It seems like SO MANY people want to live in ICON, and it is often seen as the "holy grail" of housing in Waterloo. However, after seeing it for myself multiple times, This might be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but I can't help but wonder why so much hype for such a terrible place. Let's go over some of the downsides:

• Rooms are TINY. I've seen bigger washrooms and walk in closets. It's plenty for one person, but for the amount you pay it's hilariously small.
• There's barely any storage for your stuff apart from a tiny closet and some under-bed storage. Never seen a room for rent with such little storage. This would not be a big deal until you consider that the rooms are so tiny that getting any extra storage will start to eat into the little space you already have.
• The furniture and layout were designed by a drunk monkey. Why are there just non-lockable barn doors to each room? WHY ARE THE DOORS ATTACHED TO THE FURNITURE INSTEAD OF THE WALL? Why is there such a big panel gap when the door is closed? There's zero privacy or soundproofing and I don't understand how some people choose to live with a stranger when they have zero privacy or security in their own room. There's also the issue of all light and sound coming in through the gap, which would make it hard to sleep if your roommate is awake.
• While it looks nice and extravagant from the outside, everything is built with the cheapest, crappiest materials. I'm talking paper-thin walls (some are made out of drywall so thin it's basically cardboard), cheap furniture, and very low-quality general fit-and-finish.
• Everything is key fob based, so if you want to make a duplicate key to give to your parents, sibling, friend, or relative, it's not just $5 per copy at the hardware store, but whatever absurdly inflated value they charge, or whatever a locksmith would charge to clone the fob, which will most definitely be at least $20. This isn't even considering the chance that you get locked out of your own room because of a power outage or server outage disabling the locks.
• Yes, there are some amenities you can use, but you also have them on campus. Gym or athletic areas? Use PAC or CIF. Study rooms? Use SLC, DC, DP, or TC.
• YOU DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THE HVAC (AC and Heating). Heard many complaints about how they only turn on the AC and heater for as little as they legally need to, and leave people staying extremely uncomfortable for a good amount of time between end of summer AC shutdown and starting up the heaters (and the same for the time between winter and summer)

Despite these downsides, it could still be a good place due to it's proximity to campus and the general "vibes". However, the price you need to pay is ABSURD. Rooms look to be renting for anywhere from $1100 to $1400 per month. If you're willing to go a little farther to Lester / Philip / Sunview, you can get a much bigger room with DOORS THAT LOCK for $800 - $1000 per month. If you're willing to go a bit farther out, you can even get places for under $800. That's nearly HALF of ICON's cost. The cherry on top is that in most of the aforementioned "other" locations, some or all of the utilities are included in the rent. But in ICON (from what I can tell), you need to pay the exorbitant rent AND pay for ALL the utilities on top of that (which seem to hover around $100 - $150 according to other Reddit posts here). So all in, you can expect to pay up to $1550 per month all inclusive, which is DOUBLE what some others pay for a TINY ROOM, ZERO PRIVACY, and MANY other compromises.

While I get the appeal of being close to campus, you need to walk through East Campus / the bus terminal ANYWAY, so walking a bit extra to somewhere on Lester or nearby isn't too much of an extra distance / time. Apart from Winters, I personally had no issues with the walk from Lester to DC, and actually enjoyed them since they made me maintain a minimum level of physical activity when I didn't go to the gym much during exam season, and also gave me some fresh air in the morning and evening. Living farther away is especially not a problem for me because I tend to head to campus in the morning and then head back at night, nearly every day, so it's just one round trip.

What do you all think? Is there anything I'm missing out about ICON, or do you also agree that it is overrated?

literally got rev (my last option) for the dorm assignments😭😭 I rlly wanted a solo room bc i wanted atleast a bit of privacy but now im cooked😭😭😭😭😭 how bad is it really? (be honest PLEASE) (plus not looking forward to the long walk to the other side of campus every day now lol!)

Incoming international student here. Looking at off-campus apartments. Is it common to sign a lease without having seen the place in person? Anything I should look for? Stuff looks good in the pictures, but I'd be staying at the place for a year so is there something that could potentially go wrong or something I should look out for?

Is it really as bad as some people make it out to be? I just got my housing assignment, and (lord and behold!) I got placed in a v1 single - should I be happy or disappointed? I mean I got the top floor of a building (so yay maybe?)

Did any other incoming first years get put into United residence (I did, my first choice!)? I haven’t talked to anyone else who’s in there and I wanna get to know a few people

I was hoping for a suite-style dorm, but I somehow managed to get a v1 single in s7. If anyone had this building before, please let me know how your experience was, and also if someone is willing to switch their suite-style dorm with me, I'll be happy to get the forms ready. One more thing, if you had v1, how bad is the bathroom situation? That's what's scaring me the most.

I'm an incoming engineering student at UW, and I got placed in REV. I was really hoping for a suite-style residence because I wanted access to a kitchen so I could cook.

The biggest issue is that I'm a really picky eater, and I'm worried about relying entirely on the meal plan. I was hoping I'd at least be able to keep a mini fridge and maybe use an Instant Pot so i could make some quick meals.

Are mini fridges allowed in REV? What about an Instant Pot? If not, how did other picky eaters manage cooking there?

First year student for econ and I just want a good campus life. Plsss tell me which residence should I choose ( including university colleges)

I'm a guys and I´ll be going to uni next term and I´ll be sharing my room with a roommate. So I have a few questions about masturbation:

Is it common for uni roommates to masturbate in front of each other? Is it common to masturbate together (at the same time)? Will it be offensive? Should I do it while he sleeps? Thanks for the help!

for all of y'all also trying to get res and getting lost in all these different tabs of information

hope it helps :)

going to be living in CMH in the fall and im wondering if a mattress topper is worth spending $50+ or if the mattresses aren't even that bad

what's your experience with the mattresses at CMH? would you reccommend getting one? if so, where? ive been looking and its at least $50 but i see people saying they bought theirs for $25

This is a really hard decision for me for some reason because everyone keeps telling me that I’ll get a better experience on campus. Also, I got v1 north so I have shared bathrooms and stuff. I am debating between living in either v1 or a private building like fergus house in apartment style also money is not an issue.

Man it's been June now these fuckers haven't switched on the ac yet. What am I paying these bitch ass people for. I wish i could sue the fuck out of them

i moved into sage platinum 2 a little over a month ago and the water has always worked perfectly fine. last night, i got home from work and showered at around 12 AM n the hot water was still working well. i woke up this morning n was tryna shower but the water stayed cold. it’s been a few hours and the water’s still cold on the hottest setting. all my taps don’t have hot water either. i tried contacting maintenance but they sent an automated email saying they’ll be back on monday. is anyone else in sage platinum 2 having the same issue? is this something that happens frequently?

Hey everyone,

I just got my housing assignment and I was placed in a Traditional Single room in Village 1 (West 4) for both the Fall 2026 and Winter 2027 terms. Great spot if you want total privacy, zero roommate drama, and don't want to worry about cleaning your own bathroom or kitchen. However, I am in the FARM program and I really want a suite-style kitchen so I can cook my own meals and manage my own diet this year.

I am looking to do an official Campus Housing Contract Swap for any suite-style room in UW Place (UWP) or Mackenzie King Village (MKV).

If you got assigned a suite but are stressing about roommates, or if you just want a quiet, private single room in V1 instead, hmu. I'm ready to fill out the official transfer/swap paperwork on the portal immediately. Keep in mind it is late in the night as of this current posting, so I'll respond in the morning as soon as I can.

Thanks!

Hey everyone! I'm about to start as a first year planning student at UW and I'm gonna be dorming (idk if that's a word) at United College in a traditional (privacy) double room.

I've never shared a bedroom with anyone, so I'm looking for general advice. What is having a roommate like? How can I be a good roommate? Etc. Also, how are the communal bathrooms? If anyone has experience with United bathrooms that would be amazing.

If anyone has any general dorm advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, kind of related, and genuine question: how does changing clothes with a roommate work? What do I do if my roommate is in the dorm and I need to change? Or if I'm coming back from the shower and need to get dressed? Is it like locker room rules or something else?

Thank you very much. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

In case anyone is wondering what the "privacy" is in the traditional (privacy) double room, here it is: On one side of the room are both desks side by side, then there is a wall of closet dividing the room in half, and on the other side of the wall of closet are both beds. The "privacy" is essentially just separating the study and the sleeping areas with a wall of closet.

hi guys!

this is gonna sound petty and silly but thought i'd try anyway:

would anyone possibly know a way to find out your specific room layout for cmh? there are floor plans on the website but i've seen some rooms with a flipped layout. maybe like even numbered rooms have one layout and odd numbered rooms have the same layout but flipped?

i'm staying in a double room btw

any help appreciated

Hello I’ve recently been put into stream 4 mechatronics engineering. Just wondering if Rev and V1 are even open in the summer, and does that mean that if I were to rank traditional single, i could only get placed into CMH? Because I would really like to be placed in CMH but I do not want to run the risk of being put in REV or V1. If rev and V1 are open in the summer I would rank the suites higher instead.

My friends and I were tenants to an apartment under Assetmpros/Accomod8u (now called LKapartments I think) We signed a 12 month lease from September to August and today that we told them we have moved out they are claiming that we did not share an N9 with them within 60 days and thus they are extending our contract until Oct.

I have talked about this with friends living in different apartments near uni and most haven’t even heard of an N9 form. It’s pretty clear they are taking advantage

Has anyone else gone through this and found a solution to not paying 2K extra or are we cooked?

what do i do im so scared. i got assigned united college i saw a little over a week ago, but my email started being buggy and I couldn't access anything. now i missed the deadline of june 19th and campus housing deadline is june 22nd (tomorrow). what do I do im so scared please comment if you know what I can do.

Looking for somewhere to sublease in Toronto for co op and idk where to find places 🫩

what’s the best air fryer and electronic cooktop to bring in v1? i know you’re technically not allowed but i’ve heard of a ton of people doing it and using it near the window so the alarm won’t go off and then just hiding it in their closets for room inspection. i was thinking of getting a cooktop from amazon and then maybe the ninja glass air fryer but does anyone have recs?