- Cars
- Cleaning
- Communal living
- Condensation
- Council tax
- Doctors
- Electoral register
- Electrical appliances
- Emergencies
- Fire safety
- Gas
- Heating
- Laundry
- Pets
- Posters
- Repairs and maintenance
- Rubbish and recycling
- Safety and security
- Smoking
- Subletting
- Transport
- Telephones
- Televisions
- Utilities
- Visitors
Cars
Certain areas have very limited parking and require resident parking permits. Contact the local council for details of costs and availability of permits.
Cleaning
It is your responsibility to keep your room and the common areas of the house clean. Many students lose money from charges as a result of not cleaning regularly.
In communal kitchens you should:
- do your own washing up
- clean the sinks and kitchen surfaces
- clean grill pans after every use
- not leave food lying around
- not let the rubbish or recycling bins overflow
- defrost fridges and freezers at least once per term.
In shared bathrooms:
- clean the bath and shower after using them
- always make sure the shower curtain is tucked inside the bath.
Communal living – be considerate
We expect you to be aware of the people around you and to be considerate to everyone including those you live with.
Your neighbours may be families, or elderly and are likely to have a different lifestyle to you. You must not to cause any nuisance, offence, disruption, harassment, threatening behaviour or persistent disturbance to others.
Please limit any noise, particularly after 11pm, and if you are thinking about arranging a party be courteous and consult your neighbours before making any plans. Complaints about noise are taken very seriously, and will be investigated.
Be considerate of other residents in your house, as late night noise, untidiness and other forms of inconsiderate behaviour can cause friction between housemates.
Condensation
Cooking, taking baths and drying clothes indoors can create a lot of moisture indoors. If it can’t escape, and builds up, it will condense on walls, windows and other surfaces in cold weather.
Condensation that does not dry out causes mould, mildew and rot. To avoid this it is very important you heat and ventilate the property.
To help prevent condensation:
- Use the extractor fans, if they are present.
- Open a window if you must dry washing inside, and wherever possible use the washing line if there is one.
- After showering or bathing, open the window for half an hour.
- Leave bedroom doors open – this allows air to move freely around the house.
- Leave a gap between the walls all furniture to allow the air to circulate.
- Open a window or switch on the fan if you are cooking or washing up.
During the cold winter months, heating your house is essential to prevent a build-up of condensation.
If you notice black mould forming, you have a problem with condensation and you should follow the above advice closely. If you allow the problem to get worse then it is highly likely that you’ll be charged for the cost of redecoration.
Council tax
Students studying full-time (21 hours per week or more) are exempt from any council tax liability. Full-time students living with non-students or part-time students (less than 21 hours a week) and who rent or own a property jointly, are exempt from any council tax liability. You will need to ensure that the council receive an exemption certificate confirming their status. The non-students or part-time students will be made liable for council tax. If there is only one non-student or part-time student resident in the property then a 25% council tax discount will be applied.
Full-time students living in Brighton and Hove can apply for a council tax reduction via the council website. Full-time students living elsewhere can request a letter from their local Registry Office or by emailing studentadministration@brighton.ac.uk.
Keep your copy safe as duplicates will only be issued in exceptional circumstances.
Doctors
You are strongly advised to register with a university doctor or local doctor as soon as possible after you arrive. For more information see Student life: health
Electoral register
The electoral roll (or electoral register) is a listing of all those registered to vote in a particular area. It is published every November and around October you will be sent an electoral roll registration form. You are legally required to complete the form and return it to the local council even if you are not eligible to vote.
Electrical appliances
Ask if there is an electrical safety certificate. There is no legal requirement for one, but it gives peace of mind that all electrical installations have been checked. All Studentpad houses will have a certificate.
In most properties you will be supplied with the basic appliances. If you cannot find the manuals, ask the landlord as it is your responsibility to look after them.
Make sure that any of your own appliances are in good working order and do not pose any fire hazard.
Don’t plug in too many appliances. We suggest you use four-way oblong extension leads with neon indication and an in-line fuse rated at five amps, and avoid using cubic adaptors and coiled extension leads.
Emergencies
Make sure you have an emergency contact number for your landlord or managing agent.
The emergency number for the fire brigade, police and ambulance service is 999 (or 112 from a mobile).
If you smell gas, leave the property, and call National Grid on 0800 111 999.
Fire safety
Check that there are smoke detectors in the property. These need to be tested regularly. The best kind is wired into the mains electricity, but battery operated is preferable to none.
If there is no fire detection equipment and you found the property through the university please let us know.
If there are fire blankets and fire extinguishers check that they haven’t been used or are out of date.
Check there is a carbon monoxide detector which will alert you to the presence of carbon monoxide gas to prevent the risk of poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a colourless and odourless gas and virtually undetectable without using detection technology.
If you found your accommodation through Studentpad, there should be fire alarms, a fire blanket and carbon monoxide detector. If not, please let us know immediately.
Check that the furniture is fire resistant – check labels on sofas, mattresses and other fabric or foam items.
For your own safety:
- Don’t cover or interfere with heat/smoke detectors.
- Don’t use candles, jossticks, tea lights, electric bar fires, fan heaters, oil lamps or fireworks in the house.
- Don’t use chip pans.
- Only use gas grills/ovens with the oven door open. If you close the door whilst the grill is in use, you will cause a build-up of carbon monoxide.
- Take care when cooking with a wok, frying pan or using the grill and keep all equipment clean so that it does not create unnecessary smoke and activate the fire alarms.
- Don’t overload electrical circuits.
- Be aware of fire escape routes and avoid blocking hallways with bicycles or other items.
Gas
Check that there is a current gas safety certificate. By law an inspection is required annually.
If you smell gas or your carbon monoxide detector goes off then call the National Grid on 0800 111 999 immediately.
Laundry
Washing machine – empty pockets before washing and take care not to overload the machine. It’s also important to clean the filter regularly; see the instruction booklet on how to do this.
Tumble dryers – you will probably need to clean the filter of fluff. The instructions will explain how to do this.
Open a window if you must dry washing inside, and wherever possible use the washing line if there is one.
Pets
Some landlords do allow pets. Check with your landlord or letting agent.
Posters
Pinning or sticking anything to the walls is likely to damage them. Money may be deducted from your deposit if the walls need to be repaired.
Repairs and maintenance
At some point you may have issues with disrepair in your accommodation. It’s important to understand your responsibilities as well as those of your landlord. These will be outlined in your tenancy agreement.
You will be responsible for:
- not mistreating the property in any way and taking proper care of it
- minor repairs such as changing light bulbs, unblocking the sink and cleaning the property
- maintaining the garden (check with your landlord)
- reporting repairs promptly to the landlord or their agent.
If you have an assured shorthold tenancy your landlord will normally be responsible for:
- the structure and exterior of the building, including roof and guttering
- installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity
- fixed heaters and water heating equipment
Make any repair request in writing and keep a copy of the letter or email for your own records. Call them if it is an emergency, and follow any phone calls with a letter or email.
If your landlord fails to respond to reasonable requests for repairs then you should contact your local council’s private sector housing department for support. See Useful links and contacts
Rubbish and recycling
It is important to put rubbish out on the right day or it could attract animals and birds that can rip open bags and spread the contents over the street. This is a health risk and will make you very unpopular with the neighbours.
You could face an on-the-spot fine if you put your rubbish out on the wrong day, do not properly contain it or do not recycle your waste. You can find out your rubbish and recylcing collection days on your local authority website. See Useful links and contacts
Safety and security
Student houses are sometimes targeted by burglars so be vigilant. If you are burgled report it to both the police and your landlord straightaway. Ask the police for a crime reference number and keep this for future reference. If you have contents insurance you will need this reference to make a claim.
Use common sense and try to keep keys and valuables out of sight as much as possible.
Make sure all the windows and doors are locked before you leave the property. Some windows can be left locked when they are slightly open, which allows for ventilation and still provides security.
Make a note of serial numbers and model numbers of electronic goods. Visit Sussex Police for more information on home security.
Smoking
Your tenancy agreement will stipulate whether you can smoke in the property.
Subletting
Subletting your room will usually prohibited by your tenancy agreement.
Transport
Our unihomes are usually close to public transport to the campuses. You can find information about bus and train tickets prices, routes and timetables in our useful links and contacts.
Televisions
You will need a TV license if you watch or record television programmes when they are being shown on TV. This is true whether you are watching on a television set, desktop computer or laptop with broadcast card or mobile phone.
If you have a joint tenancy you should only need one TV licence for the whole house, but if you each have a separate tenancy agreement, you will also need your own TV licence if you watch or record live television in your room.
If your tenancy is for less than a year, you should also be eligible for a refund over the summer, after you have moved out of your accommodation.
For more information, visit TV Licensing
Utilities
You are responsible for paying for utilities such as gas, electricity and water. You must set up an account with each supplier. Standing telephone line rental and broadband charges are included in the rent.
It’s a good idea to know where the master switches are for the gas and electricity and the stop cock for the water. You might need them if there is a leak or electrical fault. Details will usually be in your inventory.
