Going to lectures, grocery shopping, or ‘just’ popping out for some fresh air – without a lift, it’s “very exhausting” and “you have to plan your whole day around it”, students complained to Observant last March. They threatened to leave the building after lift supplier Otis delayed repairs to the broken lift numerous times. It took four weeks and pressure from both students and Xior, which owns the building, before Otis resolved the issue.
However, it appears the lift is still a cause for concern. A new problem arose at the end of February. Repairs weren’t carried out until last Wednesday. Why did it take so long? “As was the case last year, Otis blames the delivery time of new parts,” said Maurice Evers, head of Maastricht Housing, which the Guesthouse falls under. “We hope this won’t be an annually recurring problem. According to the owner, there’s nothing wrong with the lift. This is just a case of bad luck.”
Students who felt overly inconvenienced were offered temporary accommodation in building C, a little further along on campus. “We had space there; it usually houses exchange students and there are always fewer of those in the spring than in the autumn,” said Evers. In the end, 15 of the 109 students who live in the ARCH building accepted the offer. Now that the lift is working again, they will return to their ‘old’ rooms.
Last year, as a “show of goodwill”, residents were charged €100 less rent. Can students expect a similar offer this time? “Last year, the lift was out of order for twice as long, so maybe it could be €50 this time. We’ll decide later this week,” said Evers.