Communication may sit behind the scenes, but it plays a critical role in the student accommodation experience. When it works well, students notice – and when it fails, even relatively small problems can quickly become sources of frustration.
The Global Student Living Index asks students to tell us about the communication they receive about their accommodation and what, if anything, they would improve.
The encouraging finding from a qualitative review of almost 500 comments is just how many students had very little to criticise. A large number described communication as “good”, “very good”, “clear” or “helpful”, while others simply said there was “nothing to improve”.
For providers, this is an important insight. Students are not universally dissatisfied with emails, demanding new communication channels or asking to be contacted more often. In fact, some felt they were already receiving more communication than they needed.
What their comments do reveal is what makes accommodation communication work well – and where relatively small improvements could make a difference.
Email isn’t dead
Despite the rise of alternative forms of communication, email remains important.
Students frequently described receiving regular information about maintenance, inspections, events, parcels, safety and other accommodation matters by email – and, in many cases, said that this worked perfectly well.
As one student noted:
We get emails and updates on everything from the very start, including helping us move in. I wouldn’t change it.
Others particularly valued communication that was “clear and concise”, “detailed and helpful”, or simply arrived when needed.
Apps, WhatsApp groups, social media, posters and face-to-face communication also featured positively. Several students wanted a dedicated accommodation app bringing messages, maintenance requests, payments, events and other information together in one place.
However, the existence of an app is not automatically an improvement. Students who already had access to platforms also complained about maintenance functions that did not work properly or apps that failed to send notifications. Student comments highlight that the key issue is about dependability rather than technology – students want a channel they can trust to contain accurate, up-to-date information in one place.
Timing beats volume
One of the clearest messages from the comments is that communication has a shelf life and students often receive information that is ‘stale’. Many students expressed frustration that information arrived only after they had already needed it – arrival instructions after travel had been booked, practical information after they had worked things out themselves, or notice of an inspection on the day it was happening.
One student explains:
The information we need always comes after we need it, so by that point we’ve already figured out or learnt what we needed to
Sending information is not necessarily the same as communicating effectively. Students want enough notice to understand what is happening and, where necessary, act on it.
Maintenance is the real test
Nowhere was this more evident than in maintenance and access to rooms and flats. Many students praised providers for letting them know in advance when contractors or staff would be attending. However, when communication failed, the consequences for students could feel much more serious than a missed email.
Some students described maintenance workers arriving earlier than expected or without notice. One explained:
We’re only informed with short notice about maintenance or external people coming in. It gives us no time to prepare.
Others wanted precise dates rather than being told someone might attend at some point during a particular week. Student comments also highlight an expectation that accommodation communication should keep pace when circumstances change. Communicating the original plan is only part of the job – if timings change, students expect the update to follow. In a world of live delivery tracking, travel alerts and instant appointment notifications, a change that providers know about but residents do not can feel like a communication failure.
As one student put it:
The communication tends to be good, but sometimes things aren’t communicated at all. We had maintenance scheduled for a specific date and time, but this happened a few days earlier than expected, so I think even short notice changes need to be communicated to residents in some way
Another described encountering someone unexpectedly in their shared accommodation late in the evening and said that, despite understanding why the work was necessary, the experience felt unsettling:
I would appreciate it if I knew if someone was coming into the accommodation, especially when it is an older man at 10pm. I understand that they’re just here to help fix things in the kitchen, but because they’ve got the keys to our accommodation ,it’s just a bit scary when I walk out of my room and see a stranger fiddling with something in the kitchen.
It is important to remember that, for students, their accommodation is their home. Advance warning before staff or contractors enter is therefore about more than operational efficiency or good customer service. Feeling safe, secure and in control of who enters your home is fundamental, and unexpected access can undermine that sense of security.
For providers, this suggests a simple but important principle: communicate planned access clearly, update residents if those plans change, and close the loop afterwards.
After maintenance comes, if I’m not there or a flatmate, I wish that they would leave us a note describing what has been done or not done. Also, just to say that they have been.
For providers, this suggests a simple but important principle – communicate planned access clearly, update residents if those plans change, and close the loop afterwards.
More isn’t always better
Student comments also serve as a reminder to avoid equating good communication with frequent communication.
Some students described constant emails, irrelevant blanket messages or inboxes filled with information that did not concern them. Others worried that important messages could become lost amongst everything else.
The challenge is therefore to strike the right balance. Students appreciate regular updates, but also want providers to distinguish between urgent information, messages requiring action, and general news or reminders.
That might mean better subject lines and targeting, a dedicated channel for urgent alerts, or allowing students greater control over some communication preferences.
Reduce uncertainty
Perhaps the most important lesson from the comments is that good accommodation communication reduces uncertainty.
Students appreciated knowing what would be in their room before they arrived, what size bedding to buy, how to collect a parcel, how their key or fob worked and who to contact if they had a problem. They also valued staff who replied quickly and gave clear answers.
One recent arrival explained:
I have only recently moved into the accommodation, so I have not received much information about it yet. However, the information I received pre-arrival was lacking, including how the room actually worked. So, sharing more details with students about the qualities of their accommodations would be something I would change.
Much of this information may seem routine from a provider’s perspective. For a student encountering a new building, a new city or perhaps a new country, however, it can remove a considerable amount of uncertainty.
Overall, the message from students is reassuring. Many feel their accommodation already communicates well with them.
The opportunity is not necessarily to communicate more, but to communicate more precisely: provide the right information at the right time, make important messages easy to identify, respond when students need help, and keep them informed when circumstances change.
_______________________________________________
This analysis is based on a qualitative review of free-text responses from the Q4 2025 and Q2 2026 waves of the Global Student Living Index. Themes represent recurring patterns within student comments rather than a formally coded statistical breakdown.
