Nottingham: Foreign student demands refund over unfinished flats

Burak Alparslan said the accommodation operator had refused his request of cancelling his contract

An international student who arrived in Nottingham from Turkey to find his accommodation was still a building site has demanded a refund.

Burak Alparslan arrived at the Crown Place flats on 16 September only to find construction work was far from complete.

He said he had to find alternative accommodation after being given an incomplete ground floor room that was much smaller than the one he booked.

Operator CRM Students has apologised.

Mr Alparslan told the BBC he had been looking forward to "a new life and a new start" when he arrived in the East Midlands.

The first-year architecture student said he had paid a year's rent of £12,500 up-front for the Crown Place room.

The operator CRM Students said "the safety of our students is central to our ethos"

"[When I arrived] there was the half building and and construction was still going on," he said. "I saw people crying because their rooms also weren't finished."

"When I saw my room it was in the middle of the building and there were stones and construction was still going on. Outside of my room there was construction going on the corridor.

"I want to cancel my contract - they said I have to stay there."

Mr Alparslan concluded he had no choice but to find accommodation elsewhere in the city, costing him thousands more.

'Disappointing'

Crown Place, in St Ann's Well Road, offers an "epic" range of facilities, according to CRM, including a free on-site gym, cinema room, karaoke room and gaming room.

The operator's website describes it as "the place to be" for a "memorable uni experience".

Mr Alparslan said: "I was really disappointed because I was expecting to have a new life and a new start after coming from Turkey.

"I was expecting a room that was bigger. I need space to work as I want be an architect.

"There was only a bath, a small kitchen and a table for work. It was so small but not the one that I booked.

"There was no communal area because all the constructions are going on inside of the building and outside."

Workers remain at the site in the city centre

CRM said it was "doing everything possible to support students as they move into their new home".

A statement from the company added: "As the operator of the accommodation, we have been in constant conversation with both the construction company and owners of the building.

"The first phase that was opened this week, consisting of the ground, first, second and third floors has full Building Control certification and all communal spaces on the ground floor are available for use.

"To date 108 students have moved in with the first week's accommodation free of charge. We will continue to communicate with our students to keep them fully informed."