Every disaster you’ll have in your Cathays house

Mould will follow you around for the rest of your student life


Ah, the youthful optimism you and your best drinking buddies had when you walked out of the estate agents last November. Barely dried was the ink on the contract for your second year house, and you were all thinking of getting each other’s names inked on yourselves. You were inseparable, the world was your oyster, and absolutely nothing would go wrong with your second year palace.

Wrong.

The water pipes will burst

It’s 6pm, you’re having dinner with your housemates and all is well. Next thing you know, the upstairs bathroom pipes explode and your living room is now a rain room. You know what’s not fun? Trying desperately to tape your ceiling together whilst soaking in brown murky water. As if that’s not bad enough the light in the living room starts to flicker, and after a big spark goes out completely.

Flakey landlords will abandon you in your time of need

You would think that housing agencies have emergency numbers for you to call so you can contact them in an emergency. But no, it’s really all for show. You’ll end up calling the emergency number for 6 hours outside of your student house, soaked in dirty water with your housemates, only to speak to a grumpy landlord. Then you’ll have to wait 3 more hours for the plumber to get to your house. Oh and good luck trying to get the agency to fix the soaking ceiling, sofas, and floor.

Mice

You thought nothing could be worse than the silverfish infestation in Taly South. Well how about a dead mouse in your kitchen cupboard? Although, it’s not too bad having a mouse greet you at the door – who doesn’t want a quirky pet, right?

The inevitable fallout

Everyone thinks that it’s going to be absolutely amazing living with their closest friends from first year. Just give it one week. Maybe someone forgot to take the bins out, maybe someone invited their mates around for a house party at 2am the day before your exam, or maybe you discovered that your bestie is actually the messiest human being alive. After about a week or so, you’ll want to claw each other’s eyes out.

No hot water or heating

Honestly, there is nothing worse than a freezing cold shower in the middle of January in Wales, but when you live in a run down student house, it’s something you have to be prepared for. Being able to see your own breath inside your house is just not okay, but you’ll be damned if you or any of your housemates can figure out how to work the thermostat.

Mould

Did you think that just because you left your room in Talybont you would never see mould in the house ever again? That’s adorable. You will never get away from mould. Mould will follow you around for the rest of your student life.

Bills, rent, just money in general

A word of advice, never volunteer to be the lead tenant. Who has time to keep track of when rent and bills are due? Someone will always forget to pay the rent or bills, someone else will have to cover for them, and you’ll have to come up with new passive aggressive ways to remind your housemates to pay you back. And when you do, they’ll just say, “mate but remember that time in the SU when I bought you 5 rounds?”

We’re all students and we’re all broke.

Halls doesn’t seem too bad anymore does it?