STUDENTS who boycotted rent payments due to “not feasible” living conditions at a top university’s halls of residence won £300,000 in compensation yesterday.

University College London (UCL) was forced to pay each of the 238 residents of its Hawkridge House a sum of £1,200 for a series of unaddressed complaints including a rat infestation.

The news came a month after campaigners at another of the college’s accommodation sites were awarded £100,000 in rent for similar grievances. 

UCL masters graduate and former Hawkridge House resident Freddie MacKee told the Star the money came late but gave strikers, who were paying £133 a week in rent, a sense of vindication. 

“I’m definitely feeling that UCL has taken their responsibility for the bad management they had,” he said. 

“The living conditions were really bad, the halls in general were really not in the best conditions, I couldn’t really study in my room. 

“We had to commute to other facilities or other areas in the uni to study because it was not feasible to use the rooms.”

Mr MacKee explained that he eventually moved into other accommodation but that for a while he felt “trapped” due to strict contract conditions. 

“I wanted to leave Hawridge House but then I had to sign a contract that could not be broken at all, it was a really complicated situation.

“We were in a way trapped and that was the thing that really pissed me off the most.”

A total of 48 complaints were filed during the 2014-15 academic year concerning Hawkridge House. 

The UCL Cut the Rent campaign, which organised the rent strikes, said it would now escalate and demand a 40 per cent rent cut to all students. 

In a letter to the college’s student union, vice-provost Rex Knight confirmed UCL was ready to pay, adding: “I am sorry that on this occasion the students’ experience did not match their or our expectations.”

UCL is expected to make a £15,779,000 profit out of renting student accommodation this academic year.