The Affect of COVID on International Students and Student Accommodation Providers in Cardiff
How it all Started
January 2020 already seems such a long time ago….. so much has happened and changed - what a year it has been for students at Cardiff University and at Cardiff Metropolitan University
At the beginning of January 2020 after the Christmas Break most International Students were returning to Cardiff to their student accommodation.
For most students everything was going as expected.. and then in mid January the first cases of coronavirus were being reported in China.
The Effects
At first it was just a perceived threat – would this really affect the lives of students at University across Cardiff…?
As the weeks went by it became more and more apparent that this was something that was going to affect everybody.
As the coronavirus virus situation ( also widely referred to as COVID 19) continued to considerably worsen most Universities advised International students to make plans to return home.
The Options
Students at Cardiff University and at Cardiff Metropolitan University began to understand that they had two options… stay in the UK or leave as quickly as possible to get back home.
Many opted to return home with just a few belongings hoping that they would be able to continue their studies online at home and then return in the Summer Term to take exams and to pack and store their belongings over the summer.
Things Get Worse
Unfortunately with things worsening over the next few months it became evident that many students were going to need to delay their return to the UK for their studies until the situation had settled down.
The implications were far reaching for most International Students not least of which was how to move out of their student accommodation before the end of the Summer Term.
The Response
At Door2Door Student Storage in March and April 2020 we began to see a steady trickle of enquiries from many students at Cardiff University and at Cardiff Metropolitan University asking us about our affordable student storage service.
Many students that had used our student storage service in the past also contacted us to see if we could offer a room packing service as they were no longer in the country and unable to return.
Over the next few months the trickle of enquiries turned into a flood of anxious students asking us about our room packing / student storage service in Cardiff.
At the same time we were receiving enquiries from Student Accommodation Officers across Cardiff to directly offer our Student Packing Service to their students. It became apparent that many Student Accommodation Providers were aware that they needed to become proactive in providing an affordable room packing / student storage service to students to ensure that rooms were packed and left in a suitable state before the end of the Summer Term.
With close connections with the Cardiff University and at Cardiff Metropolitan University and many of the other Student Accommodation Providers across Cardiff we were able to work with their staff to arrange a schedule for packing rooms for students and clearing the rooms where necessary, of any rubbish or items that needed to be disposed of, so that the rooms were left in an acceptable state for the Accommodation Providers.
The Solution
In March 2020 Door2Door Student Storage responded by offering an affordable Room Packing Service for all Students across Cardiff.
As with our student storage service we were keen to ensure that we could provide an affordable room packing service to students with transparent pricing and no hidden charges.
Many students had informed us that they already had left behind unpacked suitcases and holdalls in their room and could we pack their room using these.
Other students asked if we could pack the rooms and then instead of storing them send the items directly to a different address
As a result we now offer a number of solutions that include packing the room using our boxes or using your suitcases or holdalls (or boxes) that are already in the room.
In addition we offer the option to have these items sent from your existing room location directly to another location in the UK - we can also arrange for these items to be returned to your home country.
Pricing
Pricing Starts from just £57.50 per Extra Large Box and includes the following:
- Professional Packing Team to pack your belongings - We liaise with your student accommodation to arrange a date to pack - Price inclusive of boxes, bubble wrap and packing materials - Transfer of Your Items to Our Storage Warehouse (or directly to another address) - Store for as long as you require - Storage for up to 12 Weeks is included (additional weeks at £1.35 per box per week) - Re Delivery to any UK Mainland Postcode Address .
As we moved forward into September and October 2020 we found that many students were delaying their return to the UK until things had settled down.
With students needing to store their items for longer periods of time we also now offer an extended storage package discount package of 25% off for storage terms over 6 months.
The summer was a busy one and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for all their hard work and to thank the staff at Student Accommodation Blocks across Cardiff for all their help.
If we can help you in any way please contact us at HERE
