University of Manchester students have started a petition calling for a reduction in the “huge rise in accommodation cost” at Brook Hall, amidst complaints of silverfish, mice and mould.
Since the petition started 6 weeks ago, 255 people have signed the petition. This comes as Flat Justice continues its group legal action against Unite Students.
Brook Hall, leased to the University by Unite Students, costs £205pw. Accommodation pamphlets for the 2023/24 year show a price of £181pw (£7,602 a year), confirming a staggering rent increase of £1,008 a year in 2024/25.
When asked about the price, students frequently brought up the “expensive” price of rooms, with an unnamed current resident stating “My student loan barely covers it”.
Elspeth, a first-year student, has spoken to The Mancunion about her experience in halls and what convinced her to start the petition. She expressed unhappiness with the constant stream of maintenance issues in Brook Hall.
“I just read [the group chat] one day and decided that it was time for us to simply stop complaining and actually try and take action – so I created the petition”.
Elspeth explained that a smell “like diarrhoea” had been a recurring issue for “multiple flats” which turned out to be a problem with fridge drip trays. One student was moved into another flat after complaining about the smell being “unbearable” according to a second source.
The Mancunion has been provided videos and photos from current residents that show various maintenance issues. Video footage shows mould on the walls with photos displaying large cracks in multiple walls, exposed brickwork and a mattress with springs poking out.
In another video, a mouse can be seen crawling under a sofa. Multiple students informed us of pest problems, such as silverfish and mice, with long wait times for pest control “but nothing’s been done about it properly”.
A previous tenant, who lived in Brook Hall in 2023-24, gave a detailed account of their troubled experience with maintenance and security. She told us Brook Hall “absolutely isn’t worth what they charge for it” and argued that conditions “had a really terrible impact on my mental health […] wrecked my first year”.
She explained that there had been multiple security issues within the halls, including a break-in which resulted in a stolen laptop.
“People had silverfish infestations […] showers had mould that grew back every two weeks”. They also described “rats in so many of the flats” and moving in to find their sofa was stained with staples holding it together. “Overall, Brook Hall sucked”.
She also recounted being stuck in a lift for half an hour, and when the engineer came to free her “they said it’s to be expected because they’re not good quality lifts. I think this really speaks to the quality of the facilities at Brook Hall”.
Accommodation terms & conditions outline “Our responsibilities are set out in Clause 1 (below). We are fully committed to fulfilling our responsibilities under this Agreement. If we fail to meet these, we expect you to tell us and give us the opportunity to put things right”.
Lucas, a first-year student, alleges their female flatmate has woken up to maintenance men in her room on a number of occasions. “She’s just woken up to someone walking in, not even knocking”.
Lucas also described the legs of their sofa falling apart on “day 1” after moving into Brook Hall in September last year. Getting no response to repeated requests to fix the problem, their flatmate went to reception every two weeks to ask for maintenance to replace the sofa. Repairs only occurred 3 weeks ago, months after the sofa collapsed.
Describing the student response to the petition, Elspeth said “[it] has been great. Residents have been willing to back this cause”.
But she hopes that the rising number of signatures will result in action. “Our goal for the petition is to get Unite Students to consider the fairness of the rent pricing for Brook Hall”. This sentiment was echoed by several students who spoke to us via Instagram and street interviews.
Unite Students responded to Elspeth’s claim, stating that the “Annual rent increase is unjustifiable and excessive” with a request that “if you have any issues to raise regarding the shared areas, please let us know by logging the issue via the app”.
A member of customer services said “I’m sorry to hear that your stay has not met your expectations” and told Elspeth “We want to make sure you feel heard and supported”.
Responding to the same email from Elspeth, on behalf of Brook Hall residents, a member of the University of Manchester acknowledges that “the cost of leasing the rooms increases over time” with “significant increases seen in recent years” due to a lack of supply for purpose-built accommodation.
This email emphasises that “the rent charged to you and your fellow residents is the same as the costs of leasing the bedrooms from UNITE”. They also say that “whilst the University is aware of, and sympathetic to the cost of living challenges […] cost of leasing the rooms needs to be met by the rents charged to students”.
Brook Hall is not listed as an option for the 2025/26 academic year. Whilst some students suggested that they weren’t made aware of the price rise to £205pw this was debunked by others who were aware of the increased price but felt it was “inflated” as “people are paying way less for way more”.
Petitioners argue that Daisy Bank, despite being cheaper than Brook Hall at £191 per week, is better served by regular maintenance teams and has communal spaces offering table tennis and smoking areas.
Unsworth Park, a University owned accommodation at £207 per week, is resplendent with TVs and a flat-cleaning service. Petitioners argue that this “highlights the unfairness of the price we have to pay” compared to other halls. “It’s one of the most expensive accommodations to pay for at UoM, you’d expect better you know?”.
When approached for comment, a representative for the student branch of Greater Manchester Tenants Union said:
“Having spoken with those that organised the petition at Brook Hall, we want to say that their efforts have our full backing! Students at Brook Hall are rightly standing for their rights as renters for safe, accessible and affordable housing, a basic right that should be for all renters. These failures from Unite Students to provide this according to student renters reflect poorly on both the company and the University which have been increasingly placing students in private sub-leases, something that based on the experience of those in Brook Hall should concern us as all, as this reliance is set to increase even more with the Fallowfield Redevelopment.”
No student should have to deal with disrepair, poor quality maintenance, lacking safety, misleading information and continually inflation busting rent increases. Yet renters at Brook Hall are not alone in this with many renters facing the same experience whether they are also in purpose built student accommodation or if they are in the private rental sector. If you also identify with these same problems, like those at Brook Hall, you can organise your flat, house or even block to build your powers as tenants because collectively you can challenge the abuses your landlord makes to your rights and win!”.
Unite Students referred us to the University of Manchester as “the landlord for Brook Hall”, stating they were “best placed” to answer questions about rent prices.
In a subsequent statement, a Unite Students spokesperson said:
“We’re aware that a few residents at Brook Hall have raised some maintenance issues in recent months. We’ve already taken steps to address the issues raised and are committed to continuing our support.
“Resident safety and wellbeing are really important to us. Our property team is on site and available 24/7 if residents need help, and we also have a contact centre that can be called 24/7. We’d encourage anyone with concerns to get in touch with us directly, so we can understand what’s going on and offer the right support.”
A University of Manchester spokesperson said:
“The University has, for a number years, leased the bedrooms at Brook Hall from UNITE, student accommodation provider, and then rented them out to our students. UNITE is also responsible for Brook Hall’s maintenance. Where there are maintenance issues raised by our students, as in this case, the University liaises with the UNITE Hall Managers to seek appropriate and timely resolution.
To cover the costs of managing the allocation and related processes, and the provision of the in house Residential Life support, the University would typically add a small percentage onto the lease costs when setting the student rents, while making every effort to keep the rent reasonable.
The imperative to maintain reasonable rents, together with the increasing net cost of the lease at Brook Hall has in recent years meant that this addition has reduced, until eventually for 2024-25 the rent charged to residents is the same as the costs of leasing the bedrooms from UNITE”.
