Residents of David Horn recently came forward about the living conditions in their accommodation.
David Horn is a self-catered accommodation, belonging to the University of Edinburgh, and houses close to 50 students.
According to an article on UCAS, “Uni halls of accommodation have to adhere to government-approved codes to ensure safe, good-quality places to live.”
This includes carrying out repairs and fixing other maintenance issues.
However, students have now reported on prevailing issues like mould, mice, leaks, and caved-in ceilings.
One David Horn resident told The Student:
“In my first year, mice in rooms [were] practically [a] daily occurrence. Not as much this year, but last year and the year before. I’m on the top floor now, so they are less common for me.”
Another student, who came to Edinburgh on her year abroad, told Edinburgh Live about her experience at David Horn and says she ended up evacuating her room.
“It took the university one whole day to send someone out, and when they did arrive, all they did was confirm that a rodent had been in my room, they also put down some poison to try and get it. I would have had a better time in Edinburgh if it wasn’t for the mouse. I am terrified of mice, so I had to sleep on the living room couch for three days.”
Concerning the rodent issues, a spokesperson from the university told The Student:
“We work closely with a pest control team to monitor reported vermin infestations.”
The Student spoke to another resident, who recalled.
“I think [accommodation services] might have blocked up a hole and then told us to not leave food out and that if we saw any mice, we’re going to tell them, but that we were going to be charged for the extermination service.”
Mice are not the only problem that David Horn residents are faced with.
The David Horn resident went on to talk more about the general state of the university accommodation.
“The kitchens were probably the worst part; they were quite grim. They were cleaned twice a week, but it didn’t really help. It was quite grimy and stuffy because you can’t open the doors at any time, and the windows don’t really open. [You] can’t really air the room.”
“The toilets didn’t flush ever. We’re pretty sure this was in my bathroom, but we still don’t know who it was, and we’re not sure where it was, but we got an email from accommodation services saying, ‘Please don’t leave your shit in a bag in the bin!’ We have no idea what happened or what led to that.”
Photographs and video footage provided by students also show leaks and caved-in ceilings, and students complained about being allocated David Horn despite it not being one of their five accommodation choices or having to share a twin room despite requesting a single.
“The location is great for King’s students, but it’s quite far away from campus. And there were about four of us who were King students.“
A further issue brought up by a resident who stayed in David Horn last year was a general issue with heating.
Residents had to eventually contact accommodation services in December as the heating still hadn’t been turned on.
“It took a really long time to get them to turn the heating on. I don’t think it got turned on until maybe the start of December or mid-December.
“I don’t think I was able to fully shut my window. I think it was that badly insulated because you can always hear the whistling.”
When asked about the continuing maintenance issues, a university spokesperson told The Student:
“We are sincerely sorry to the residents who have been affected by the issues in David Horn House. Repairs and investigations have been carried out in the property since we were made aware of the maintenance issues in November last year.”
“Our accommodation teams are continuing to work hard to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.”
“The University’s accommodation portfolio is diverse and we encourage residents to alert us to any issues that affect their experience via the dedicated support teams in their properties.”
“We provide cleaning services in all of our University buildings and we also share regular guidance around the importance of cleanliness in communal areas.”
A David Horn resident from a previous year pointed out the close-knit community that students enjoy at the accommodation.
However, the positive social aspect ultimately remains overshadowed by the halls’ problems.
“I mean, undoubtedly, the main plus point of it was that […] because of how it was structured, […] I know, or I knew pretty much everyone from there. So, it was nice socially because I got most of my friends from there. But that was it. It was really quite an uncomfortable place to live.”
Images provided with permission from photographer