Student flats plagued by rats, tenants claim

Residents claim they regularly see rats and mice in their flats

Students living in a halls of residence in Sheffield say they have a serious issue with rats, mice and mould.

Leadmill Point and Archways are mainly occupied with international students and some have said they will stop paying rent if the issues are not dealt with.

The company Unite Students runs the two properties, both on Leadmill Road, and said it encouraged students to report maintenance issues.

It added it would be offering extra cleaning support and would work with pest control.

One student, who did not give her name, said she first saw rodents in her flat in October only a month after she moved in.

"There are so many roaming around we can't go into our kitchen without wearing shoes," she said.

She added "almost everyone" had them in their flats.

A fellow student said they had seen rats in the bedroom and kitchen.

"We are paying to stay here in a proper way and they [the landlord] should handle it as soon as possible."

The anonymous student said, as they had signed a tenancy, they had no option but to stay.

"How can we stay in our bedrooms living with mice and rats?"

Unite Students said it encouraged students to report maintenance issues

Another anonymous tenant said her bathroom was "full of mould".

"I don't know how to clean it up," she said.

"Everyone keeps complaining about mould and rats."

She said as international students they saw adverts for the building and were expecting more.

"We are paying this much, we were expecting something to be nice."

Some students said they were considering withholding their rent until the matters were dealt with.

Cleaning support

A Unite Students spokesperson said they always "give student welfare and safety our utmost priority".

They said their rents include utility bills but residents are responsible for cleaning and removing food waste and rubbish from their flats.

"We will be offering residents extra weekly cleaning support, where it’s required.

“All our residents are encouraged to report maintenance issues via our app so repairs can be arranged."

They said they were working with pest control and contractors would undertake routine checks to resolve any issues.

The students are all either at the University of Sheffield or Sheffield Hallam University.

Both said they were committed to the wellbeing of their students.

"If any of our students face issues in privately-owned accommodation, we recommend they make contact with the University's Student Services Information Desk SSiD or the Student Unions' Student Advice Centre, who will be able to support them in making a complaint," a spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said.

Sheffield Hallam University added: "Any students who need support can access specialist help and advice from our Accommodation Services and Student's Union."