stay without any problems.

Booking process was easy, Taha's support was very good.

Thank you so much for your wonderful and efficient partnership. We truly appreciate all the dedication, care and hard work you put into ensuring the satisfaction of our students and their parents.
Working with the Londonist team is a real pleasure and a great privilege for us. We feel very lucky to have such a supportive and professional team to work with. We truly value our partnership and look forward to many more successful collaborations together.

amazing experience, smooth process.

I have been working with Londonist as a partner for many years, and they have always been very supportive and maintained great communication throughout our partnership. Thank you!

I had a lovely stay at Londonist Paddington when I first moved to the UK in this summer. Having a comfortable and welcoming place to stay made settling into a new country so much easier. A special thank you to Mustafa bey and his team, and everyone who helped me throughout my stay. They were friendly and supportive, and made me feel welcome from the start. I would happily recommend Londonist Paddington to anyone looking for a welcoming place to stay in London.

I had a really great experience with Londonist from the beginning to the end of my booking process.
The first thing I really liked was their website. I found it very user-friendly and easy to navigate, especially when trying to find student accommodation that matched my budget. There were plenty of options to choose fromand being able to see the locations on the map was extremely helpful. It made it much easier for me to compare different accommodations and understand whichlocation would be the most convenient for me.
After finding some suitable options, I contacted the Londonist sales team and the support I received was excellent. They were very friendly, patient and helpful throughout the whole process. They answered my questions clearly and helped me understand the different options available.
What impressed me most was that I was looking for a short-term stay, which can sometimes be difficult to arrange with student accommodation providers. Londonist was able to accept my short-term booking and helped me find an option that worked for my dates and budget.
Overall, I was very happy with the service I received. I would definitely recommend Londonist DMC to students looking for accommodation.
Thank you to the Londonist team.

I had a great experience staying here. The accommodation is clean, safe, and very well maintained. It has excellent facilities, including a gym and a study room, which made everyday life very convenient and comfortable.

The 24/7 reception is also a great advantage, especially for peace of mind and any assistance you may need. The location is fantastic, right next to Hyde Park and in the city centre, with easy access to tube and trains and everything you need.

Overall, it’s a comfortable, secure, and well-located place to stay…

I have absolutely terrible experience with Londonist DMC student accommodation agency. My whole experience was in August and September 2026. Their unacceptable behaviour and disgusting financial hustle have made the start of uni year so inconvenient. I have booked a room at London Southbank Residence with everything going smoothly, received the invoice, paid the security deposit, got two emails about the confirmation of my room and a welcome message. Then a member of their team started bothering me saying that the booking cannot be confirmed because they cannot provide the accommodation. After days of arguing, they suggested and I have finally decided on cancelling my whole rent and requiring the security deposit back. After this they have mentioned that they will discuss this with their managers and ended up “exceptionally” agreeing on my original booking (this should have already been suspicious) so I requested another confirmation email about it which they have sent me AGAIN, then as soon as possible I have paid the rent, an insanely large amount of money.
Then I have received another email that they cannot provide the accommodation and have already moved me to another accommodation, which is a lower category and different distance from school than the one I have originally booked.
At this point I was insanely angry about their poor management and possible discrimination, so I absolutely clearly stated in an email (which they have confirmed) that at this point I request a total refund with compensation for the absolutely unacceptable financial hustle and unacceptable behaviour.
After several exchange of emails, they promised me to initiate my refund and send me proof of it on the next Friday. This absolutely did not happen, and I had to wait almost 2 more weeks until they finally actually initiated the money, after me calling them and writing emails every single day and receiving no substantive response on what is happening and where is my money.
Then I received a partial amount of the money and had to ask my university to help me regain the outstanding amount as well.
I have not received any compensation, nor have I received the service fee back, the phone bill money, or any compensation fee for the absolutely terrible management, unacceptable behaviour, financial hustle, and inconvenience they have caused to me.
I absolutely do not recommend working with them.

Update 29 Sep: Londonist has since been in touch and assured me the refund is being processed. I've raised my rating slightly to reflect their cooperation, and I'll update this review again once the money has actually arrived.

I submitted my £250 deposit refund form on 15 August after staying at Drapery Place (65 Leman Street) from 20 June to 15 August 2026. Got an automated reply saying it was "in progress", but after that I have not heard anything back. I have literally followed so many times ( on 6, 9, 12, 18 and 28 September). They NEVER replied!!

This seems to be their pattern. To be fair, my agent Lilia was actually really nice during the booking process. But it of course, once they had my money, communication just stopped, and now even she has started ghosting me.

And it gets worse: All the way back in June I emailed them about a possible late arrival because of a visa issue and just asked for a quick confirmation if it was ok to move in late. Guess what? I never heard back!

What you will get from them instead is constant upsell emails written like you are best friends. "Loving London? Let's Make It Even Better!" Discount offers, eSIM deals, all of it. Meanwhile your actual questions go unanswered.

This is so unacceptable...

will update this review when the money actually arrives