1. How does the tenancy agreement work?
Each room has its own Tenancy Agreement which is independent to the other residents in the apartment. Your Tenancy Agreement is not affected by the tenancies of other residents in the apartment.
2. How are rooms allocated?
When deciding who is allocated a property, the priorities of different staff under the allocation policy also applies to the shared units. Allocations will be made in priority order as follows:
1) Hard to fill post – Awarded only by HR
2a) New staff, new to Cambridge, coming from overseas
2b) New staff, new to Cambridge, coming from the UK (outside Cambridge area)
3) New staff, prior knowledge of Cambridge, coming from overseas
4a) New staff, prior knowledge of Cambridge, coming from UK (outside Cambridge area)
4b) New staff, coming from the Cambridge area
5) University staff (not new starter)
6) Applicant working for an affiliated organisation
The room allocations within apartments are done by a random ballot and you are not able to choose a specific room or location.
3. Can I join a single-gender apartment, or live with someone I know?
We normally randomly allocate a mix of male and female residents to each flat. If you have a specific requirement for a male or female only flat we cannot guarantee this. We are unable to hold rooms empty if we have applicants waiting for a home.
4. Can I pick which room I get?
Room allocations within apartments are done by a random ballot and it is not possible to choose which room is allocated to you. Some rooms have a bath with an over bath shower but the majority have a shower only. We do not differentiate between the rooms in terms of allocation.
5. I have a smaller bedroom/bathroom – do I pay less rent?
All four-bedroom apartment rooms have a standardised rent of £650pcm, regardless of variations between individual rooms.
6. What happens if I need to move out before my tenancy ends?
All tenancies will be offered for 12 months. You can express your wish to leave your tenancy early but will be liable to pay the monthly rent until a new tenant is found or until your tenancy ends, whichever date occurs first. A non-refundable fee of £100 plus VAT will be charged if you express a wish to leave early.
7. How are bills divided?
As the rent for 4-bedroom sharer apartments includes bills (council tax, electricity, heating and hot water, broadband and water), there is no need to divide these further. If you agree individually or collectively to buy any other service e.g. Virgin cable or hire a cleaner for example; this is entirely down to residents agreeing and arranging payment. We cannot increase the current BT Broadband package as this should be adequate for 4 persons.
8. Do I have to buy a TV licence? Does my flatmate’s TV licence cover my viewing?
Residents who have a TV in their room and/or who use a computer, games console, digital box or any other device to watch live TV on any channel or BBC programmes on iPlayer must, under UK law, obtain their own TV Licence. It is up to residents to arrange this and is not included in the rent.
However if residents wish to have a communal TV for all residents to watch they can buy one TV Licence between them to cover this. It is up to residents to arrange this and divide the cost between them. This does not cover any TV watched in individuals’ rooms.
Residents who do not watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on TV can register this with the TV Licensing Enforcement Division at the following website: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/noTV.
9. Can I move to a different apartment?
It is not possible to move residents from one apartment to another until the end of their Tenancy Agreement. If you wish to move apartments to share with other persons at the end of the 12 month tenancy, you will need to reapply but we cannot guarantee that we can accommodate you as it is anticipated that there will always be a waiting list and new applicants may have a higher priority than existing tenants.
10. I don’t like my flatmate / they are messy/ noisy/ don’t clean – what can you do to help?
Lodge Property Services is not able to intervene with disputes between flatmates, and rely on all residents behaving like respectful adults. We would recommend that all residents agree some house rules regarding noise, cleaning, food storage and food preparation to minimise problems throughout the tenancy. If you wish to move out because you don’t like your flatmates, you will have to apply as an early leaver as in 6 above.
11. Can I have people to stay?
Sharer rooms are intended for single occupation. It is recognised that a resident may wish to have an occasional guest to stay overnight. As a broad guideline, you should not have an overnight guest to stay for more than two nights in any week.
If you wish to have guests for more than two night, you must discuss this with your flatmates and must apply to Lodge Property Services for permission. Residents must accept full responsibility for their guests. You may not sublet your home to another person if you are away on holiday or for work purposes.
12. There is damage to the property, who pays for the cost of repairing it?
All residents are individually and wholly responsible for the cost of any cleaning or repairs required within their individual rooms. If anything is damaged or broken in either the individual room or in a communal area, the person responsible should report this and arrange to pay for the damage caused. Guidelines for replacement costs are included with the tenancy agreement. If there is damage and it is not reported, the cost of repairs within any communal areas will be automatically divided equally between all occupants in each apartment.
13. Does anyone check the communal areas?
At the end of the individual persons tenancy and if issues are raised by any resident, a full inspection of all communal areas will take place. The cost of any cleaning or damage within any communal areas will be automatically divided equally between all occupants in each apartment. Residents will be required to share responsibility for the upkeep of the communal areas. This includes regular lime scale removal, changing the filters in the cooker hood extractor, maintaining the white goods and keeping the oven clean.
