Students at Campbell House accommodation ‘falling sick’ after four months of hot water issues

Students living in University of Bristol accommodation, Campbell House, have been left with intermittent access to hot water for over four months.

Maintained by Unite Students, issues with water supply have resulted in students “falling sick, losing their voice” and “suffering from bad mental health”, The Tab Bristol can reveal.

Campbell House opened in 2022, it is one of the more expensive Bristol Uni accommodations at £194 a week. It’s website also advertises a cinema room and a gym.

Issues were first reported on November 7th, and Campbell House fixed the water problems during exam week in December. However, the issue persisted and is still currently ongoing.

Unite has since confirmed that the building has never been entirely without hot water, and that issues are primarily occurring in the evenings. It said: “We’re aware that approximately 20 per cent of the residents at Campbell House have reported experiencing intermittent issues with hot water, primarily in the evenings.”

Students have since told The Bristol Tab how the problems with hot water access have affected them. One student, Jess*, revealed how much she is paying in rent, explaining that the problem is affecting her personal hygiene: “We pay £9273 and yet our most basic need is not being met.”

She added that her water is lukewarm throughout the day, but is often cold at night, telling The Bristol Tab: “[There is] lukewarm water during the hours of 5am to 9am and afterwards the water is freezing cold.”

Other students claimed that the water issues meant they had “fallen sick”, “lost their voice” and have “suffered from bad mental health and have not been adequately maintaining their personal hygiene.”

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Students were initially given a £45 “goodwill” gesture from Unite back in December. In an email, the accommodation provider wrote: “Due to the inconvenience this has caused you, we have discussed this with your university and will be issuing a five per cent goodwill on your daily rent within the period covering from 07/11/2024 until 05/12/2024. This will amount to £45 in total.”

Since this, Unite Students has increased the compensation amount for students at Campbell House to £280 each.

Campbell House student accommodation (via Google Maps)

A formal complaint was also lodged by residents on February 8th, as students requested a clear timeline for the full restoration of hot water, an explanation as to why alternative temporary measures were refused and a formal offer of financial compensation to all.

Unite Students explained how contractors identified that pipes in the building need to be replaced due to a build up of limescale, as the original pipes were too narrow. The accommodation provider also explained: “We have identified a fault with the water system that despite a number of solutions being implemented was not easy to fix. This has included installing a new water softener into the system and replacing some pipework.”

In a joint statement, Unite Students and University of Bristol said: “We’re aware that some residents at Campbell House have reported experiencing intermittent issues with hot water, primarily in the evenings. We’re very sorry for the disruption and inconvenience this issue has caused, which is below the standards we strive to uphold.

“Throughout this disruption, we’ve regularly shared progress updates with residents and support as needed. This includes financial compensation to every resident and for those directly impacted we have also offered alternative accommodation at local hotels and university halls.

“The issue is the result of a developing fault in the new water heating system. The suppliers have implemented a number of temporary fixes since this issue was first reported and have been working hard to identify the cause, which has been a complex process. Further repair works have begun this week. We hope this will resolve the issue, but we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely.”