- Bicycles
- Cars
- Cleaning
- Communal living
- Condensation
- Council tax
- Doctors
- Electoral register
- Electrical appliances
- Emergencies
- Fire regulations
- Heating
- Insurance
- Internet
- Keys
- Laundry
- Meals
- Pets
- Posters
- Repairs and maintenance
- Rubbish and recycling
- Safety and security
- Smoking
- Subletting
- Transport
- Telephones
- Televisions
- Utilities
- Visitors
Bicycles
Where possible bicycle storage is provided, however this is not possible in all accommodation. Please do not store bicycles so that they block corridors or doorways in the property.
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
You will be supplied with the basic appliances and instructions on how to use them, but it is your responsibility to look after them. If the manual to the appliance is missing, please let us know.
Make sure that any of your own appliances are in good working order and do not pose any fire hazard.
Please do not plug in too many appliances. Only a four-way oblong extension lead with neon indication and an in-line fuse rated at five amps (Duraplug or similar) may be used. Cubic type adaptors and coiled extension leads are prohibited.
Emergencies
If the accommodation office is closed and you have an urgent problem, you will find the property owner’s emergency contact can be found in your inventory.
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.
If you make an emergency call please let us know as soon as possible.
Fire safety
There are several items around the house which will help to keep you safe.
- Fire blanket: This will be in the kitchen read the instructions on the outside so you know what to do if you have to use it.
- Smoke alarm: The house is fitted with a mains interlinked smoke alarm system with a heat sensor in the kitchen. Under no circumstances must you tamper with the smoke alarm. It is good practice to test the alarms at least once a week. If there is a fault please contact the Accommodation Office as soon as possible.
- Carbon monoxide detector: Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, colourless and odourless gas. There will be a carbon monoxide detector in the property which will alert you if there is a carbon monoxide leak. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Accommodation Office.
- Fire doors: The kitchen door is a fire door and is there for your protection. It is important that this is not propped open because it is there to stop a fire spreading.
For your own safety, observe these rules at all times:
- Don’t cover or interfere with heat/smoke detectors.
- Candles, jossticks, tea lights, electric bar fires, fan heaters, oil lamps or fireworks are not permitted in university accommodation.
- Use of chip pans or similar is prohibited.
- 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.
Heating
All our properties are centrally heated. See Utilities
Insurance
One of the benefits of living in a Unihome house is that individually your contents are covered by Endsleigh Insurance up to a maximum value of £4,000.
Details of the cover and how to make a claim are explained in a separate leaflet which will be given to you when you collect your keys. If you think you might need to increase your cover this can be done directly with Endsleigh.
Internet
Each unihome will have a working broadband service and charges are included in the rent. Under no circumstances can you add to or change the telephone or broadband installations in the residence.
Laundry
Washing machine – please 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
No animals of any kind may be kept in university accommodation unless they are a service animal for a disabled person.
Posters
Don’t pin or stick anything to the walls – it always leaves a mark. Charges will be made if you mark the walls.
Repairs and maintenance
If something needs repairing, please contact the Accommodation Office as soon as possible. We’re available from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
Leaks, or serious damage must be reported immediately. If this is out of office hours, you should contact the owner or their agent. Their details will be on the inventory.
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. You will need this reference to make a claim from your insurance.
Use common sense and try to keep keys and valuables out of sight as much as possible.
In shared houses each bedroom door has a lock.
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
Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside or outside the halls of residence, including in your own bedroom.
Subletting
The subletting of rooms is strictly prohibited. This includes sharing or allowing relatives, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends to use your room. Overnight visitors are allowed. See Visitors
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.
Telephones
Standing telephone line rental and broadband charges are included in the rent, however you must pay the telephone call charges. Where it is not possible to identify who made the calls, charges will be split equally between the residents.
Under no circumstances can you add to or change the telephone or broadband technology in the residence.
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.
Because you each have a separate tenancy agreement in a unihome, you will also need your own licence if you watch or record live television in your room.
As a unihome student 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 be in your inventory.
Visitors
You are responsible for the behaviour of any visitor you invite into your accommodation.
Overnight guests must be over the age of 18 and are allowed to stay for a maximum of two nights out of every seven. It must be agreed with your housemates. You must be in the property with them at all times.
