Break The Mould continues to grow: The campaign fighting for safer student housing in Bristol

Break The Mould, a campaign started by Epigram to call out dodgy student landlords, has been making waves around the country. It seeks to highlight the epidemic of mouldy student homes in Bristol and the health problems it can cause. It continues to grow in hope of creating material change for student housing.

The campaign was created by third-year film, TV and English student Annie McNamee, co-editor-in-cheif of Epigram. She is calling for Tripadvisor-type reviews of rental properties and their landlords. The campaign has made headlines, winning the support of Bristol Students’ Union’s housing officer, Lucy Pears.

Break the Mould has received national attention, with coverage from multiple BBC outlets. In the wake of this, stories continue to emerge of students living in damp, mould-ridden homes across Bristol. 

Lucy* a second-year student at Bristol told The Bristol Tab: “As the academic year has gone on, the black mould in my bathroom has continued to crawl up the walls, onto the ceiling becoming part of our bathroom light.”

Adding: “When we emailed our landlord about this issue, they first just recommended a cleaning product. But no matter how many times we clean it, the mould just comes back stronger, because the underlying issue was not fixed. I know my story is tame compared to many students and the mouldy conditions we are all forced to live with.” 

Lucy’s* bathroom light

Bibi Millett described her hellish experience living with mould to Epigram, saying that “after completely losing reliance on [her] inhaler [she is] back to using it daily. [She] also suspects the mould has triggered waves of brain fog, impacting [her] work.” 

Most Read

Molly from Love Is Blind had a past career as an NBA dancer, and the pics are insane

What happened to Belle Gibson’s boyfriend, son and family after her scam in Apple Cider Vinegar

This is what the police officer who stopped Gabby Petito said after she was murdered

This issue of mould seems to spread all over the UK, with students across the country all suffering at the hands of neglectful landlords. A student from London told The Bristol Tab: “I took my shoulder bag out of my wardrobe and it was completely covered in white mould, like it was actually fluffy!”

The campaign has been urging students to no longer accept mouldy conditions and irresponsible landlords as part of the student experience. They have distributed hundreds of leaflets on campus and launched their campaign on social media to spread the word. The movement has encouraged people to sign their petition, which got over 100 signatures on the day of launch.

It seeks to help make the “rent review” system a reality – in which landlords can be rated and verified by the SU. This would help to hold landlords’ feet to the fire and keep them accountable for how they treat students.