Students left with no hot water for 4 months
CLAIMS OF DAMP, LEAKY KITCHENS AND NO HOT WATER FOR FOUR MONTHS IN HALLS
STUDENTS claim they have been left without hot water for FOUR months and complain that mould is growing on clothes and bedroom walls in ‘disgusting’ halls of residence.
Undergraduates, who pay £139 a week for the accommodation at Manchester Met University’s Needham Court, say there’s creeping damp, leaky kitchens and yellow water running from the taps.
India Barr stays in a flat with seven other freshers who all pay for en-suite facilities, yet the showers are freezing cold, she says.
India explains they have to boil the kettle to wash the dishes, and must wash their hands with cold water. After persistently complaining, the students have been offered the key to a working shower in a vacant room elsewhere in the building.
Bosses at Manchester Met say the building is leased to a private management company and they are not responsible for the maintenance. The university added the firm are now ‘dealing with this as a matter of urgency.’
India, 19, told the M.E.N.: “I’ve developed such a bad cough that I’m having an MRI scan next week.
“People are complaining of damp all over their rooms. In my room it’s under my bed and has ruined pairs of shoes, suitcases and other belongings.
“The only response from the university is that they say they are looking into it. Someone came to take pictures of the damp, but we haven’t heard anything else. We were told we would get a new boiler fitted by the end of February, yet it hasn’t been installed.”
Another resident at Needham Court, Leia Scott, said: “There are leaks in the kitchen and when you walk into a room you can feel the damp.
“I’ve seen pictures of a girl with yellow water running from her tap. Another resident said they have a big patch of mould above their extractor fan and when they cook it falls off into their food. It’s disgusting.”
A spokesman for Manchester Metropolitan University said: “We are obviously very concerned by the issues. The University leases this building from a private company called IQ and as a result we are not responsible for its maintenance.
“We are responsible for trying to ensure our students get the best experience of University life and so we have escalated the issue to senior management within IQ who are dealing with this as a matter of urgency.”
A spokesperson for IQ Student Accommodation said: “We have an ongoing programme of maintenance underway – ensuring the upkeep of the building, as well as dealing with isolated issues within the site as and when they arise.
“Remedial work has been carried out over the last few months, however, a small number of issues remain and we are dealing with them as a matter of urgency.
“We will keep an open dialogue with those impacted to ensure they are satisfied with the results.”