By Daisy Yates, Features Co-Deputy Editor
It is widely known that student houses are often kept in poor condition, with many students recounting horror stories of mould covering their bathrooms, walls, and even clothes. These issues are often dismissed as a ‘rite of passage’ of university life. In reality, poor housing conditions present a significant and frequently overlooked threat to student health and well-being. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act of 2018 ensures that rented properties are free from hazards that could cause serious harm, aiming to improve the rights of tenants and hold landlords accountable. Despite this, the vague language used in legal frameworks surrounding tenant rights and landlord responsibilities leaves many students stuck in unsanitary and oftentimes unsafe living environments.
To delve deeper into this concern, Epigram spoke to University of Bristol students Alex and Livy, who have experienced this firsthand. When Alex moved into her flat, the bathrooms already showed signs of mould, but the situation deteriorated quickly. She explained that within a week, black mould began spreading across the walls, taps, and even shower products exacerbated by faulty ventilation systems.
Meanwhile, Livy described moving into a house with three mould-infested bathrooms, one of which had such a strong smell it was unusable. She explained that ‘The plaster had deteriorated so badly you could see the structure of the wall underneath.’ In the process of renovating the bathroom, the builders found mould underneath the tiling, growing directly onto the brick. Livy explained that this mould wasn’t removed because ‘according to the builders, the landlord hadn’t contracted them to do that – so they just plastered and painted straight back over it.’

Alex faced a similar situation of neglect, when her landlady dismissed the bathroom mould as a cleaning issue, despite Alex and her flatmates deep cleaning the bathroom two days prior to the inspection. Months after she initially raised the issue of the poor ventilation in the bathroom to the landlord, Alex received an email explaining a contractor would be arriving to fix the problem within two days of the email. The contractor has never arrived.
The 2018 Homes Act, was introduced to ensure that rented houses and flats are ‘fit for human habitation, which means they are safe, healthy, and free of things which could cause serious harm.’ What the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHRS) determines to be ‘serious harm’ is a Category 1 Hazard, one that is classed as ‘extreme’ or ‘severe.’ These are hazards that pose a serious and immediate risk to the health and safety of the occupants, for example: severe mould and dampness that directly causes respiratory illnesses or other health conditions, structural issues like collapsed ceilings or exposed wiring.
However, mould often doesn’t qualify as a Category 1 hazard. To meet this classification, tenants are often required to provide evidence of significant health impacts, such as medical records, or expert assessments, proving that the mould has directly caused significant health issues. Yet establishing a clear causal link between mould and health conditions is often difficult and problematic, relying on the tenant’s personal testimony which is frequently deemed insufficient. As a result, tenants’ issues are frequently dismissed.

Further complicating the issue is the subjectivity surrounding the severity of mould and whether it poses a ‘serious and immediate risk.’ Mould is often dismissed as a lifestyle issue, caused by drying clothes indoors or insufficient ventilation, rather being recognised as a structural defect of the property. Subsequently, the impact and severity of the problems are dismissed, shifting the responsibility onto tenants, and absolving landlords of accountability. As a result, mould often falls into the Category 2 bracket, leaving tenants without the guaranteed protection or action they need.
The impact of living in poor housing conditions at university goes beyond inconvenience. Combined, Alex and Livy have endured physical, monetary, and mental costs as a result of their housing issues. Both reported feeling physically unwell while living in their homes. Alex noticed ‘recurring skin issues that disappeared when she went home for Christmas’, while Livy and her housemates realised they had been ‘living with an underlying sense of illness’, only noticing the difference after moving home for the holidays. For three of Livy’s housemates, the dampness worsened their asthma and required Livy to purchase a dehumidifier to stop mould from growing on the clothes and inside her wardrobe.
How mould can harm personal and academic success
Panic masters: The graduate dilemma
Despite the 2018 Homes Act, both students felt that landlords face little accountability for such conditions, with Livy remarking, ‘This is my third house at uni, and all have had mould and damp issues [...] they knew there was still mould growing under the tiles but did nothing. They’ve already re-let the house for next year.’
Alex and Livy’s experiences are not isolated incidents but part of a systemic problem in student housing. Vague terminology, tenant rights laws, and the landlord’s ability to deflect blame often leave students trapped in unfit housing. Livy summed up her frustration: ‘If landlords were charging their own children these prices, would they tolerate mould growing up the walls or floors so weak a builder could fall through them?’
Featured Image: Epigram / Livy Naylor
If you've experienced issues with mould in your student house, please consider filling out this form as part of Epigram’s Break the Mould Campaign: https://forms.gle/dn4y836eWwAQXjuq5