Information for Students

Welcome to your new house. Please see the notice pinned up in the house for contact details.

Please read through the following information and contact us if you have any questions.

Bathrooms – general use

Bathrooms and shower rooms must be kept clean and ventilated. Baths and showers produce steam that encourages the growth of moulds that will quickly spread if not cleaned away. It is the tenants’ responsibility to ensure that showers and baths are regularly cleaned to prevent the build up of moulds and limescale. As a general rule black mould is caused by condensation as a result of a lack of ventilation and is a tenants responsibility.

Bristol water is hard and limescale will build up around taps and shower heads. Appropriate cleaners can be obtained from supermarkets to tackle this problem. If our contractors are called out to a shower problem that is simply resolved by descaling the shower head then the tenants will be charged.

Most bathrooms are fitted with extractor fans. These must not be tampered with or switched off. Windows in bathrooms must be opened on a regular basis, or if possible left constantly open on a trickle vent (most UPVC windows have this facility).

Toilet pans should be cleaned with a commercial product on a regular basis (we suggest twice weekly dependant upon use). This will prevent a build up of grime which will require professional cleaning.

Consideration must also be given to the drying of towels / clothes etc ensuring that adequate ventilation is provided so as to avoid rooms becoming damp.

Boilers

 All central heating boilers are safety tested on an annual basis and you will have been provided with a copy of the certificate at check in.

If you suspect that your boiler has stopped functioning please contact us immediately.

Blu Tac and other picture fixings

 The use of Blu Tac or similar substances or fixtures is not allowed. A cork board is provided in all bedrooms for your use.

Candles

 Candles pose a significant fire threat and are banned from all premises.

Cleaning

 We inspect all our student houses every month at the start of the tenancy and every three months thereafter unless we encounter consistent mess in which case the inspections will continue every month.

For bigger houses (4 or more tenants) we recommend that you formulate a rota for cleaning and try to stick to it.

If you encounter significant problems with cleaning we can arrange for a professional cleaner to attend – this will be at your expense but the cost is not high if shared between all tenants.

Computer desks and modem points – all bedrooms are supplied with desks. These are of different styles but all should accommodate a computer or laptop. Please be careful not to overload the desks and any supplied shelving with heavy books and files particularly if they could fall onto other objects.

Many of our properties have internet points installed in bedrooms. Please ensure that you have the correct plug in connector for these sockets. If you are not sure you must contact us and we will help you to connect your computer. Any damage caused to these sockets will be charged to tenants.

Mattresses – all our properties are provided with double or single mattresses which will be in good condition when you move in. If a mattress is soiled, then we will replace it with a new one at the expense of the tenant who caused the damage. We recommend that you purchase and use suitable mattress protectors to ensure that you will not be charged for a replacement mattress when you leave the property.

Fire Safety

All our properties are fitted/ supplied with appropriate fire safety equipment. Large houses are fitted with mains wired alarm systems. Mains wired alarms will need to be reset at the fire alarm panel if activated. Instructions are provided at the panel

These systems, along with fire extinguishers, blankets etc. are provided for your safety. It is essential that they are not miss-used in any way.

Do not:

• cover, or tamper with, smoke or heat detectors
• Tamper with fire extinguishers (these appliances are regularly checked by an engineer who will know if they have been tampered with)
• wedge open fire doors
• lock doors where a lock has not been provided
• block escape routes, like hallways, corridors, stairs, with anything – especially bicycles, rubbish or boxes or suitcases.

Do:

• read the instruction manual for your alarm system
• report any problem with the alarm system or safety equipment to us as soon as possible

Furniture Care

 All furnishings are basic and relatively solid. They should all be in good condition when you move into the property. If they are not it is important that you report to us within 24hours of inventory checking.

Do not alter/ tamper with or add on addition hooks etc. to any item of furniture provided by us.

Wardrobes – are designed for storing clothes either hanging on the rail inside or folded on the shelving (if present). DO NOT hang clothes on the outside of the wardrobe (eg from the door handles or top edges), this may imbalance the wardrobe which could then fall over. Similarly do not pile significant weight items on top of wardrobes as they could fall or cause imbalance.

Gardens and outside space

Where there is a garden attached to the property it is the tenants responsibly to keep the grass cut and any flower beds weed free. Please use garden and outside space in an appropriate manner; do not use it for rubbish storage (other than wheelie bin) and be aware that noise, particularly late at night, may trigger complaints from neighbours and environmental Health Officers/ Police.

Door locks/ keys

 The use of door locks and keys is an important issue particularly in a house where locks are provided on bedroom doors. You are responsible for the safe keeping of your keys, if you loose them you must contact us immediately (contact details as below) and we will organise replacements plus a lock change if we think that security may have been breached. This will be at your expense.

Locks and doors must be treated with care; any door that is forced or kicked will need to be professionally repaired (at the tenants’ expense) as quickly as possible. Do not delay in contacting us should this happen.

Electrical Goods

Washing Machines/ Washer/ Dryers

Where provided these appliances are supplied with an instruction booklet; if you cannot find this please contact us for a copy or web link. Most machines are very straightforward to use. The most common tenant related problems that we encounter are:

• overloading the machine
• not cleaning out the filter which accumulates various debris and must be kept clean
• trying to force open the door of a machine when the latch is still locked
• not cleaning out the washing powder dispenser tray so that it becomes clogged

If the machine malfunctions and our engineer is called the tenant/s will be charge if the problem tenant related.

Fridges and Freezers

These appliances should be kept clean and used in an appropriate manner. Some are self defrosted and others are not. DO NOT attempt to remove ice build up and/ or other debris with a knife or sharp implement. Fridges and freezers are relatively delicate and it is easy to puncture the plastic and the compressor coolant. This action would render the appliance irreparable and the cost of replacement is the tenants.

Fridges and freezers should be defrosted and cleaned periodically to maximise efficiency.

Cookers

Cookers are either gas or electric. All gas appliances have been tested by a Corgi engineer and are safe to use. If you encounter a problem with a gas cooker contact us as soon as possible. If you smell gas when the cooker is not in use or suspect a leak you must call TRANSCO who will come out and investigate the leak.

All cookers must be kept clean. They will not work properly if dirty and clogged up with grease and debris.

Kettles and Toaster

Where provided these appliances will have been PAT tested for electrical safety. Please use with care. Do not insert knives or other objects into toasters!

Vacuum Cleaners

All our student houses are provided with vacuum cleaners in good working order. Cleaners will not work when they are clogged up with large items (eg socks!) or they have not been emptied. It is the tenants’ responsibility to ensure that vacuum cleaners are kept in good working order.

Glass/ broken windows

 If any window or other glass is broken either by the tenant or due to wear and tear you must report this to us as soon as possible. Our contractor will ascertain whether or not the breakage may have been due to age or has been broken by careless use.

Broken glass is a hazard and must be reported immediately.

Light bulbs and fittings

All properties should have working bulbs in all light fittings at the time of move in. If they are not working please report to us within 24hours of move in and inventory check and we will replace them.

Subsequent to this, all bulb replacements are the tenants’ responsibility. Please contact us if you have problems changing bulbs; some fixtures are too high to replace with use of a ladder, we will arrange for those to be replaced, all others will be charged.

Do not tamper with light fittings or switches in any way.

Rubbish

 Most houses are provided with grey wheelie bins, black recycling boxes and brown food bins. The grey bins are general collected once every fortnight and the recycling boxes and food bin every week – BUT this depends on your area and is affected by Bank Holidays etc.

Your normal day for bin collection is………………………………….

For further information see our web site tenants’ area:

http://www.cpsl.uk.com/Tenants/bristol_rubbish_collection.asp

Remember that rubbish stored or left for too long will attract rats and become a health hazard and is something that you must take seriously.

Security

Securing the property is the tenants’ responsibility. Particularly in bigger houses it is important to ensure that all locks/ alarms etc. provided are correctly used.

If there is no one staying in the property for more than one week it is advisable that you contact us so that we are aware of the situation and that you take sensible security measures.

In properties where there is a communal entrance to the property beware of anybody “tailgating” you into the property or requesting that they let you in to enable them to see a friend in another flat. This is a particular problem in properties that have door entry systems.

Smoking and drugs

All of our properties are non-smoking houses. If you wish to smoke you must do so outside away from doors and windows remaining mindful of smoke free legislation.

The use of any illegal substance is prohibited. This includes Class C drugs such as cannabis, GHB and some tranquilisers. If such activities are discovered/ reported to us we will co-operate with the Police in any investigation.

Water leaks

 If you spot a water leak or a damp patch anywhere in the property you must report it to us as soon as possible. Leaks from showers, baths, washing machines etc. do happen and it is the tenants’ responsibility to report problems as soon as they are observed.