Is it normal for university accommodation in the UK to have these issues?
I’m going through a very challenging situation in my university accommodation in the UK, and I’d like to know if this is common or if it should be considered unacceptable. Since my arrival, I’ve been dealing with the following:
1. Constant presence of insects, including spiders (some identified as Noble False Widow, which can have medical significance), crane flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and others.
2. Dense cobwebs on windows, ceilings, and hallways, some at eye level.
3. Unsanitary conditions, such as mould on windows, dead insect exoskeletons, and in one of the rooms, I even found urine on the toilet seat and inside the wastebasket.
4. Structural problems, such as visible cracks where insects seem to enter.
5. Inadequate response from cleaning staff, who left printed photos of the issues I reported on my bathroom floor instead of addressing them.
6. Lack of proper ventilation, as opening windows allows more insects to come inside.
Is this a common experience in university accommodation in the UK?
1. Constant presence of insects, including spiders (some identified as Noble False Widow, which can have medical significance), crane flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and others.
2. Dense cobwebs on windows, ceilings, and hallways, some at eye level.
3. Unsanitary conditions, such as mould on windows, dead insect exoskeletons, and in one of the rooms, I even found urine on the toilet seat and inside the wastebasket.
4. Structural problems, such as visible cracks where insects seem to enter.
5. Inadequate response from cleaning staff, who left printed photos of the issues I reported on my bathroom floor instead of addressing them.
6. Lack of proper ventilation, as opening windows allows more insects to come inside.
Is this a common experience in university accommodation in the UK?
Original post
by LenaVelasquezI’m going through a very challenging situation in my university accommodation in the UK, and I’d like to know if this is common or if it should be considered unacceptable. Since my arrival, I’ve been dealing with the following:
1. Constant presence of insects, including spiders (some identified as Noble False Widow, which can have medical significance), crane flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and others.
2. Dense cobwebs on windows, ceilings, and hallways, some at eye level.
3. Unsanitary conditions, such as mould on windows, dead insect exoskeletons, and in one of the rooms, I even found urine on the toilet seat and inside the wastebasket.
4. Structural problems, such as visible cracks where insects seem to enter.
5. Inadequate response from cleaning staff, who left printed photos of the issues I reported on my bathroom floor instead of addressing them.
6. Lack of proper ventilation, as opening windows allows more insects to come inside.
Is this a common experience in university accommodation in the UK?
1. Constant presence of insects, including spiders (some identified as Noble False Widow, which can have medical significance), crane flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and others.
2. Dense cobwebs on windows, ceilings, and hallways, some at eye level.
3. Unsanitary conditions, such as mould on windows, dead insect exoskeletons, and in one of the rooms, I even found urine on the toilet seat and inside the wastebasket.
4. Structural problems, such as visible cracks where insects seem to enter.
5. Inadequate response from cleaning staff, who left printed photos of the issues I reported on my bathroom floor instead of addressing them.
6. Lack of proper ventilation, as opening windows allows more insects to come inside.
Is this a common experience in university accommodation in the UK?
Hi @LenaVelasquez
I'm really sorry to hear you've had such a lot of issues with your house. That's not fun! You've done the right thing reaching out.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to experience some issues with student housing, but it doesn't happen to everyone and even if you do experience issues UK landlords have a responsibility to sort these issues in a reasonable time frame.
That's great you have already reported it, I know it is time-consuming, but I would advise keeping photo and written records of the issue and when you have reported them. You might find some of the steps below helpful if you haven't already taken them:
1.
Speak to your University: Most universities (like mine) have teams that help with student housing and can give advice, sometimes they will get their Student Union involved to help resolve things for you!
2.
Escalate your Complaint with your Accommodation Provider: I presume you have a private student landlord in the halls of residence? If so, they should have a complaints procedure if you aren't happy with how they're dealing with things, so you could look at this.
3.
Get advice from external organisations offering housing advice: E.g., Shelter England offer a range of advice (and your university may direct you to them) I have popped a couple of links below relevant to renting in England (they also have the option to get housing advice in Scotland):
https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/housing_conditions/responsibility_for_repairs
Pests in Housing:
https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/housing_conditions/responsibility_for_repairs/pests_and_infestations#what-is-an-infestation-of-pests
Contact Details:
https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help
I hope this helps a little and most importantly these issues are sorted asap!
Good luck with your studies and take care.
Lucy 🙂
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
Reply 2
Original post
by LenaVelasquezI’m going through a very challenging situation in my university accommodation in the UK, and I’d like to know if this is common or if it should be considered unacceptable. Since my arrival, I’ve been dealing with the following:
1. Constant presence of insects, including spiders (some identified as Noble False Widow, which can have medical significance), crane flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and others.
2. Dense cobwebs on windows, ceilings, and hallways, some at eye level.
3. Unsanitary conditions, such as mould on windows, dead insect exoskeletons, and in one of the rooms, I even found urine on the toilet seat and inside the wastebasket.
4. Structural problems, such as visible cracks where insects seem to enter.
5. Inadequate response from cleaning staff, who left printed photos of the issues I reported on my bathroom floor instead of addressing them.
6. Lack of proper ventilation, as opening windows allows more insects to come inside.
Is this a common experience in university accommodation in the UK?
1. Constant presence of insects, including spiders (some identified as Noble False Widow, which can have medical significance), crane flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and others.
2. Dense cobwebs on windows, ceilings, and hallways, some at eye level.
3. Unsanitary conditions, such as mould on windows, dead insect exoskeletons, and in one of the rooms, I even found urine on the toilet seat and inside the wastebasket.
4. Structural problems, such as visible cracks where insects seem to enter.
5. Inadequate response from cleaning staff, who left printed photos of the issues I reported on my bathroom floor instead of addressing them.
6. Lack of proper ventilation, as opening windows allows more insects to come inside.
Is this a common experience in university accommodation in the UK?
This is absolutely not common from what I have heard about UK student accommodation. I am currently at student accommodation in a university which is known to be a bit below average in terms of accommodation quality, and I have not had anything this bad. I have had a few insects (mainly silverfish which are really common) but even then I don't really see them that regularly. The unsanitary conditions is definitely a concern. I would consider this as unacceptable.
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