A Students’ Union representative claimed that it would cost the University £225 million in order to “bring their accommodation in line with their own standards” at the most recent Union Executive meeting.
The Union representative revealed that UCL Accommodation’s justification for ignoring these issues is that “some of the buildings are too old, so [they’re] not going to invest in them.”
The Union representative asserted, “it’s not a good excuse, it’s just them saying they don’t want to invest in it”, adding that UCL had been “saying that for the last 25 years”.
The Cheese Grater previously reported that UCL Accommodation earned profits of £13 million last year, suggesting that they have the funds needed to begin these vital repairs.
Furthermore, rent prices were recently increased by 3.9%, meaning students are being gouged for money that should be going towards improving the quality of life for present and future residents.
The much-needed repairs would include renovations to buildings such as John Dodgson House, where residents are being charged between £276.71 to £340.06 per week for rooms that have remained unchanged for decades.
Students have previously reported flooding in the bathrooms, silverfish infestations, and the closing of the common room due to leaking “near the toilets” to The Cheese Grater. However, it seems that UCL Accommodation is actively turning a blind eye to these issues despite identifying how to fix them.
In fact, representatives at the meeting suggested they may be ignoring these calls for help entirely. One representative claimed: “UCL Accom are saying there were problems with the reporting system, when the problems were that reports weren’t being dealt with.”
UCL Accommodation knows how desperately many of the halls need repairs, they know how much it would cost, and they know they’ve got the money to at least get started on renovation — but, according to the Union, their reasoning for inaction is that the buildings are “too old”.
