Supporting your stay FAQs

Post is delivered to each flat or house daily Monday to Friday by the Porter, except when buildings are closed. Parcels, Registered and Recorded Delivery items are kept in the Site Reception for collection and you will be sent a note to inform you of its arrival. 

Please ensure that your room number and block/house is used in all communications as this will assist the Porters in delivering post and reduce any delays. 

All post addressed to residents who have left University accommodation will be returned to sender.

In catered sites during the Christmas and Easter vacations mail is stored in the Site Reception for collection on your return. From time to time we may forward mail to your home address. 

Accommodation is offered on the following contracts. Please note that all contracts are fixed term - start and end dates are non-negotiable. The type of contract offered is dependent on the Hall or Site to where you are allocated.

• 30 week catered contracts - approximately three quarters of rooms in the Oadby Student Village provide catered accommodation, which is offered on a 30 week contract. This contract is for the three separate term periods and does not include the Christmas and Easter vacations. Students in catered residences must vacate their rooms and remove all personal belongings during Christmas and Easter, to accommodate conference bookings.
  
  One catered residence will remain open for the Christmas and Easter vacations to accommodate residents who wish to remain in University accommodation. However, students will still need to vacate their term-time rooms. For full details of vacation accommodation please click here.
  
• 39 week self-catered contracts - approximately one quarter of the rooms in the Oadby Student Village provide self-catered accommodation, which is offered on a 39 week contract. These contracts run continuously for the whole academic year - including all three terms and the Christmas and Easter vacations.
• 42 week self-catered contracts - all rooms at our dedicated Self-Catered Sites are offered on 42 week contracts, appart from Mary Gee which is offered on a 39 week contract. These contracts run continuously for the whole academic year - including the Christmas and Easter vacations.
  

Parties are not allowed.

You should remember that you will be living in an academic community and individuals and groups of students may have differing levels of noise tolerance. We treat all our private rooms as study bedrooms and it is essential that noise is kept to a minimum to avoid distress to others who may be working. As a general rule noise should not be audible outside your room. 

You are therefore requested to co-operate and keep noise at an acceptable level. Noise should be minimised between the hours of 23.00 and 08.00 hours. This also applies to any guests you may have who are your responsibility until they leave the Site.

Residential Advisers will monitor noise levels and deal with incidents and in serious cases report complaints to senior staff for action. If you are disturbed by excessive noise made by another resident you should inform your Residential Advisor who will then investigate. 

If you are particularly sensitive to noise then perhaps you should consider bringing earplugs with you.

You are allowed to bring audio equipment and a television to your accommodation but large sound systems are not permitted. Earphones should be used between 23:00 and 08:00 hours to avoid complaints. In the event of a complaint this permission may be withdrawn by a Residential Adviser and you will then be required to remove the audio/television equipment from the premises. Musical instruments must not be played in study bedrooms except when they can be listened to through earphones. The University has some designated rooms where you can play musical instruments.

Ball games and noisy behaviour are also STRICTLY PROHIBITED in the grounds of all University accommodation.

During the vacation periods bedrooms and other facilities are used to facilitate our very important conference trade. Income from conferences helps to subsidise student residence fees and we ask that you co-operate with any reasonable requests. This is the reason we ask you to clear your room at vacations.

Conferences are also held during term-time. Any such events will be well advertised with notice given and will only use common areas not bedrooms. There should be only minimal, if any, disruption to the normal routine. 

Withdrawal during the session, whilst remaining a registered student, will incur payment of the full amount of the total fee outstanding for the remainder of the session as determined by the residence contract.

In the unusual event of withdrawal from the University before the end of the session, four weeks notice is required and fees will be payable up to and including the end of these four weeks or return of room keys, whichever is later.

A house in the Oadby Student Village will remain open during the Christmas and Easter vacations for use by catered students who wish to stay over vacation. Therefore it is likely that you will have to move into a temporary room if you wish to stay during the vacation period. No food is provided during vacations.

Information regarding where and how to apply for vacation accommodation will be published during the last few weeks of term prior to each vacation period. You should contact your Hall Manager or Receptionist for details.

Catered Accommodation

Overnight guests are NOT permitted in catered residences.

Self Catered Accommodation

Fire regulations allow for a maximum of two people to use a single study bedroom for an overnight stay. During the Residence Period residents are permitted to have a visitor to stay for a maximum period of 24 hours between Monday and Friday, or two such consecutive periods over a weekend. We will not allow more than six such visits within any two month period.

There are laundry facilities at all sites with coin operated washers and driers.

Our washers and driers are all conveniently located near your Accommodation, offering you quick and easy access to do your washing and drying when you want to, not when you have to, exclusively for student use giving you the comfort of knowing you are in safe environment.

Freemen's Common/Nixon Court/Salisbury Houses:

• Morrison's Supermarket located on the Freemen's Park

Oadby Student Village:

• ASDA superstore located near Oadby Village Centre

Whilst in our accommodation you will still be subject to the University’s Code of Student Discipline. Full details of the Code can be found in the Undergraduate Regulations. You should be aware that students found guilty of misconduct will face penalties commensurate with their offence(s) and penalties can include fines, exclusion from accommodation, suspension or expulsion from the University, suspension of privilege and payment for damage. The misuse of illegal substances, including drugs, will be treated as a very serious offence.

Freemen's Common/Nixon Court/Salisbury Houses:

• The main University campus has several cash points available

Oadby Student Village:

• ASDA superstore located near Oadby Village Centre

Mary Gee Houses:

• Queens Road
  

As a general rule if a window is broken it is charged to the resident even when the damage is caused by an unknown person. Some windows, including those at Nixon Court, are ‘tilt and turn’ and therefore have two ways of opening. We only allow the limited tilt opening for safety reasons. Please do not try and force them. Many ground floor windows have restrictors which are fitted for security purposes and should therefore not be removed.

Self catered Residence

You are responsible for cleaning your own room and sharing the cleaning of the communal areas, this applies to standard and ensuite rooms. Some limited support is given by our domestic staff.

Those living in Bowder Court, The Coppice, Opal and the Grange are solely responsible for cleaning your room and communal areas

Catered halls of Residence

Ensuite bedrooms are normally cleaned once every two weeks, the main aim of this is to clean the bathroom area.

Standard bedroom cleaning is the responsibility of the occupant.

Public areas are to be kept clean and tidy by all residents. You will be assisted by domestic staff on a once a week basis.

All students are responsible for the removal of all rubbish to the outside bins. All sites promote recycling and designated bins and bottle banks are provided.

Departures

Students are responsible for cleaning their own rooms prior to departure, this includes:

• Clean the room, vacuum, dust, clean internal glass
• Fold bedding if provided
• Remove pictures etc from walls and other surfaces carefully to ensure the decoration is not damaged
• Remove rubbish to refuse bins outside
• Ensure that all the required University property is in the room and is undamaged and in the same place as found on arrival
• Have the room checked and outgoing inventory completed
• Return room keys
• All belongings and food must be removed from the kitchen - including fridge/freezer

Students will be required to remove all personal belongings from the room before departure at the end of the summer term. The University will accept no responsibility for any lost or damaged belongings at any time.

All University-owned Halls of Residence now offer Endsleigh Insurance as part of their package. Endsleigh is an industry specialist when it comes to student insurance, so you can be assured that they have thought of everything, even if you haven’t!

Cover includes computer equipment and accessories, mobile phones, audio equipment, games, sports equipment, musical instruments, cameras, clothing, jewellery, credit cards and personal money, books, contact lenses and much more. You’re also covered for a range of extras including personal accident cover and food spoilage as a result of faulty fridges or freezers.

In addition to the wide range of cover offered as part of the basic package, you are also able to add on bundles to increase your level of cover.

More information about Endsleigh and our joint promise to you.

Please note this currently does not include Opal court and The Grange.

Residents at Opal Court and The Grange have some contents cover included in their rent. Further information will be available on your arrival.

The University recommends students register with the Freemen's Common Health Centre which is located close to the University and where staff have expertise in student health. Information about health care and the Freemen's Common Health Centre can be found at Student Healthy Living.

Fire fighting equipment is provided for the safety of all residents and is checked regularly. You should make yourself aware of fire escape routes and the location of fire alarm points and fire extinguishers as soon as you move in. Practise emergency evacuations are held at the beginning of each session and it is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with fire safety procedures. Tampering with fire fighting equipment will be regarded as a serious disciplinary offence and will carry a minimum penalty of £100 together with any costs incurred, and Fire Safety Officer informed. Interfering with door closers designed to ensure doors are closed to prevent the spread of smoke/fire or propping fire doors open is considered as tampering with fire equipment. 

• KEEP FIRE DOORS SHUT

• CANDLES AND OTHER NAKED FLAMES ARE NOT PERMITTED 

• DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE THE KITCHEN WHILE YOU ARE COOKING. UNATTENDED COOKERS AND GRILLS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

Notices or combustible material must not be fixed to the walls or doors in corridors, including the corridor side of bedroom doors. Celebration and Christmas decorations should be fire resistant. 

Residents who disregard this information or tamper in any way with fire equipment will pay heavy fines. 

The following information is taken directly from the Arriva webpage here and was correct at the time of retrieval (August 2012).

Get the bus timetable for the 80,80A bus here. Please note that this bus only operates during term time. There is another bus going down London Road which stops near the Halls of Residence and near the University. You can get the bus timetable for the 31,31A bus here.

Safety Bus: The primary aim of the Safety Bus is to provide a means of transport for students who would otherwise have to walk home alone at night or use expensive and sometimes unreliable taxis. This service is provided and subsidised by the Students' Union. More information can be found by contacting the Students Union.

Important Dates for 2013/14

Important Dates for 2012/13