Information for Loughborough University tenants on the Effects of Coronavirus on Clan Living Services
A message to our Loughborough University tenants
Hello all,
I hope everyone reading this is well and healthy.
We are quickly approaching the start of your tenancy come the 1st July; this page is designed to help guide you through the next few weeks leading up to when you are able to move in, particularly with the effects of COVID-19.
It goes without saying that the last few months have been completely unprecedented for everyone. I understand that this year may be slightly different to what you may have expected.
I want to make it clear that I am here to help and I will do whatever is in my capability to ensure you still have the best experience possible.
I have also decided to make some adaptations to facilitate what I believe will be a better, safer living experience for you this coming year.
It may not be perfect, I have spent a significant amount of time researching and thinking and is my best efforts to try and illustrate how I am trying to help you for the next year.
Please read on, process, and feel free to get in touch with me should you have any questions.
Sincerely
Henri Hamm
Information to Loughborough University tenants on the effects of Coronavirus on Clan Living Services
Clan Living is committed to providing as much information as possible about how we are responding to the current situation to our tenants and users.
In developing these operational procedures we have been mindful of the advice issued by Public Health England and the institutions of higher education who we work closely with.
Many of our property management routines are important in maintaining regulatory compliance with other important health and safety routines and we also need access to properties in order to undertake repairs and investigate problems that are reported to us.
Clan Living’s tenants and staff have a wide range of risk levels, ranging from housing some elderly residents, some older students, those with pre-existing medical conditions, families with children and younger people sharing facilities in cluster flats and houses. We have tried to make our operational processes appropriate to all these groups.
Loughborough University students wanting to return to their student accommodation to collect their belongings
It is now possible for students in England to return to their accommodation to collect their belongings. In England, on 21st May 2020 the Government gave the following advice available on the media blog or Government website
The media blog copy reads
“Can I collect my belongings from my student accommodation?
We know many of you are concerned about collecting your belongings from your term-time accommodation. That was not possible under the previous guidance but the government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy published on 11 May sets out a cautious roadmap to ease those measures in a safe and measured way.
While all of us should stay at home as much as possible to protect ourselves and other people, the strategy allows for certain necessary travel if people take precautions in line with the principles in Annex A of the strategy and other published guidance, such as on travel and social distancing.
This means that, if you are a student who left student accommodation in England and now wishes to travel back to that accommodation to recover your belongings, you can do so providing you continue to avoid public transport wherever possible and follow the latest travel and social distancing guidance of the nation where you are currently residing.
You should discuss a date and time to collect your belongings with your accommodation provider. Most higher education providers will contact tenants of university accommodation about arrangements, but if you rent privately-owned accommodation you should contact the provider directly. Please be patient if your collection time needs to be set for future weeks to allow for appropriate social distancing to be maintained.”
Please be aware that this guidance does not deal with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It is important that the process of returning is structured to comply with Covid-Secure procedures.
In the case of smaller properties, Clan Living ask that tenants coordinate movements between themselves in order to avoid everyone trying to unload or load their belongings together in the household which would compromise social distancing between visitors to any flat or house. If anyone was self isolating then special arrangements will need to be made.
If you currently are living in one of our properties, it is important that you tell us when you have fully moved out so that we can track when a property still has belongings in it and when it is likely to be fully vacated.
There is no rush to collect your belongings (up until the 30th June) but please, do not leave everything until the last few days because not everyone will be able to pick up belongings and maintain social distancing and these arrangements are for your (and others’) safety.
There are a few other matters that are worth considering when coming back:
transport will be almost entirely by car and some parents/students will have a long “there and back” drive with only limited opportunities to stop for refreshments and toilet facilities. Many parents travelling long distances frequently break their journeys by staying part-way in a hotel and that will not be possible. Those returning should be made aware of the lack of facilities en-route although most garages and motorway service stations toilet facilities are now open.
tenants have received their end of tenancy information to ensure that they know to clean their room and the communal areas and ensure the property is left in a reasonable condition, free of waste and that the keys are returned in a timely manner.
Clan Living does have some limited storage facilities, if a tenant has left their accommodation and is unable to return (i.e.; is overseas) then you should contact us to see if a bespoke arrangement can be made.
If your only option is a packing service, then get in touch and we can provide you with a list of companies or a member of our staff can carry this out for you at a nominal cost. We would not charge for the actual storage of the items.
Loughborough University 2020-2021 Academic Year
Given the circumstances, we have been considering what arrangements we would make to start new tenancies for this coming July.
We have decided to put in place a number of measures that should help you to take up your tenancy from July and should improve the experience of your tenancy throughout the next year.
Because of the unique situation with the Coronavirus pandemic, like you, we had been waiting to see what is happening to the next academic year.
The good news is that Loughborough University have announced they will operate as usual next academic year with a mix of online/off line learning, and that the campus will be open.
It is thus reasonable to conclude that, subject to a backwards move in the progress of Covid-19 and a second lockdown, that students will return to study in September/October in the context of a “new normal” situation.
Moving Home
In addition, the UK government has issued clear guidelines around moving home.
Their guidelines state that should you wish, you are able to move home.
You can find the article here:
With this being said, we are preparing for your tenancies commencing on the 1st July as usual.
Loughborough University tenancies beginning on July 1st 2020
Health and Safety
Our tenancies run over 52 weeks where tenants normally changeover on July 1st. I have considered two important health and safety areas which will affect the start of our tenancies:
Social distancing when people are moving in (normally involving parents and friends as well as students)
Cleaning and the removal of contamination (the Covid-19 virus) from properties prior to occupation by a new household.
Just to reassure you, there is no social distancing between tenants within a property and this will be no different from how your household works now.
We turn tenancies round within a few days at the end of June and the opening day of July. Of course, the previous tenants are within their right to stay up until the 30th of June and if this is the case we simply turn it round within a day.
Clan Living’s contractual obligations to you are that all properties will be fully in-depth cleaned for the start of your tenancy. This normally works well.
We always aim to carry out any maintenance I can visibly see; however of course, we may miss things and I always encourage when you move in and begin to actively live in the property that you notify us of any little snags that we may have missed and we can have them rectified within 24-48 hours.
This does, however, mean that there is a lot of human activity within these properties around 30th June/1st July: tenants leaving on the last day, tenants arriving on the first day, contractors and cleaners getting the properties ready for occupation.
There is the added challenge posed by the risk of the Covid-19 virus. A property could be fully cleaned but still infected. Clan Living carries out a deep clean of all of its properties each year and this would mean the infection risk would be significantly reduced but there are issues with the virus surviving on soft furnishings, carpets and fabrics that are a bit more difficult to clean.
For your information: we steam clean carpets and mattresses as standard as part of our cleans; so it is likely that this will eliminate or at the very least significantly reduce the chance of any virus surviving on these materials.
These risks apply equally to student tenants visiting parents, contractors and Clan Living staff.
There is specific Guidance on COVID-19: cleaning in non-healthcare settings (15th May 2020) which states:
“The infection risk from coronavirus (COVID-19) following contamination of the environment decreases over time. It is not yet clear at what point there is no risk. However, studies of other viruses in the same family suggest that, in most circumstances, the risk is likely to be reduced significantly after 72 hours.”
On that basis I heavily encourage you to give me a minimum 7 day “notice period” of when you intend to come and live in the property.
This is so I can have it deep cleaned, and also allow for 72 hours for any traces of the virus left to be significantly reduced.
If you intend to live in the property come the 1st July, please notify me as soon as possible to make suitable arrangements.
When you do move in, it will also be important that you stagger your arrival times with your housemates so that not everyone tries to move in at the same time.
It is important you do this: if, say, five students all turn up at once to move in with assisted by two parents or friends that would mean 15 people moving around in a small space and it would be impossible to maintain anything like the social distance that is required to non-householders.
PLEASE NOTE - THESE PRINCIPLES APPLY EVEN IF YOUR TENANCY DOES NOT START UNTIL AFTER JULY, EG SEPTEMBER
Rent
Rent is due as normal within contracted periods. People pay rent across the contracted period whether they are present or not, which is why rent is charged across Christmas, Easter and in some cases summer when some students are not present.
If you are having problems paying your rent because you, or you family, have seen your income fall or because work-related income has stopped, then you can talk to me about how to pay the rent and we can arrange payment by instalments or devise a special arrangement.
New Measures
Following government guidelines and also, general best practice, I have decided to introduce some measures which I feel will benefit you in your house this year.
All our cleaners will wear PPE when carrying out deep or regular cleans of the property.
To those of you who have monthly cleans booked in and part of your tenancy, these will proceed as usual, and extra care will be taken to spend additional time in communal areas, particularly bathrooms and kitchens to ensure these are cleaned and sanitised.
*To those who do not have regular cleans as part of your tenancy, I will include these at no cost to you.*
Throughout your tenancy we will of course, have to carry out viewings. We will adhere to government guidelines and ensure virtual viewings are carried out first and physical viewings are only arranged at a time which causes minimal disruption to you and all social distancing and health guidelines are adhered to.
Any maintenance / issues will be attended to within as short a time frame as possible. Our contractors will wear PPE on their visits. You will be informed when they are due to visit, and upon their arrival you will be asked to remain in your private rooms, or if work is being carried out within your room that you vacate for the duration of the works.
Change of Circumstances and Leaving Your Tenancy
Clan Living is aware that there may be some students whose own (or family) circumstances have changed dramatically over the last few weeks and they may be planning not to return to University or College next year or they can no longer afford the rent they are contracted to pay.
It is important to understand our position regarding the Jointly Assured Shorthold Tenancy and COVID-19.
Your AST is legally binding and does not contain any break clauses. There is no clause in your agreement which could have anticipated this virus and as such, there is no break clause/frustration approach you may take to exit your tenancy agreement.
At the same time, I cannot simply let the house to someone else or not allow you to move in, we are both due to adhere to what we agreed to.
If your plans have changed you must get in touch with me immediately so we can make a plan.
Conclusion
We know the moving-in arrangements will cause some inconvenience and will help where there are particular problems but these arrangements are designed to minimise the public risk to health (to yourself, parents and friends, contractors and Clan Living staff) and it is important that these are followed properly.
After all that, we are really looking forward to welcoming you to your house or flat and we hope meeting your friends again and living with us will be, even in these difficult times, a really great experience.
Blogs and useful information can be seen on our blog dealing with:
Mental Health and Wellbeing during the Coronavirus Outbreak
Building a healthy immune system during isolation
Keeping your mind and body active
Things you can do when self-isolating with kids
Volunteering from home.
I wish all of our you, our tenants the best of health and hope you are all staying positive and focussed on your education. If I can be of any help just get in contact.