Sixty Uni.lu students had to vacate their rooms in the "Résidence des Dominicains", a student residence located on avenue Pasteur in Limpertsberg, after legionella was discovered in tap water.

A week ago, during an information meeting organised by the university, students were told that there were problems with running water in their residence. On Thursday, many of them collected their remaining belongings from the rooms. In total, 60 people are affected.

RTL spoke with one student, who explained the situation:

"We had been asking for two years for our water to be checked. And only now have they checked our water. And they found something dangerous, like legionella, and something else which they did not communicate to us and which they refuse to communicate. And now they are asking us to get everything out within two days. And they are forcing us to react quickly and to sign contracts, without these new conditions appearing in the contracts."

The university responded on Friday morning that "since 2019, a multitude of analyses have been carried out, and corrective measures have been taken when necessary". The students were asked to evacuate the accommodation as a precautionary measure.

Relocated to hotels

In October 2019, the students that were affected reported the problem to the university, but no action was taken. The cause of the water pollution could be old pipes. The building is over 100 years old. But the Ministry of Higher Education's website states that it was refurbished and transformed into a student residence in 2005, under the responsibility of the Housing Fund.

When contacted by RTL, the university reacted on Thursday afternoon in a press release, stating that the analysis of the water revealed pollution and the presence of legionella. Given this, the university rehoused all affected tenants in hotels and aparthotels on a short-term basis since 1 July. Since then, all affected tenants have been offered alternative accommodation in other university residences.

The student interviewed by RTL said:

"Now they have put us up in residences, whereas they promised they would do personalised interviews and that they would see who can be accommodated in which residence. Obviously they didn't, because they just sent emails. To my knowledge, no one has been contacted."

Two-month rent exemption

For many, a room in a student residence 20 or 30 kilometres outside of the capital causes problems, as the student pointed out. They would have preferred a room in Luxembourg City, which the university understands.

However, the university explained that given the limited availability of accommodation in the city's residences, this is not feasible for everyone, despite students saying that after meeting with the director, he promised the students that they would be accommodated in the city centre. But alternative accommodation has been offered in Esch and Niederkorn.

In response to this, the university representatives explained that all the concerned tenants have been offered alternative accommodation, on the same terms as the previous residence. It is for this reason that the short-term hotel stay at the university's expense has ended. Students had been offered help with the move, which was accepted by many tenants.

In return, the students were granted a two-month rent exemption. The university's statement went on to say that if other student accommodations are more expensive, the students would get the difference back by the end of their programme. However, it is not clear whether, or for how long, the "Résidence des Dominicains" will still be used for students.