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Student Damage Policy - University Owned Accommodation
Applicability and scope
All residents and visitors who have a contract, or booking for, University Owned Accommodation
What do we mean by ‘damage’?
Any loss or breakages, including accidental damage, up to a maximum of £5,000*,this excludes damage caused by the University, its employees or agents and allowing for fair wear and tear.
Your responsibilities
On arrival, you will be sent, by email, an inventory listing fixtures and fittings of any area that you have a contractual responsibility for. You should check your inventory carefully noting any damaged or missing items before returning it to Reception within seven days. Where a room swap has taken place, the inventory should be returned within 48 hours of receiving your room keys. If you do not reply, this will be taken to mean that you agree with the details on the inventory. Where a discrepancy is reported, we will arrange appropriate repairs/replacement, or the discrepancy will be noted, so that a charge is not raised during or at the end of your contract.
Reporting damages
We will inspect your bedroom and communal areas in line with your accommodation cleaning Service Level Agreement and when your bedroom or flat is vacated and keys returned to reception at the end of your contract. We will notify you, by email, if any damages have been identified. You will have seven days from receipt of the email to contact us to discuss the damages, any costs and next steps.At the end of your contract year, due to the high volume of inspections we need to undertake, it may take up to six weeks before we are able to notify you of any damage charges.
You have several options for reporting damages, which include your Village reception, the online webform or via the University App; full details can be found at Reporting a Fault
We will charge you for the full cost of damage caused to your bedroom up to a maximum of £5,000*. You are responsible for any damage caused by you, or your guests, in your bedroom. You are also responsible for any damage carried out within your bedroom if you leave your bedroom unlocked, or give your key to another person.
*In exceptional circumstances if costs are in excess of £5,000, we will review this on an individual basis.
Where damage occurs in a communal area where an individual claims personal responsibility or found to be responsible following investigation we will charge you for the full cost of damage caused up to a maximum of £5,000*.
A depreciation cost, equivalent to 10%, is applied to the replacement cost of all carpets and soft furnishings which are over one year old, up to a maximum of 10 years (100%). Where a carpet or soft furnishing is more than 10 years old, you will only be charged for the labour element of the replacement.
Where a repair can be carried out, you will be charged the full cost of the repair. It is important to be aware that all fixtures, fittings and soft furnishings are manufactured to a higher specification than those found in a domestic environment hence the higher cost of replacement.
A guideline of standard charges is provided in Appendix 1 of this document.
Repairs
All property repairs will be undertaken by the University’s Estates & Facilities Team or an approved contractor. You are not allowed, and should not attempt, to carry out repairs. Replacement furniture and fixtures will be purchased through University approved contractors.
Appeal procedure
If you wish to appeal against a damage charge, you must do so within 28 days of receipt of an invoice being raised. This must be in writing and addressed to the Assistant Residences Manager at your accommodation and should specify the grounds for appeal which may only be one or more of the following:
• procedural irregularity
• bias or prejudice
• excessive or inappropriate charge
The appeal will be considered initially by the Assistant Residences Manager who will decide whether there is a case. If there is a case for appeal, this will be considered by a Disciplinary Panel, consisting of the Operations Manager and a University Manager from outside of Accommodation Services, who will confirm, amend or dismiss the original charge. Where the appeal has been dismissed, there shall be no further appeal within the University