In this week’s blog we look at some important safety reminders and advice on room inspections, who you can contact over the Easter vacation, and options for summer accommodation. This weekend also marks the start of British Summer Time (BST), or Daylight Saving Time (DST), so don’t forget to move your clocks forward one hour on 31 March. One hour less in bed, but one hour longer to enjoy this gorgeous sunshine!
Safety first!
We hear from our Residences teams that on their regular room inspections they have found several plug adaptors which do not meet the required safety standards. Electricity is a major cause of accidental fires in UK homes, and 89% of these are caused by electrical products. To keep yourself and your fellow residents safe, please ensure that any electrical equipment that you have in your accommodation has a secure plug, there are no signs of damage to the cable, it is CE marked, and fitted with the correct fuse. We have further information about staying safe in your accommodation and electrical safety on our Residents Information webpage.
Time for a spring clean?
If you are planning to leave Exeter over the Easter vacation, now is an ideal time to have a good old clean and tidy of your accommodation. Primary responsibility for keeping your room (and en-suite facility if you have one) clean lies with you, but if you don’t know your toilet cleaner from your window cleaner then fear not! We have a handy cleaning guide online including guidance on which products to use where, cleaning do’s and don’ts, and how to clean each area. If you still need more help then we even have a video guide which takes you through all the essentials.
Who to contact over the Easter Vacation
The Accommodation Office will be available Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm over the vacation period. We will be closed on Friday 19 April and Monday 22 April for the Easter bank holidays and will re-open from 9:00am on Tuesday 23 April. You can contact us throughout the vacation or by messaging us via our Accommodation Facebook page.
SID will be open 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday but will be closed over the Easter Weekend. You can still email SID and they will respond as soon as possible.
Our residence reception webpages have been updated to include their times of availability over Easter. Don’t forget that if you have a maintenance query or a repair which needs to happen in your room, you will need to contact your residence directly about this.
Our Accommodation drop-in sessions will start again on Monday 29 April between 11:00am-1:00pm Monday to Friday in the Forum via SID.
Summer accommodation – what is it?
If your accommodation contract finishes in June/July but you would like to stay in Exeter for longer, then you could consider taking a summer accommodation contract with us. The option of self-catered summer accommodation is available to all registered students, whether you currently live within University of Exeter accommodation or are living within the private sector. Summer accommodation is available between Saturday 22 June and Saturday 7 September 2018 for a minimum contract length of four weeks.
This year, we are able to offer single en-suite rooms at James Owen Court and also a limited number of studios at Birks Grange Village. Please note that you will need to pay in full in advance of your stay and within five working days of accepting your accommodation offer.
Applications for summer accommodation will open on Tuesday 23 April 2019 and will be processed on a first come first served basis. These rooms are subject to availability. For further information please see our summer accommodation webpages.
Accommodation
We have been sending out offers of accommodation this week to returning students who have a supported medical requirement. Returning accommodation is only for students who, due to a disability, a long-term medical condition or sensory or physical impairment require adapted accommodation or a particular location in line with the Equality Act 2010. You will need a supported application in order to apply for this accommodation. If you have not yet submitted your application then please refer to the information on our website.
This is our final blog of Term 2 for our current students but we shall return for Term 3 on Thursday 2 May. May we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Easter and we look forward to seeing you back again in the third term.
Accommodation Meridith