Every claim for compensation submitted by some 70 residents at one UCL hall for “normalised” maintenance issues has been rejected by the University.
In March, more than 70 residents of 109 Camden Road, a block of five student halls owned and operated by UCL, launched a mass group claim for compensation over persistent maintenance faults alongside delays and failures to address them.
But the University has now notified all claimants that their compensation claims have been refused, either because a “satisfactory alternative provision” was provided or that reported issues were resolved within 36 hours of being reported.
Speaking to The Cheese Grater, the Hall Community Officer for 109 Camden Road Oskar Barltrop said UCL Accommodation was “claiming the existence of an entirely different reality to the one we have lived.”
Residents alleged a wide range of problems in their formal complaints, including broken radiators, mould and insect infestations, dysfunctional Wi-Fi, out-of-order toilets, and even cases of theft due to broken door locks and inadequate security arrangements.
In one of the claims, a resident said: “A break-in occurred in my hall, resulting in the theft of electronics worth several thousand pounds, including iPads and phones.
“The eventual recovery of these items was solely due to the efforts of the London police and fellow students who pursued the thief beyond the accommodation premises – not because of any effective on-site security.”
In another claim, a Max Rayne resident complained that it took the University an unreasonably long time to address a mould infestation, which they say was worsened by cracked windows and the lack of heating. When the mould was finally cleaned, the resident was told they would have to clean it themselves if it happened again.
Many residents said these issues were raised repeatedly, whether directly to Hall reception staff or via UCL’s online portal. Despite this, residents say many maintenance issues remain unresolved or were addressed only after significant delays.
UCL Accommodation denied allegations of mismanagement and rejected every claim for compensation over a month after they were submitted, some three weeks longer than the timeline outlined in UCL’s own regulations.
The rejection email offered students the opportunity to appeal within 14 days by contacting the Hall Team directly – instead of raising a ticket on the online portal. The need for this exceptional manoeuvre was explained as necessary due to lack of staff resources and high number of requests.
Some residents have already decided to appeal, The Cheese Grater understands, but it is unclear how long this process will take – or whether it will yield different results.
Nearly 3,700 maintenance issues were reported at 109 Camden Road in 2023/24, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
On average, that’s 14.5 maintenance reports a day and over six faults for every resident over the academic year, The Cheese Grater revealed in March.
A UCL spokesperson said: “We’re sorry that some of our residents have had issues. We are aware of these and are working hard to solve them.
“We thoroughly review all complaints and assess these against our published guidelines. We try to respond within a set timeframe but this is not always possible. If anyone was unsatisfied with our response they were able to contact us within 14 days.”
