Student Living

A third of the way through my second year at Lancaster University, I have just completed my first fourteen weeks or so of living in a real house, following the previous year of living in halls. I cannot say, however, that it has been a success. Now, I’m a student. In such economic times, at £82 each a week, I’m not expecting miracles. But I like the idea of a warm house, one I won’t freeze to death in, one I won’t starve in. Reasonable, right? Wrong.

 

I go in with three other housemates, and come out with just two. Why? Well the fourth member of our house is still paying rent for her room, but is forced to live at her boyfriend’s house because of the mold covering a reasonably large portion of one of her walls.

The company we rent though, the University’s very own Students’ Union housing company, is aware of this problem, and has been since before the start of term.

The oven that came with the house is gas powered. We sometimes enter the kitchen to an interesting odor, as the flames below the grates upon which we cook our food, have gone out, with no apparent reason behind it. Constant observation is a given requirement, and, because the oven is incapable of heating itself up, given the amount of time it actually stays alight, We can be waiting a good few hours to even watch garlic bread heat up.

The company we rent though, the University’s very own Students’ Union housing company, is aware of this problem, and has been since before the start of term.

As the last member of the house to leave on Wednesday, I went around checking that all switches were off, all appliances, lights, etc. Note that the boiler counts. Now, the reason I do this task so meticulously is because, when originally turning off the lights, I notice an eerie blue glow coming from the kitchen. Entering said room, I realise that the back left hand hob (which is also gas powered) is still on, and has been since someone last used it, which I hazard a guess was at least seven days previous. Problem is that I cannot change this because the dial on the hob is, in fact, off. I turn the entire power off from the back. No fire. Strange smell. Noise of leaking gas. Yep, the thing is still spewing out poisonous substances because the dial is not one of the original dials made for the oven.

The company we rent though, the University’s very own Students’ Union housing company, is aware of this problem, and has been since before the start of term.

Finally, today, I find out that the oven has been replaced, after at least twelve solid weeks of complaints to our wonderful landlord company. I know this because one of my housemates went to the house to check to see if any parcels had arrived. Lo and behold. Our boiler is now broken. Within two days of my departure, and has been leaking water. I wonder how long it will take LUSU to get their fingers out this time and actually help us. In the mean time, anyone who has not yet got a house for 13/14 – my strong advice would be to avoid signing a contract without being fully aware of how little support you will receive from your landlords, bearing in mind that you cannot withhold any payment of rent on the grounds of their own insufficient care.