Filthy Flat Advice

[SandyIrvine]

DD has a uni accommodation job so has no say who she lives with (unless she leaves job). Current flat is rank - bins overflowing, dishes undone, food lying out for days, piss/shit/vomit/spit on bathroom surfaces until DD or cleaner give in and deal with.

Part of her job is to deal with cleanliness issues. She's tried flat meetings ×2, tried to encourage use of an app to share/assign chores (apparently its illegal in the countries where the offenders have their phones registered). Has got the warden involved and the cleaner has complained to no avail. In previous accomodation (managed by an outside party) the ultimate sanction was that everyone was charged for additional cleaning which seemed to work for a bit.

Any ideas?

Flatmate 5 has given up and stays at BFs. Flatmate 4 has applied to move (likely to be granted as she has health issues). This will leave DD as cleaner's union are saying no more cleaning.

Some of the mess seems to be caused by visitors (flat on great location for both uni and nightlife).

”tried to encourage use of an app to share/assign chores (apparently its illegal in the countries where the offenders have their phones registered).”
Illegal, really?? I’d be very surprised. Apps like these are very commonly used in universities. It would be surprising if some overseas students were disadvantaged because they couldn’t use them.

This sounds like a much more serious (and disgusting) situation than the usual messy flatmate scenario. If the Uni is landlord they need to step up and take action against the tenants. I suggest dd keeps a record with photos, document everything, and explain about the others moving out and the cleaners refusing to service the flat, and send it to the landlord stating that the flat falls far below acceptable standards because of these people. Hard evidence is needed because I’m sure they get an endless stream of trivial complaints like “block A bin is overfull and it’s disgusting”, and they need to be made aware that this is serious.

@SandyIrvine
Do you mean she's employed by the university within the accommodation department?

Surely all residents are under a contract for their accommodation and there will be something in the contract about maintaining the state of the accommodation.

Your DD needs to be working with the landlord/management company to hold the offender to the terms of the contract or evict them.

Who is the offender?
Can they be evicted?

I would have thought, given the pressure on accommodation, that the tenants can be given a warning then notice.

I'm confused too

@OhIdoLike2bBesideTheSeaside not employed as such. She is a resident assistant in return for certain duties eg arranging activities, manning the desk etc she pays quarter rent.

Worst offenders are visitors to the two internationals. However the two internationals don't take any responsibility for their guests and don't pull their weight anyway.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will share with her this evening.

Okay I understand the confusion. My DD is a 3rd year student with a part-time uni accommodation job. She lives in one of the flats on the residence she is responsible for.

Ah ok. Was curious if they were male or female?

Some people grow up with servants. Maybe they are expecting someone else to do it?

@emptythelitterbox. They are male and DD thinks they have servants (or the women in their house) to look after them at home.

Ugh. Thought so.
Had my time with gross male rooms. Never again.

Is there any way at all she can change to another roommate situation?

Is there a price difference?

I suspect they think the cleaner is there to clear up and clean everything everyday rather than a quick once over every week. Are the rooms ensuite or stated bathrooms?

Accommodation is tight at Edinburgh, if DD leaves her job they will need to rehouse her somewhere. That's an option she is considering but loathe to do so as cost to her will be around £3k and she likes the location.

It's been explained that the cleaner does a weekly vacuum/mop and bathroom/kitchen clean but I agree it does seem that they've not understood this or.

Bathrooms are shared and they tried splitting bathrooms by gender. Unfortunately the halls run out of hot water by 6pm in one bathroom and no one wants that one plus it was impossible to police the bathrooms for guests.

I'm tempted to do a deep clean on Sunday morning, get DD to set up a new paper cleaning rota and from then on report (with photos) each and every transgression.

@SandyIrvine
Oh I see What you mean now.

It sounds awful for your daughter - if it was my daughter I'd get her moved - no amount of cheap rent is worth the hassle

Sorry it sent before I finished

She could just get another part time job to earn her rent money that's what I would be doing - they spend so few hours a week in lessons plenty of time for work!

DD shared a flat in halls with a male from a similar background. He must have found going into self catered halls quite a shock when he found that he had to look after himself with no-one offering to help him. He turned the fridge into a helath hazard as well as the kitchen.

they spend so few hours a week in lessons plenty of time for work!

Absolutely not true of all courses @OhIdoLike2bBesideTheSeaside. DD did a STEM degree and had loads of lab practicals as well as lectures and seminars.

Realistically, your DD has reached the limit of her powers as a Residential Assistant. There is nothing wrong with that, it isn't her fault.

There is a Warden, they have the power to do something more, and it is their job, so your DD should go back to them.

She should set all the evidence out clearly in one email:

• Two of the flat's residents feel unable to continue living in their accommodation.
• The cleaner will no longer clean the flat, and is supported by their Union in this.
• Your DD has done x, y, and z (preferably with the dates she did them) to try to resolve the issues, but the students have refused to engage.
• Any specific health and safety hazards posed by the existing conditions and the conditions that will ensue as a result of the cleaner no longer cleaning.

Attach to the email multiple photographs of the flat, copies of any communication with the cleaner.

Request that the Warden come to visit the flat to see the situation for themselves. Do not inform the other residents.

This is the evidence the Warden will need to escalate matters.

Absolutely do not clean the flat yourself. You will only be pushing a resolution to the problem further into the future.

Thanks everyone.

Agree warden is best bet. However I think next year renting with friends and a part time job makes better sense.

Please, do NOT clean the flat on Sunday! It absolves the uni/landlord of having to deal with the mess as is, makes life easy for the two nightmare students, reinforces their view that a woman will come along and make it nice and clean again, and why on earth should you do unpaid labour for the university in your free time? It sets a bad example for all the students.
Your dd needs to push for firm action from the university via the warden. If the warden doesn’t feel able to deal with these two students they’ll need to escalate the problem to their managers. But none of that is your job.

I think they understand very well the cleaner only comes once a week. They just don't care and as your daughter cleans up for them anyway, they've learned they dont need to care.

Well she needs to get them evicted right? How can two people be able to screw up living for 5? Get them out!

Update.

DD took the mumsnet advice on board and got the warden involved again. Unfortunately the offenders didn't engage (didn't come to flat meeting due to "illness"). Common areas were cleaned (by uni cleaner) on Thursday and since then DD and flatmate 4 have been documenting everything (sending the pictures to warden). I think the "pish/pubes/puke" photo on Friday did it as flatmate 4 and DD have been offered alternative accommodation next term.

Flat will have cleaning fines applied and apparently all 5 of them are equally liable. Teaching ends next week so flatmates 4 and 5 plan to return keys on 2nd December to avoid further fines. DD is contractually obliged to remain until she moves in early January so will have to pay fines until then. They are quite hefty (extra cleaning costs + admin split by 3 and applied weekly until cleaner deems flat is acceptable).

Any advice about disputing responsibility? Contract seems pretty tight that if no-one owns up then all equally liable. Anyone willing to share how they successfully challenged common fines?

Has your DD made it obvious who is being filthy?

I mean as turned in their names to the warden?

If it is just her and the 2 dirties left until January, clearly it wouldn't be her making the mess as she wouldn't be turning herself in.

Maybe I'm not understanding how many people will be left until January.

DD has named the offenders but they deny. To be fair in many instances it is their guests (flat is in ideal location for nightlife so tends to be the pres or afters place).

After December 2nd there will only be 3 in the flat so fines will be split 3 ways.

DD has come up with a solution. She gets 3 weeks holiday so she is going to clear her room and hand back keys on December 20th so she won't be liable after then.