Now ‘cheap and oppressive’ halls won’t compensate residents for warm water scandal

They’re offering Max Rayne and Ifor Evans freshers a “goodwill” gesture instead…


  • Students endured weekend without warm water or heating
  • Halls’ own guidelines state compensation can be claimed for “lack of services”
  • Director of UCL Accommodation offers “gesture of good will” with new ping pong and pool table…which has been ordered anyway
  • Halls rep slams management policy and plans to launch review 

UCL Accommodation are refusing to provide compensation to freshers who went without hot water or heating for three days in the university’s “appalling” Camden halls and have insultingly ordered new ping pong and pool tables instead.

Hall reps made this cartoon to highlight UCL’s dire handling of the situation

Regulations state that compensation can be claimed for “lack of services resulting from a failure of provision by UCL”.

Earlier this month five hundred freshers in cockroach-infested Ifor Evans and Max Rayne were told to travel to Bloomsbury Gym if they wanted to shower.

Residents paying £132 a week were left without warm water for two days as halls bosses humiliatingly admitted there was “no timeline” for repairing the boiler.

Now UCL Accommodation says it would be “inappropriate” to provide compensation to residents.

Fuming freshers want compensation

In an e-mail sent to Halls representative David Dahlborn, Accommodation Director Colin Plank said:

“Whilst this (the absence of warm water for days) was inconvenient I am satisfied that the events were beyond UCL’s reasonable control and that once the problems occurred they were dealt with expeditiously.”

“I do not consider that it would be appropriate under these circumstances to pay compensation under our General Regulations.”

“However as a gesture of good will I have asked Hall management to replace the Pool table in the Common Room and the Table Tennis table.

Dahlborn says the table tennis gimmick simply isn’t good enough

Halls representative David Dahlborn blasted the proposal and said a new pool table has already been ordered to Max Rayne anyway.

“UCL should have maintained its site properly and when services break they should fulfill their contract with you residents.”

“I will continue to demand that compensation is paid.”

Dahlborn wants justice for helpless freshers

The founder of RENTS Campaign says he will now launch a review of UCL’s current license agreement for students in halls.

Speaking exclusively to The Tab, Dahlborn said: “the Ifor scandal is a clear example of how students have been hit by the bosses’ “double whammy” of raised rent and poor services.

“This is the precise moment that shows the importance of a representative student union that can challange cheap and oppressive management policy like this.”

“As for the “goodwill” of Colin Plank, I suspect that the students of Ifor will feel rather insulted when they learn the truth.

“Students should be asking Colin Plank who pays his salary and why he thinks a goodwill pool table makes up for a broken boiler.”