Residents of John Dodgson House were confused to receive a strange email at around 1pm on a relatively normal Thursday, which accused them of engaging in “loud and disruptive behaviour” during the night — and threatened to terminate their lease because of it.
After speaking with several residents, The Cheese Grater understands that this had been sent to every single student in the building.
The email, which began with the resident’s name, stated that security had "received reports” of noise disturbances coming from their room specifically. After a long paragraph directly copied from the Student Accommodation General Regulations, the email ends with a simple “your cooperation is appreciated”.
Included in said paragraph was a reminder that “Excessive noise may result in UCL giving notice to terminate your Licence Agreement”.
The statement that there had been several “reports” sent many residents into a panic, with one student telling The Cheese Grater “I was thinking what on earth I could have done to make multiple people complain about me”.
Several residents who contacted The Cheese Grater after receiving the email had been absent from the halls for several days, or were commonly away during the nights.
When one student asked reception about the email, confused as to who may have complained about her noise given that she was asleep the entire night, they reportedly responded by confirming that the email had been sent to everyone.
According to a source who spoke to reception, JDH knew the exact room that had actually been issued with several noise complaints, but chose to accuse every resident because they wanted the complainant to see that they were taking action. The Cheese Grater cannot verify these claims.
Unfortunately, this only had the effect of making some residents panic that their flatmates had been repeatedly reporting them to the halls for playing their music slightly too loudly.
The direct threat of lease termination as a result of these ‘noise complaints’ proved especially nerve-wracking for some, with one resident telling The Cheese Grater they had been worried for days about potentially being out on the street, thanks to the email.
Mass paranoia is a new, innovative tactic by UCL Halls, and The Cheese Grater is excited to see what the university will try next.
A UCL spokesperson said: “The UCL Accommodation team sent a reminder about our general regulations on noise and quiet hours after receiving reports of disturbance from a small number of flats in John Dodgson House. The intention was to reinforce the importance of respecting quiet hours late at night so we can ensure a comfortable living environment for all students in halls.
“Unfortunately, in the haste to address the issue promptly, the email did not make it sufficiently clear that the concerns related only to a few flats. We apologise for any confusion or concern this may have caused.
“We are taking this feedback on board and will ensure that future communications are clearer and more specific.”