College’s Accommodation Office have said that no compensation will be offered to residents of Printing House Square who have experienced continuous disruption to their water supply, electricity and appliances since the new complex was opened in November.
In response to an email from a resident who said that “some form of compensation” would be “only fair”, the Student Residences team said “we are not in a position to offer any rebates for utility charges”.
The email noted: “Unfortunately, as with any accommodation, issues can happen from time to time and periods of disruption are sometimes unavoidable.”
Students who spoke to Trinity News in March described issues with heating and power cuts, as well as being left without running water and working ovens. Laundry facilities on the site have also been unusable at times.
“We and our colleagues in Estates and Facilities make every effort to minimise these and give notice where possible.”
On one occasion, residents were advised to use the showers in the Sports Centre at the east end of campus due to a leak which caused the water to be turned off in the building.
Adam Ó Ceallaigh, a third year student who had written to the Accommodation Office to request a partial refund of utility charges, called the response “unacceptable”, saying that “not providing a service while still charging for it is unjust”.
Speaking to Trinity News, Ó Ceallaigh said he was “extremely disappointed” by the email.
“I appreciate the scale of the operation that is Trinity Accommodations. However, I am left without words that they are seemingly very confident in their answer that they don’t have to provide basic services for periods while they still charge full fees.”
College did not respond to a request for comment.
