The house was a death trap – students forced to move

The students would have died in case of a fire.

That is why the right of use of a student hall in Lund was revoked by the fire and rescue service.

The tenants where forced to move immediately.

An inspection by the city planning committee showed that students were living at Winstrupsgatan 8 in Lund even though the owner was not permitted to house students in the building. Eight rooms on the third floor and three in the basement were built without a permit.

Also, the fire and rescue service (Räddningstjänsten) could confirm that the building was not secure enough and that the consequences in case of a fire would be terrible.

– I feel really sorry for the students that had to move, but if a fire had started in the kitchen it would have spread to all the eight rooms immediately. With very few possibilities to get out that would have been a life threatening situation for everyone, says Ida Texell, fire engineer with Räddningstjänsten Syd, to Lundagård.

Kicked out with just a weeks notice

Filip Witalisson and seven other students lived on the third floor at Winstrupsgatan 8 in Lund. Three other people had their home in the basement. When it was discovered that the student hall had no building permit and no fire safety, the students’ contracts where cancelled and they where forced to move more or less immediately.

– It was very quick. It took just about a week from when we first heard about it until we had to move out, says law student Filip Witalisson.

Before, he had less than one minutes walk to school. Now he is staying with his girlfriend while waiting for new housing in December.

Gives Sweden a bad name

Other former tenants that Lundagård has spoken to are temporarily staying with friends or family. A student from Spain explains, over the phone, that the whole situation has been “really awful”.

– The landlord did not solve anything. I thought that he had to supply some kind of housing since we had a contract, says the student, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Filip Witalisson confirms that it has been a stressful time. Especially for the exchange students who were living there.

– It is harder for them, since they don’t have any connections here. A lot of them are surprised that something like this could happen. They had heard so many good things about Sweden, that we take care of each other and things like that. Now they aren’t as positive about Sweden anymore, he says.

Let out to many people

Filip Witalisson had stayed at the house since last Christmas, but the illegal housing had been there for several years before that.

The owner bought the estate in 1994 for 4 million sek. and has since then let it to different companies, organisations and people. Now he will probably be forced to pay a delayed building fee to the municipality. If he continues his operation without a building permit he will also be threatened with a fine.

– It seems that both he and the municipality have gained from this. The only people who haven’t gained are those who have lived there. I think they should pay us instead, concludes Filip Witalisson.