University Accommodation

[yphtutor]

No I'm not being unreasonable! My sons uni accommodation is disgusting. Mouse crap and urine, vomit and broken glass in his dining area, filthy stained carpet, chair, walls. Filth of ages in his bathroom/bedroom, pubes brown stains, peeling paint, no curtain/blind, no freezer, last one removed which is where vomit was! Unable to control room temperature as thermostat broken, room boiling hot, whole place has rotten stench. Goes out can't get back in, has to call security from the main campus due to staff shortages. Have complained and complained and complained and after a week nothing has changed. They have even admitted that the room/block is well below any decent expectation and offered me a refund, I don't want a refund I just want my son to live in a clean, healthy, pleasant environment, where he can safely study for his degree without harm to his health and wellbeing. The irony is that he is studying to be a doctor!

That's grim Hope he gets sorted soon.

Thanks everyone I'm not going mad then 😂 I felt like I was banging head against a brick wall most of time, so he definitely wouldn't have an inkling how to deal with it, nor would most others his age.

Urgh - good luck, and of course it's appropriate for a parent to do the donkey work of dealing with this, especially for someone embarking on a demanding course.

Our DD is just about to start uni, she looked at lots of student accommodation during open days and offer holder days and it was all fine - some more basic than others obv, different sizes, but honestly this is not normal or something students should be expected to live with.

Of course he is not an adult. I am so tired of universities saying that 18 year olds are adults and refusing to talk to parents who are funding these young people. They use it as a get out clause, and hide behind the inexperience of the students. It's ridiculous and they should be called out on it.

Thank you so much 😀

Just a quick update for everyone. We moved my son into new accommodation last Sunday. The uni came up trumps eventually but it was a struggle. Thank you all for your support and suggestions.
Don't let anyone tell you that you child has to deal with it on their own just because they are now magically an 'adult' just because they have celebrated their 18th birthday. As parents we know that's rubbish and we still have a responsibility to make sure they are safe, healthy and happy.
Thanks again 😀

Well done, yphtutor!

Well done - the new accommodation looks much nicer!

However, as someone who works for a university, 18 year old = adult = we can't speak to parents without students' permission is law - if we started giving out info about a student to a parent or other third party, we could be done for Data Protection Act breaches. For instance, I've had a student's mum ring up and ask for his exam results because her son wouldn't give them to her...! Unsurprisingly that was a big fat no...

We're really, really not trying to be obstructive, we are simply obliged to follow the law like everyone else and - in law, whether you like it or not - your 18 year old is an adult.

If the 18-year old makes clear that s/he wants their parent's help, tho, the uni should go along with that.