Students at Edinburgh Uni halls told mouse in kitchen is ‘not legally a landlord’s problem’

Students who spotted a mouse in their University of Edinburgh accommodation have been told by the institution that the problem is “not legally a landlord’s problem to resolve.”

Footage revealed to The Tab Edinburgh shows a mouse running across the kitchen floor of the university’s Kincaid’s Court, where students can be heard screaming at the sight.

Upon reporting the infestation to the university’s accommodation services, residents paying up to £8,750 a year were advised to wipe surfaces with peppermint oil and keep dry goods in plastic containers. They were also warned they could be billed for future pest control should food sources be found.

In an email revealed to The Tab Edinburgh, the university’s accommodation services wrote: “This is not legally a landlord’s problem to resolve. Please note that should your living conditions and/or your food storage arrangements be making food sources available to mice, you will be billed for the full cost of future pest control visits.”

According to the University of Edinburgh’s Health and Safety Policy, university community members have “the right to be in a safe and healthy environment.” The policy states that the university must maintain all premises in a condition “that is safe and without risks to health.”

Accommodation contracts signed by students state that properties must be kept “fit for human habitation,” meaning they must meet basic safety and health standards.

Under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, landlords, including universities, must ensure rental properties are kept consistently safe and habitable, including free of pests.

According to housing charity Shelter Scotland, if a pest infestation makes a property unsafe or unfit for living, the landlord must deal with the problem.

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One first year student living in the Kincaid’s Court flat told The Edinburgh Tab: “I jumped out of my skin. The first thing I thought of was whether or not they were in my kitchen cupboard, as I was worried I would have to throw away all my food.”

He added: “My flatmate emailed the accommodation team the day it happened and, in all fairness, we did receive a prompt reply. Much to our disappointment, though, this reply opened with the statement, ‘This is not legally a landlord’s problem to solve.’ They did offer us guidance on how to deal with the mice ourselves, but that just felt disheartening.”

Another student living in the flat, Jo*, said: “My rent next year in a private flat will be cheaper, and the landlord wouldn’t hesitate to solve an issue like that. Here, we’re paying hundreds of pounds to share our kitchen with mice.”

Explaining how problems like this aren’t necessarily shocking to some students, a Kincaid’s Court resident said: “Unless you’re shelling out a mortgage downpayment every year for Chancellor’s Court or something, this is just what you expect. It’s grim, but it’s normal now.”

Complaints about unsafe living conditions in student accommodation have been reported across multiple UK universities, highlighting a wider concern about the standard of housing students receive despite rising rent costs.

When asked what they would say to university management, one student said: “Get rid of the mice. I could deal with them in the library, but my kitchen is too much.”

A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh told The Tab Edinburgh: “We always work hard to ensure that our student accommodation meets all health and safety standards and aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.  

“We work closely with a pest control service to monitor any reported activity and provide thorough cleaning within our accommodation. We also share regular guidance around the importance of cleanliness in communal areas with students, reinforcing the need for collective responsibility to maintain standards.   

“We remain in active dialogue with residents to ensure this issue is resolved as soon as possible.” 

Featured image via Google Maps