By James Lewis, SciTech Deputy Editor
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When Epigram met with cheery and unguarded student, Bibi Millett, her polished appearance struggled to convey the housing nightmare that she’s fought while keeping up with the already demanding pressures of university.
Bibi was about to begin her second year at UWE and, following a well-spent first year, she was excited to move into her new student house which had been ‘advertised as a very nice property.’ She had expected the property to ‘be well maintained’, especially since she had already broken the budget to secure it – an excusable naivete that most students have experienced upon delving into the renters’ market.
It was the first time that she went into her room when she thought ‘It clearly smells like damp’, to which her landlord reassured her that it was paint drying. Bibi was suspicious, not least of all because no one else’s room smelt; ‘so have you just painted my room?’ she wondered.
It was when she began to rearrange her bedroom in the hopes of impressing her stamp on her new space that she realised the true cause of the smell. ‘When I pulled it [the desk] back there was black mould all over the skirting board behind it.’
Tenants are expected to ‘alert [their] landlord straight away.’ So, Bibi did. She sent photos to her landlord and Bibi bought mould spray to wipe it off.
The mould returned shortly after she had first wiped it off and her landlord offered to provide a dehumidifier, despite Bibi’s insisting that the air was dry and that it was coming from rising damp: ‘It doesn’t take an expert – my room was very dry. We have a washer-dryer so we weren’t drying clothes on a rack and my room was well-ventilated.’ The mould is being caused by what Bibi suspects is a fault with the boiler that is fitted near her room – she noticed a ‘big black line’ running up the exterior of the house where the boiler room is.
Despite her landlord graciously offering to provide a dehumidifier, the machine didn’t materialise until October 24 – nine weeks after the mould was first discovered.
Bibi made the point that if this were ‘acted upon sooner, damage to my property and my health could’ve been prevented.’
In October, Bibi was getting ready to go out for a friend’s birthday. The woes of space in a well-occupied house of seven forced Bibi to store her ‘extensive coat collection’ under her bed and on the October 8, in need of a jacket, Bibi thought, ‘Oh my god what is that smell’ and soon realised how damp her jackets had become. ‘Luckily they weren’t mouldy’, but Bibi, alarmed – who told me she would be ‘devastated’ were her coats to be ruined – searched the rest of her room where she discovered a thriving mess of mould underneath her bed that had even started to make its way onto her mattress.
Among the casualties was ‘a large painting from [her] course that had been removed from the frame.’ Bibi had already listed the painting to sell on Facebook; ‘That’s one of my jobs. I do commissions and I sell my work’ to cover the high cost of living in Bristol. The landlord offered her a £30 voucher as compensation, a smack in the face when Bibi explained that she’d been expecting to sell the painting for £300 at the very least – she didn’t accept.
It was ‘very damp, very gross’ Bibi told Epigram. It was only after she discovered damage to her personal property that her landlord took notice of the problem at hand, despite being well aware from day dot. In an email to her landlord on October 24, Bibi made the point that if this were ‘acted upon sooner, damage to my property and my health could’ve been prevented.’
An asthmatic and IBS sufferer, Bibi described a life of ‘very poor health’, where she was ‘in and out of hospital [...] four or five times a year.’ Through a committed lifestyle shift and a diet change where she cut out sugar and alcohol, she had started to ‘feel like a different person.’ Her exposure to mould has set her back. After completely losing a reliance on her inhaler she is back to using it daily. She even suspects the mould has triggered waves of brain fog, impacting her work.
The landlord responded on the same day where she assured Bibi that a contractor would be visiting soon. It was the 30th of October when the contractor turned up at the property, but again Bibi felt let down. She asked the contractor whether he was a mould specialist – he wasn’t, despite her dad getting involved the day before expressing their desire for a mould specialist to inspect the property. While a mould specialist is not necessarily required by law, a landlord is required to keep their properties ‘safe and free from health hazards.’ By law, then, Bibi’s landlord is expected to do everything in their power to protect their tenants’ health. When building works were finally done on November 1 ‘they just scrubbed everything and left.’
Predictably, it wasn’t long until the mould returned. Bibi once again emailed her landlord, on the December 12, who replied ‘instantly’, assuring she would visit the property soon and provide a solution. Bibi is still waiting for her landlord to show up and is now faced with her phone calls being ignored with no explanation as to why. Bibi told Epigram that just last week, she phoned her landlord, was ignored and later received this text: ‘Apologies, I’ve been at work. What was your call regarding?’
Bibi’s story might be exceptional in its severity, but this kind of behaviour from landlords is echoed by students across Bristol. In a 2015 survey by the SU, 90% of students reported having ‘accommodation problems.’ Too many landlords aren’t taking students’ complaints seriously, even though people have the right to ‘live in a property that’s safe and in a good state of repair’, as stated on the government’s private renting page. Bibi’s home is not safe for her and as an asthma sufferer, the NHS’s advice would encourage her to ‘stay away from damp and mould as much as possible’, yet she goes on suffering at the whim of her landlord.
How mould can harm personal health and academic success
‘They knew there was still mould growing under the tiles but did nothing’: The legal loopholes authorising landlord neglect
‘I feel quite defeated... very defeated’ Bibi noted as we started to say our goodbyes. Bibi’s experience has left her with a mistrust of landlords and a hole in her pocket with little to show for it. A story that encapsulates a lot of what is wrong with Bristol’s student housing market – too little for too much.
If you also feel 'defeated' by your housing situation, we want to hear from you. Tell us your story at epigram.editor@gmail.com, and sign our petition here in favour of better quality student housing.
Featured Image(s): Bibi Millett / Hannah George
Have you ever had mould in your house?
