The UK’s largest student halls provider is facing legal action after scores of backlash over claims of bed bug infestations, rats, mould and damp in properties.
Unite Students, who operate in the country’s most popular student cities such as Leeds, Bristol, Birmingham and Bath, could find itself embroiled in a legal battle after non-profit tenant’s rights group Flat Justice is spearheading judicial action against the company. This follows reports of sub-standard living conditions for students.
Undergraduates have demanded refunds on their rent after claims that the damp and mould found in the student flats have caused respiratory issues among other illnesses. A total of 346 cases are under tribunal review who had lived in 10 Unite blocks in Liverpool from 2022-2023. A Unite Students housing block called Atlantic point has had numerous complaints of rats and mice.
A Unite spokesperson told Today’s Conveyancer:
“Our top priority is always the welfare of the students who live with us. We’re confident all our properties meet the standards required by licences because we adhere to the national code established by ANUK, of which we’re founding members. This national code mirrors the standards required by these licences.
“While not all of our 151 properties require these types of licences, once we were aware of missing licences we undertook a full audit and made all the applications needed to the relevant local authorities. New licensing schemes continue to be introduced by local authorities and we’ve implemented new procedures to ensure licensing compliance going forwards.
“We have 68,000 students living with us and while we acknowledge issues may arise, our teams always work hard to resolve these as quickly as possible. We always encourage students to log maintenance requests via our app, which we’ve recently upgraded, and our teams are on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week in all of our properties. Students can raise any issues by speaking to our teams in properties or they can escalate them by phoning our 24/7 contact centre for support or advice.
“To enhance the student living experience, we’ve invested £90 million over the past year to upgrade our properties and improve service levels, and this continues to be a key priority.”
A tribunal is reviewing cases from 346 dissatisfied students who lived in 10 Unite blocks in Liverpool in 2022-23. Rats and mice have been a particular feature of complaints at their Atlantic Point hall in the city.
Guy Morris, director of Flat Justice, told the Observer: “Unite portrays a shiny image to its prospective customers through their marketing but the reality is often very different.”
A spokesperson for Unite said that teams were constantly available to deal with such problems, adding: “While we acknowledge issues may arise, our teams always work hard to resolve these as quickly as possible.”
The Guardian has heard ‘horror stories’ from undergraduates, some of whom have claimed living in their provided housing has caused ill health. Naimh Reynolds, who studies fashion history at Central St Martins in London, told the newspaper that the mould in her student flat was causing her to wheeze and be sick.
Unite Students, which is part of the Unite Group, was founded in 1991 in Bristol after the founder recognised the growing demand for student accommodation and expanded to London in 1998. By 2006, the business was providing 40,000 beds for students across that nation. Currently Unite owns and manages rooms for 68,000 students in 151 purpose-built blocks across 23 university towns and cities.
