This student contracted hives after moving into her mouldy-ass halls

Wow what a crazy coincidence


A student says moving into her halls “coincidentally” made her break out in hives so serious she has had to go to hospital for them.

Louise Leslie, a fresher at Leicester, says the hives – which have made her lips inflamed and left her unable to sleep at times – started as soon as she moved into halls, and cleared up when she went home for Christmas.

“There have been nights where I can’t sleep because it’s been so itchy. I’m not saying the uni’s entirely to blame for that, but it has gotten in the way of my work,” the history and politics student told The Tab.

An allergy test showed she isn’t allergic to anything, and while she doesn’t directly blame the uni, she struggles to think of anything other than mould in her Southmeade Court room, or the city’s tap water, that could be causing her issues.

Along with issues in her room, Louise points to an incredibly mouldy fridge in her shared kitchen as a particular low point of her halls experience.

“I don’t understand why you’re moving students into an area that has health risks,” she said.

While unis have been offering rent refunds to those who have been stuck at home. Louise, who came back to uni just before the third lockdown was announced, thinks unis are failing those who have stayed. “I don’t think universities can read the room. A lot of universities are giving refunds for students that aren’t living at uni the moment, but I think they also need to look out for students that have been there,” she said.

“Universities need to take into account that we are human beings. we’re not just giving you money and getting a degree out of it, we’re coming here for the experience.

“I want my university to be the place and the institution that supports me. And I don’t feel I’m getting that. And that actually quite upsets me.”

A spokesperson for the University of Leicester told The Tab: “The university seeks to maintain a high standard in university-managed accommodation, and we recommend students raise any issues directly with the Accommodation Team in order to address any concerns and provide support.

“We have, regrettably, not previously been informed of these issues raised on social media. We will be conducting a room check for this student in order to pick up any maintenance issues directly.

“We encourage residents who have issue or complaints regarding their accommodation to contact the Accommodation team as soon as possible on [email protected] or to visit their 24/7 site reception in order to help us address all concerns as quickly as possible. We offer specific information on complaints and feedback on the University website.”

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