Students of Gonville and Caius College have threatened legal action after a ceiling partially collapsed in on the G & H St Michael’s accommodation site.

Following a series of concerns over construction work occurring on the accommodation block, students have addressed an open letter to the College calling their living conditions “uninhabitable, unsafe, and entirely unsuitable for study or daily life”.

The open letter has made a series of demands, including but not limited to: demanding that the College take action to suspend the building works until welfare protections are in place, requesting additional rent reductions that reflect the “months of disruption,” and complying with the Equality Act 2010 by offering reasonable adjustments for disabled students affected by the noise and disruption.

The letter makes note that if the College fails to respond within seven working days, or if an adequate resolution is not reached, the matter will be taken to the University’s central administration, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, and external legal representation.

“The College is at serious risk of legal liability and reputational damage if it does not take swift and meaningful action,” the letter reads.

Construction work on the refurbishment of A to F St Michael's Court, which is adjacent to G and H, began in August last year when the College was given a government grant to install Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) as part of a decarbonisation project.

The project involved building a scaffold tower as a safety precaution before re-roofing G & H St Michael’s and placing architectural screening around the ASHPs.

According to an email sent by the College’s accommodation manager, the works affected students in a total of 21 rooms.The students in these rooms were initially offered a 10% rent reduction to compensate for any disturbances and contractors were instructed to limit their working hours to 9am to 5pm on weekdays, excluding Easter term where no construction would take place.

In November (18/11), work began on the scaffolding tower with plans to begin the re-roofing process in January this year.However, a series of issues occurred between these dates. Two days after the confirmation of the scaffolding plans (20/11), an email was sent to students explaining the shower on the ground floor of the accommodation block had been disabled, with water pouring into the walkway below the building.

Students were then told via email that the water supply to G & H St Michael’s would be cut off for a period of five days, from 16 December to 20 December. Tenants were also instructed to “move rooms” for a temporary period of time.

One student at Caius told Varsity: “I have been consistently disappointed with Cauis’ accommodation – the extreme yearly rent increases do not reflect the standards that they uphold, and unfortunately, this new development is not surprising.”

Re-roofing work officially commenced on 10 February, with the College’s accommodation manager stating that “work will not start before 9am and will be over by 3:30pm each day”.

However, Varsity understands that work on the project started before the allocated time of 9am. One student complained to the College that “The level of noise was significant, as if the project was taking place within my room itself.”

They added: “Given that we were not informed about this project before balloting for our rooms, I think it is especially unfair for the work to begin outside the agreed hours, as this only compounds disruption.”

The letter addressed to College also makes note of the noise, claiming that recorded levels were “consistently between 95-105 decibels, far exceeding the safe exposure limit of 80-85 decibels”.

Following this complaint, the College’s accommodation manager admitted that “The level of noise was far beyond that which we had anticipated,” noting that the “initial work exposed a concrete roof structure which had not previously been apparent”.

The College followed by requesting the contractor to cease work until 17 February. In an email to Gonville and Caius’ JCR housing officer, the College said: “This innovative project requires a level of disruption and the work to the roof needs to continue to avoid any potential effect on your exam preparations.”

“We apologise for the disruption you have experienced and will continue to incur,” it continued.

The College then offered affected students a rent rebate for the reminder of Lent Term from 17 Feb to 23 March. But, in the letter addressed to the College, students stated that the rent rebate for the period of construction “does not negate the months of severe disruption and unlivable conditions that students have been subjected to”.

It added: “A financial concession does not compensate for the psychological, academic, and physical toll of being subjected to relentless noise, structural damage, and an unsafe living environment, nor does it absolve the College of its responsibility to provide accommodation that is fit for purpose.”

Following the offer of a rent rebate, a section of the ceiling of G & H St Michael’s caved in, with another hole appearing in a student’s room. Varsity understands that both holes have since been fixed.

A Gonville & Caius College spokesperson said: “We have apologised to the affected students and, in mitigation, given a full rent rebate for five weeks of Lent Term or offered alternative accommodation. We have also instructed contractors to work during reduced day-time hours as far as is feasibly possible. Affected students are encouraged to speak to their Tutor, the Senior Tutor or the Domestic Bursar about their concerns.”.