A couple from Sandyford, Martha Airey, 21, and Dom Brown, 25, were excited at the prospect of moving into their first home together. However, that excitement was short lived as they started experiencing issues just weeks after moving in. These issues included:
A broken shower, which left them without a shower for eight days whilst it was repaired; damp in the spare bedroom and bathroom; rats in the back garden; as well as two gas leaks which supposedly made the couple ill.
They claim they were not being taken seriously until Martha’s mother stepped in. The couple both work in hospitality as well as being full -time students, having to hand the problem over to Martha’s mum so they could keep on top of their studies. Their letting agent, Seekers, have offered them £700 in compensation but the couple are campaigning with the help of tenant’s union ACORN, for £5000 compensation as well as a public apology from Seekers.
However, this is not the only case of students being left to deal with housing issues. Students across the city are living with unbelievable cases of mould. Esme, a second-year university student told The Tab about her issues of damp and her unhelpful landlord. She said:
“We’ve been in contact with our landlord who is very much aware of how bad it is. When we first moved it he gave us a dehumidifier and £20 for the running cost of it. However, there’s three of us and we all have the damp in our rooms. We had to tell him how bad it was getting about five times before he sent someone to put sealant around only one of the bedroom windows. He decided it was due to the windows without even seeing the damp, which doesn’t make sense as there’s damp everywhere, including the bathroom which doesn’t have windows. He never looked at any of the other rooms in the house. He has done something but it is very much bare minimum and hasn’t sorted the problem at all because it’s causing black mould to appear. Everyone in my house has been ill numerous times since moving here because of the damp and mould. I’ve contacted him a few times since regarding other problems in the house and there’s yet to be a response.”
It is clear that students are being ignored and treated with total disregard regarding renting in Newcastle. Considering that the country is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, the negligence of landlords and estate agents to students in Newcastle is unbelievable.
If you are struggling with housing problems, you can contact the NUSU here for advice.
