Be a good neighbour and tenant

Moving into rented accommodation can be an exciting time. Often it is your first taste of independent life. It is important to remember that you are now a member of the local community, and that you have an obligation to take care of yourself, your neighbours, your belongings and your home.

There are some things which you will need to do straight away, such as:

  • Locate the gas and electricity meters. Contact the utilities to organise meter readings and keep a note of the readings for yourself. This prevents you paying for previous tenants
  • Locate the fuse box, stop taps and how to turn off the water/gas and electricity
  • Check fire alarms are installed and work
  • If the house has a security alarm make sure you use it! If you don’t you could invalidate the landlord’s house insurance and your belongings insurance
  • Ask for the gas safety certificate – it’s a legal requirement

Noise

The RAU is committed to working in partnership with Cotswold District Council to ensure that student noise does not have a detrimental impact on the local community.

Many students live in residential areas, directly next door to families with children. These conflicting lifestyles can often result in tension between neighbours.

All students have an individual responsibility to ensure that they do not become a nuisance to their neighbours. Try to make a conscious effort to be considerate to your neighbours and keep noise at an acceptable level, or you could find yourself in court.

Tips for harmony

  • Your neighbours may be around while you are away during holidays and could keep an eye on your property for you. Take the time to introduce yourself and your housemates and offer to do the same for them if they are away
  • If you decide to have a party, be considerate to your neighbours. Warn them in advance, or possibly even invite them! They will appreciate the gesture
  • Try to agree a finishing time or a time when music or loud noise will stop. Ask your guests to leave quietly and not to slam doors or talk loudly in the street
  • If you receive a complaint, act on it straight away. An apology sent with chocolates or flowers goes a long way
  • Remember that you are sharing walls with your neighbours. They may have young children, and have to go to work each day.  You may be able to lie in after a late night, but your neighbours may not!

Anti-social behaviour

The Police, College and local Council (Cotswold District Council) have spent a lot of time and effort in recent years in establishing a clear strategy to address anti-social behaviour by and towards students. The main complaints are Noise and Parking.

It’s important to remember that the families living next to you do not want to be woken in the early hours of the morning by students returning home from a night out. They have jobs to go to in the morning or their children need to be up for school so they should not be disturbed. The University has been very supportive in addressing student housing where the conduct of the residents has brought the reputation of the University into disrepute.

It’s very simple. Keep the noise down, advise the neighbours when you do intend to have a party and remember that you are directly impacting on them. Some addresses have been the victims of ASB by their neighbours for several years and you will not be welcomed with open arms. It’s up to you to prove them wrong and be a good neighbour.

Parking is also a significant issue throughout all of Cirencester, irrespective of the student community. This is a small market town and has limited parking. This is not eased by an influx of students to multi-occupancy houses adding to the burden. Please be considerate when parking a vehicle.

Please make sure that you are road legal, have valid tax/insurance and that when you park it does not cause an obstruction to your neighbours. Again they will have faced this problem year on year and their tolerance levels may be lower than you expect. It’s a case of using common sense and consideration. If there is an opportunity for you to car share and leave some vehicles on campus, take it. It will save you the cost of fuel and reduce a further potential for neighbourhood conflict.

 If you are the victim

We recognise that students can and are the victims themselves of ASB. Being a bad neighbour is not the preserve of students, it can happen to you too! The local agencies are equally willing to investigate and address issues against you to.

How to report incidents and crimes:

  • Dial 101 or 999.

Taking care of your home

Make sure you take care of your home – it could end up costing you if you don’t look after it. Here are some tips to help you avoid any conflict with your landlord.

Essentially

  • Respect the property as if it were your own home
  • Keep it clean and tidy
  • Live in a tenant-like manner which means taking proper care of the property

‘Fair wear and tear’ is a phrase used to measure the natural degradation of properties during normal usage. Living in a tenant-like manner means that carpets, furniture etc will be subject to fair wear and tear, i.e. that no more natural degradation than expected from having a family with the comparable amount of people living in the property occurs.

Help by:

  • Ensuring that things do not get damaged through misuse or neglect
  • Taking shoes off or wiping them when you enter the house
  • Not sitting on sofas in dirty sports gear
  • Cleaning the house on a regular basis
  • Vacuuming the carpet/removing dirt on a regular basis
  • Attending to minor repairs: replace bulbs, replace batteries for fire alarms, tightening a loose handle, unblocking the sink/bath/toilet. Fixing damage caused by you or guests
  • Unlike in halls of residences your landlord is not going to come down to screw in a light bulb or other minor repairs
  • Immediately report maintenance problems to the landlord or agent. Give specific details of the problem, the room or location that this is relevant to, and leave your contact details
  • Dispose of refuse correctly
  • Look after the exterior of the property e.g. cut weeds/long grass

Waste & recycling

Find out about recycling and waste services available to you and get some helpful tips on how to reduce your waste. Here is some general advice for when it comes to disposing of your waste:

  • To find out your waste and recycling collection times, please visit the Cotswold District Council website, where you will be asked to enter your postcode and street name
  • Rubbish cannot be collected if left inside the boundary of your property i.e. in your garden. It must be placed on the pavement to ensure collection
  • The council will only collect waste contained in the bin and will not take any side waste (additional black bags) or empty the bin if the bin lid is not fully closed
  • A large quantity of items can be recycled at the kerbside and containers are free of charge. Contact the council on 01285 623000 or visit www.cotswold.gov.uk
  • If you have more than five students occupying your property you may be eligible for an additional bin, you can obtain an application form from the council on 01285 623000 or visit www.cotswold.gov.uk
  • Any wheeled bins must be brought back into your property after collection
  • If you allow rubbish to accumulate it attracts rats/vermin to the property. Similarly, if food/spillages are left exposed this attracts mice, ants, cockroaches and pests
  • Charities and your local charity shop willingly accept reusable household items and goods. Don’t throw away what can be reused for a good cause