Students forced to move out of their uni house after finding rats drowning in the toilet

Horrified students were forced to move out of their rented uni house after finding rats 'drowning' in the toilet and around the kitchen.

It wasn't just a rodent issue either, as the Canterbury home contained mould, dripping taps and a broken washing machine.

The invasion of rats lasted two mornings in a row before the group of seven students felt they had no choice but to leave on February 11.

Elle Silvester, 20, who moved in during September last year, said she and her friends initially thought they were just being 'being paranoid' after seeing a 'rat run across our kitchen'.

"One of our housemates woke up to find the ungodly sight of a rat in our shared girls' toilet," she said.

SWNS

"The rat, still alive, couldn’t get out of the toilet bowl and drowned. We reported it and disposed of it in a plastic bag in the bin.

"The next morning, the same thing happened. Once again, it drowned and we updated the letting agents immediately.

"We thought we were being paranoid, but the same night we saw a rat run across our kitchen and hide behind our fridge."

The rats weren't the only issue, however, as Elle added: "So many problems arose which made living an absolute headache.

"At first it was little problems like dripping taps, a broken washing machine and broken drawers.

"Then the light went in the boys' bathroom with no windows, which meant they had to use the flashlights on their phones if they wanted to be able to see.

“Then we moved onto having mould. We’d clean it and it would come straight back no matter what we did."

SWNS

The 20-year-old student concluded: "Ultimately, the whole ordeal has been stressful and uncomfortable. We couldn’t bear the rats or mould anymore."

A spokesperson for Varsity Canterbury - the letting agent that manages the property - said: "We sympathise with any tenants who encounter problems during their tenancy and we’ll always work quickly to address issues reported to us on behalf of the landlord.

"In this particular case, each time an issue has been reported, we’ve arranged for a relevant professional contractor to attend on the owners’ behalf - in some cases within hours of the report.

"It’s not always possible for issues to be resolved immediately and often they require further appointments and also action from the tenants.

"The tenants claim that the landlord doesn’t have the relevant permissions to let the property but the landlord claims otherwise and we understand he is currently in discussions with the council regarding this."

SWNS

While a spokesman for Canterbury City Council also added: "We are concerned to hear about the difficulties that the residents of this property have been having.

"No complaints about its condition were made to us, so we were not aware of these issues until the report from the surveyor arrived in recent days.

"As a result of that report coming in, an inspection visit by our private sector housing team has been arranged for later this week.

"It is the responsibility of the property owner to seek permission if the use changes from a home to a house in multiple occupation.

"Such a permission has not been sought for this property and we'll be investigating this now we have been made aware of it."

LADbible has contacted Varsity Canterbury for additional comment.