The Depot Here Students - Exeter Student Accommodation — Hotel in Exeter

Please don't book this property. I didn't want to have to leave such a negative review but I don't want new students to fall into the trap that I did.

The pictures online (and overpriced rooms) sell you the illusion that this is a nice property to stay at for your studies. The reality is far from that and the place is truly disappointing.

I stayed at this property for two years. The first year my kitchen was a complete biohazard from the actions of other residents. Whilst I understand there is only so many things the management can do for this issue, they should have ensured that the kitchen was cleaned between contracts, as in my eyes it clearly hadn't been. Management simply were not bothered and never did checks on the condition of the property, which was at severe fire risk with the amount of oil that covered the hobs. They also did not care that plugs were hanging off the walls either.

As I booked the property for the next year (circumstances prevented me from finding alternative accomodation sadly), I was advised in writing that I would be able to keep my room for free in the week between. They changed their minds a month later and said I would have to move my stuff out and back in a week later unless willing to pay £200ish. I refused and threatened legal action when demonstrating that their previous email correspondence had promised I would be able to keep my stuff in my room. They allowed me to because of this, and told me to not tell anyone else I had this arrangement with them. I was too scared to tell anyone in case they accessed my room while I was away and trashed my stuff, but I wish I did tell people. I dread to wonder how many people had been promised the same verbally, and didn't have the email correspondence to back them up. These actions are incredibly deceitful.

My second year there however was much worse. Not only did the kitchen cleanliness barely improve, my room's electrical supply would cut out EVERY EVENING. Management, my dealings largely with Naomi, claimed I was the only one in the property with this issue therefore making it my fault. However this proved to not be the case with out of hours maintenance telling me that other rooms across the property were having this issue. My mental health was severely affected in this time and the university became quite concerned about the state of my accommodation.

This prompted management to make some pathetic attempts to improve my stay, by disruptively PAT testing my appliances (which were never a problem, as the electricians told me). They also gave me access to an uninhabited room for emergency electricity, which was cold and in an incredibly dusty condition - inhospitable. Besides, if I wanted this weird room, I would have booked it.

Eventually, the new manager admitted to me that the electrical supply issues were a fault in the system. When I showed them this email chain, they still denied me any form of compensation and went back on their word. I was advised to contact Citizens Advicr by my university but, as I had to focus on my studies, ultimately chose not to do this.

I want to seriously discourage anyone from booking this property. There are nicer and safer houses available in the private sector, as well as private accomodation. Sure, the pictures of the Depot look nice, but ultimately the place is cheaply constructed and their reception staff need better training, basic respect for their residents, and the ability to take some pride in their work. While maintenance and out-of-hours security were nice enough, the deep rooted inefficiencies of management make this place truly unpleasant.

Side note: I checked their Instagram today (13. Oct 2025). I left the property in July, however their Instagram indicates that these electrical issues are ongoing. Please don't be fooled by their feeble attempts on Instagram to prevent a happy and cohesive property, the reality is far from it.

Edit: Forgot to add, MANY POSITIVE REVIEWS ARE FAKE. They offered vouchers and free gifts in my time to students giving them 5...

I stayed at The Depot twice for summer accommodation — once in 2022 and again in 2025. It’s a very affordable option, and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for — though in this case. The Depot offers excellent value for money. In 2025, I paid £245 for one week, which is quite reasonable. The location is unbeatable — just a few minutes' walk from Exeter’s High Street and the Cathedral. I appreciated the clean, spacious room and access to a shared kitchen, which was convenient and well-maintained. There were some noticeable changes between my two stays. In 2025, The Depot only accepted UK-issued payment cards, which was inconvenient. I had to pay via international bank transfer, which added some hassle. Additionally, bedding was provided in 2022 but not in 2025 — something to keep in mind. The reservation system is now run in-house and, while functional, generated a flood of emails. Fortunately, a young receptionist was very helpful and made the...

As with most private halls whether you like will probably scale with the amount of friends you get together in one shared flat. We managed to get 5 of us and it meant we could easily work together to clean, cook, report maintainance issues, and not be noisy. Meanwhile if you are with random people then you will end up with the classic first-year problem of noise, gross kitchens, etc. It's what you make of it basically.

As with most big accom buildings in the UK you can't open the windows very far at all. This is awful in the summer when you just want airflow, but its the same anywhere. Nice and warm in the winter though which is of course most of the academic year.

The old club on the North side, Unit One, shut down which makes this far more attractive than it was. I found the staff to genuinely try to solve issues so long as you raised them.

Overall, I've enjoyed my year here, I'd recommend as long as you can get together at least...