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To: Iq city students accommodation management
Breach of tenancy contract by management team regarding fire alarm frequency
Dear Management Team at iQ City, We hope this letter finds you well.
PETITION
This is an official complaint on behalf of the iQ City residents in regards to the fire alarm issue taking place.
We would like to begin with some background information.
On arrival, which for most of us was more than a month ago, we were told by the Management Team that the fire alarm will be tested every Wednesday at 2pm. We were also told that due to the heat and smoke detectors being a touch too sensitive, the fire alarm might go off a little more often than once a week, but they reassured us by saying that they are currently working on the system to make it less sensitive.
Most of us being new at iQ City, we took the Management Team’s word for it, as they are the ones supposed to be looking after our well-being, health and safety here at iQ City.
The issue is that after more than a month living here, we are repeatedly disturbed by the fire alarm going off numerous times per day and mostly during the night/sleep hours (i.e. between 11pm and 7am). The alarm is way too loud for our small rooms. In the beginning, despite the situation being highly inconvenient, it was bearable. However, the fire alarm has been going off more and more often and for longer periods. The situation seems to be deteriorating as the days go by and it is becoming increasingly unbearable for residents to live with such conditions.
After numerous complaints made by residents, the Operations Manager of iQ City sent us an email stating: “We are carrying out routine maintenance of our fire alarm system at City, which means you may hear the alarm go off more than normal.” Following this email, we all felt that the Management Team at iQ City was taking our discomfort lightly. We understand that work is being carried out and that the system needs to be tested and manually turned on for verification purposes, but the alarm mostly goes off during out of office hours and during weekends. We strongly believe this is unjustifiable.
We, residents at iQ City, are all very disappointed by the unacceptable living conditions caused by the fire alarm. Residents are paying at least £300pw because there was faith in your services, marketed to be of a very high standard, yet ultimately, we fail to see the living quality we were promised. Needless to say, current status quo is not in line with the statement on weekly fire alarm testing made in the tenancy contract. We booked rooms in accommodation for the
reason to be provided with a facility where we can study and apply to career opportunities, rest, socialize, and feel safe during our stay. However, we are all suffering from repetitive disruptions to our REM sleep, and to our work and studies; we are all being exposed too frequently to a high-intensity noise (91 dB) for periods of several minutes, multiple times a day. This is especially serious as it jeapordizes the safety of residents, who no longer respond and evacuate due to doubt in the legitimacy of the alarm. This is not to say that consequences including, but not limited to, sleep deprivation, hearing fatigue, decreased productivity and focus are any less serious. Moreover, for residents applying for jobs and undergoing online interviews, as well as sitting important examinations, performance to full capacity is threatened should the fire alarm abruptly go off and cause the student confusion, disrupting their train of thought. It is worth mentioning that the World Health Organization (WHO) report a permissible daily noise exposure to be a maximum of 85dB up to a maximum of 8 hours, but we are exposed to 91 dB every time the fire alarm goes off.
Unfortunately, hopes of calm, safe and healthy living at iQ City are gradually fading away, along with loyalty to the accommodation. It is a shame that residents feel their complaints appear negligible for the Management Team at iQ City, leading to a lack of a warm, welcoming, and safe atmosphere fostered by iQ Student Accommodation for us residents.
We would like the Management Team at iQ City to deal with this fire alarm issue as priority and provide reimbursement for the past month in order for everyone to be satisfied. Should residents notice a lack of proper action within 14 working days of reading this letter, they are prepared, albeit not glad, to raise the issue to higher severity.
We look forward to your response.
Regards,
The Residents at iQ City
Why is this important?
Dear Management Team at iQ City, We hope this letter finds you well.
PETITION
This is an official complaint on behalf of the iQ City residents in regards to the fire alarm issue taking place.
We would like to begin with some background information.
On arrival, which for most of us was more than a month ago, we were told by the Management Team that the fire alarm will be tested every Wednesday at 2pm. We were also told that due to the heat and smoke detectors being a touch too sensitive, the fire alarm might go off a little more often than once a week, but they reassured us by saying that they are currently working on the system to make it less sensitive.
Most of us being new at iQ City, we took the Management Team’s word for it, as they are the ones supposed to be looking after our well-being, health and safety here at iQ City.
The issue is that after more than a month living here, we are repeatedly disturbed by the fire alarm going off numerous times per day and mostly during the night/sleep hours (i.e. between 11pm and 7am). The alarm is way too loud for our small rooms. In the beginning, despite the situation being highly inconvenient, it was bearable. However, the fire alarm has been going off more and more often and for longer periods. The situation seems to be deteriorating as the days go by and it is becoming increasingly unbearable for residents to live with such conditions.
After numerous complaints made by residents, the Operations Manager of iQ City sent us an email stating: “We are carrying out routine maintenance of our fire alarm system at City, which means you may hear the alarm go off more than normal.” Following this email, we all felt that the Management Team at iQ City was taking our discomfort lightly. We understand that work is being carried out and that the system needs to be tested and manually turned on for verification purposes, but the alarm mostly goes off during out of office hours and during weekends. We strongly believe this is unjustifiable.
We, residents at iQ City, are all very disappointed by the unacceptable living conditions caused by the fire alarm. Residents are paying at least £300pw because there was faith in your services, marketed to be of a very high standard, yet ultimately, we fail to see the living quality we were promised. Needless to say, current status quo is not in line with the statement on weekly fire alarm testing made in the tenancy contract. We booked rooms in accommodation for the
reason to be provided with a facility where we can study and apply to career opportunities, rest, socialize, and feel safe during our stay. However, we are all suffering from repetitive disruptions to our REM sleep, and to our work and studies; we are all being exposed too frequently to a high-intensity noise (91 dB) for periods of several minutes, multiple times a day. This is especially serious as it jeapordizes the safety of residents, who no longer respond and evacuate due to doubt in the legitimacy of the alarm. This is not to say that consequences including, but not limited to, sleep deprivation, hearing fatigue, decreased productivity and focus are any less serious. Moreover, for residents applying for jobs and undergoing online interviews, as well as sitting important examinations, performance to full capacity is threatened should the fire alarm abruptly go off and cause the student confusion, disrupting their train of thought. It is worth mentioning that the World Health Organization (WHO) report a permissible daily noise exposure to be a maximum of 85dB up to a maximum of 8 hours, but we are exposed to 91 dB every time the fire alarm goes off.
Unfortunately, hopes of calm, safe and healthy living at iQ City are gradually fading away, along with loyalty to the accommodation. It is a shame that residents feel their complaints appear negligible for the Management Team at iQ City, leading to a lack of a warm, welcoming, and safe atmosphere fostered by iQ Student Accommodation for us residents.
