The student housing Thomander’s needs a renovation. The bill, which amounts to almost one million SEK, is to be paid by the University – despite the fact that the student housing is owned by a private trust.
For five years, Lund University has waited for an answer from the Department of Education if the valid title deed for Johan Henrik Thomander’s student housing can be assumed by the Thomander’s trust. According to an observation made by Kammarkollegiet, the trust owns the student housing by law. However, the valid title deed itself belongs since 20 years, to the National Property Board.
Does it sound complicated? Indeed it is. The bureaucracy around the ownership of Thomander’s student housing has escalated, and this process has been going on for more than ten years.
“We don’t want anything more than the service to be taken over by Thomander’s. Then they also have to pay all the expenses,” says Susanne Kristensson, Head of Administration at the University.
Today Lund University pays 300,000 SEK every year in rental subsidy to Thomander’s. But the University is going to subsidize Thomander’s even after the property has been transferred to the trust. The house needs a renovation and that’s why the University will pay an additional 900,000 SEK over a three-year-period three-year period.
“Either we pay this sum when the valid title deed is transferred to the trust, or we have to pay the costs for renovation and rental subsidy and this would be more expensive,” Susanne Kristensson says.
But the University doesn’t own the building?
“No, formally we rent the student housing from the National Property Board, but the tenant always pays for the renovation of the building rented, often through raised rents. In our case we have chosen to pay 900,000 SEK over a three-year period.”
You indicate in a document dated January this year that the Thomander’s trust owns the property. Shouldn’t the trust then pay for the renovation?
“The trust has a small capital, but no bigger amounts. They have been promised future donations if they get the valid title deed, but nothing more.”
No queuing system
At Thomander’s student housing only allows male tenants. The twelve rooms are eight to fifteen square meters. Anyone can apply for a room, but the student housing doesn’t use any queuing system. Jens Brokopp is the manager at Thomander’s and doesn’t want to tell us in detail how the application process to the student housing is dealt with.
“The applications are processed by our assembly and during the process we review if the applicant is suitable for Thomander’s or not. How we do this review I don’t want to talk about,” he says.
The rent level is the same as at a nation
The rents are based on a rent subsidy scholarship paid by the trust. Jens Brokopp doesn’t want to tell us the exact size of the rents, only that they have the same level as living at a student dormitory at a nation. He learned about Thomander’s through his involvement in the Toddy student’s farce. Even his father lived at Thomander’s and several persons at the student housing have parents or siblings who have lived there.
“But this doesn’t count when we assess the applicants. We don’t devote ourselves to nepotism,” he says.
A need for renovation
The student housing needs a renovation. The kitchen, the sewer system and eventually the roof need to be replaced. Jens Brokopp explains that the Thomander’s trust have funds which should cover “sudden expenses”. The money in the trust is donations from people that have lived at Thomander’s.
“We have a comrade association which donates money to the student housing because it stands on its own feet. There’s a big capital to take from.”
Why doesn’t the trust renovate if there is money deposited for this?
“We don’t own the valid title deed. But when this is handed over to the trust, the house should be in a good condition. It is not at the moment,” says Jens Brokopp.
He does know that the University pays for Thomander’s but doesn’t see it as the University subsidizes his rent.
“Not at all. We don’t steal from the University, if that’s what you mean. The student housing was donated to the University in 1985 together with a fund that would cover the service and maintenance. As I understand, it is with money from this fund the University pays the rent to the National Property Board,” says Jens Brokopp.
Text: Julius Viktorsson
Translation: Lars Jansson
