Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Horror as rats attempt to climb out of students’ toilet TWICE
Tenants in row with landlord after mould and rodent issue at city home
Horrified students have told how they woke to find rats trying to climb out of the toilet at their rented home.
On two mornings in a row the loo seat was lifted at the Canterbury house to reveal a rodent in the water below.
The tenants say rats were also seen scurrying around the kitchen at the Tenterden Drive property, which was occupied by seven University of Kent students.
Elle Silvester, 20, says they moved into the house in September last year.
She says they endured mould, dripping taps and a broken washing machine, but nothing prepared them for the grim discoveries made in December. “One of our housemates woke up to find the ungodly sight of a rat in our shared girls’ toilet,” said Elle.
“The rat, still alive, couldn’t get out of the toilet bowl and drowned. We reported it and disposed of it in a plastic bag in the bin.
“The next morning, the same thing happened. Once again, it drowned and we updated [the letting agents] immediately. “The same night we saw a rat run across our kitchen and hide behind our fridge.”
Rats are able to hold their breath for three minutes and can navigate narrow pipes by collapsing their ribs, according to National Geographic. The rodents are also able to tread water for three days. The tenants alerted letting agent Varsity Canterbury, which manages the property and specialises in “exceptional quality student accommodation”. They were sent some traps but no rats were ever caught although the housemates say they could still hear them scurrying around.
“So many problems arose which made living an absolute headache,” said Elle.
“At first it was problems like dripping taps, a broken washing machine and broken drawers. “Then the light went in the boys’ bathroom, which meant they had to use the flashlights on their phones if they wanted to see. Then we had mould. We’d clean it, and it would come straight back.
“The property manager told us ‘mould is an issue caused by high humidity’.
“We’ve since found out that it was caused by a leak in the roof.” Elle says the group contacted Varsity to raise the issue in November, but nobody came to look at the extent of the mould. Instead they received an email from the property manager, detailing how to clean mould and the reasons it appears.
A subsequent health check found a hole in the roof of the property had led to a leak that caused the mould.
Elle said: “Ultimately, the whole ordeal has been stressful and uncomfortable. We couldn’t bear the rats or mould.” The rat horror was the breaking point for the tenants, who moved out on February 11 after commissioning an independent health inspection. Checks were carried out last month, with a leak in the roof, mould and fresh rodent droppings all found.
A report by the inspector, who was working on behalf of real estate consultants Hollis, also highlights planning permission had not been sought to “configure” the property into a “seven-bedroom HMO”. Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies said: “We were not aware of these issues until the report from the surveyor arrived in recent days. “As a result of that report coming in, an inspection visit by our private sector housing team has been arranged for later this week.
“It is the responsibility of the
owner to seek permission if the use changes from a home to a house in multiple occupation. “Such a permission has not been sought for this property and we’ll investigate this now we have been made aware of it.” A spokesman for Varsity added: “In this case, each time an issue has been reported, we’ve arranged for a relevant professional contractor to attend on the owners’ behalf. “It’s not always possible for issues to be resolved immediately and often they require further appointments and also action from the tenants.” He says the property has a HMO licence and when the council visited in September it raised “only a couple of routine repair recommendations which were completed”.
“The tenants claim the landlord doesn’t have the permissions to let the property, but the landlord claims otherwise and we understand he’s in discussions with the council,” the Varsity spokesman continued. While the landlord has a HMO licence, he does not have the planning permission required, according to the council.