A group of students have been moved from H H Donnelly House to Alexander Court due to “urgent, essential work” as other occupants are left experiencing a variety of issues.
The group of three told Brig that they were moved out of their regular flat in Donnelly and into a family flat in Alexander Court as they each received an email from the Accommodation Office explaining that “urgent, essential work” had to be done.
They have been told that there is an issue with the walls, but no further information beyond that.
The Accommodation Office told the trio that the work could take up to a month. They will remain in Alexander Court for the time being.
They have yet to be reimbursed for the temporary downgrade from a regular flat to a family flat.
Donnelly Disasters
H H Donnelly House re-opened for renting this year after its refurbishment, but problems are plentiful.
There have been multiple reports of locks breaking. One tenant has said that their bathroom lock was completely missing for at least three days.
Another tenant stated that they’d once been locked in their bathroom for five minutes before a flatmate broke them out.
There also appears to be a wasp and hornet infestation. Several Donnelly occupants have described having up to eight wasps or hornets in their kitchen at a time.
Donnelly tenant Erin told Brig:
“We had 1-2 days where our kitchen tap would only produce boiling water. We had the same thing happen to the shower.”
She then told us that once that problem had been fixed, more issues arose:
“The water pressure was an issue. To get water to come out [of the shower] we would have to sit [the shower head] on the floor every five minutes to fix it.”
A spokesperson for the University of Stirling said: “The water temperature in some flats was temporarily affected by a plumbing issue which was resolved within 48 hours, during which time alternative facilities were offered at the Sports Centre.”
However, other students say there’s still an ongoing problem with water temperature in the mornings.
Other issues include broken cabinets, broken ovens, broken blinds, broken freezer doors and difficulties with heating.
Fixing issues with your flat
A spokesperson for the University of Stirling said:
“We are proud of the recent modernisation programme at HH Donnelly House, which included the refurbishment of every bedroom and bathroom to improve the student experience, as well as the replacement of the roof, windows, kitchens and bathrooms to enhance the building’s sustainability.
“As with any project on this scale, minor snagging issues can become apparent in the days after reopening, and when they are reported to us we aim to resolve them at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Although some occupants have stated that once reported, it took up to three days for their problem to be fixed.
The spokesperson for the University also stated:
“Should any student experience an issue with their accommodation, we encourage them to report it to us immediately.”
Any issues with H H Donnelly House can be reported to Andrew Stuart Hall reception, either in person or via email or phone.
However, many students have had difficulties with reception, as receptionists are called to other duties. This meant some problems took up to an hour of waiting to even be reported.
In case of real emergencies, there are phone numbers available at the reception desk to call.
There are also maintenance and repair QR codes available for any problems you may be experiencing with the accommodation.
Featured image credit: University of Stirling
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