Frequently asked Questions

Transcription

1 Who is Spectrum Housing Group? Frequently asked Questions Spectrum Housing Group is a Registered Social Landlord (Housing Association) registered with the Industrial and Provident Society and the Housing Corporation. The Group owns and manages over 16,000 accommodations and maintains a further 30,000 properties. Spectrum s head office is based in Christchurch, Dorset. Websites: www. point.exe.co.uk Telephone: Fax: kingedward@spectrumhousing.co.uk Where is King Edward Studios? The scheme is located just of the University Campus near Birks Grange site. The accommodation is also close to the student village at St David s where facilities include the main train station for Exeter, a mini-market, and hair salon. 20 minutes walk away you will find hair salons, sports centre s, post office and a number of retail outlets, banks and supermarkets. Who can live in the accommodation? King Edward Studios accommodates full time students only. Proof of student status will be required at the time of booking and on arrival. What types of accommodation are available? King Edward Studios is purpose built student development completed in September There are 64 studio flats which are fully self-contained with private kitchen and bathroom facilities. The rent for all studios includes utilities charges, heating, standard internet provision and usage. Disabled Facilities There are no disabled adapted flats at King Edward Studios. 1

2 Equipment provided in studio apartments All studio apartments come fully furnished, including Electric hob Fridge freezer Combination microwave oven Stainless steel sink Storage cupboards Wardrobe and mirror with over storage for suitcase etc Fitted desk station Desk chair Standard 4ft double bed Internet access Easy chair bedside cabinet Desk lamp Kettle Coffee table Curtains/ blinds to all windows Items not provided at King Edward Studios Bed Linen Pots and pans Cutlery Crockery These items can be ordered from Unikitout to be delivered to your room before arrival. Please ask for further information. Common Room TV Chairs etc. What do I have to pay before I move in? You will pay a reservation fee to hold a property that you are interested in. This fee is held by Spectrum until you move into the property when it will be credited to you rent account. If you cancel your reservation you will lose your reservation fee. This fee is not a deposit and is not protected by the Housing Act Paying for your accommodation Your tenancy agreement sets out the weekly rent that is due. Rent is paid termly in advance unless otherwise agreed. It is a legal obligation on the 2

3 tenant to pay the rent as it becomes due, as stated in your tenancy agreement. Failure to pay rent as its due will lead to Spectrum taking action to recover possession of your accommodation. What is included in the rent? The rent for all studios includes utilities charges, heating, standard internet provision and usage. Contents Insurance with Endsleigh is also included. When can I move in? After you have paid the reservation fee we will issue you with a tenancy agreement. You cannot move in until this is signed. We will then agree a move in date and time with you. How much is the deposit? All students are required to pay a deposit; the deposit is 250 and will be refunded at the end of your tenancy with deductions made for any damage that has occurred during your stay, this deposit is held by a third party called The Deposit Protection Service. The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) is the Government approved custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme. Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP), as set out in the Housing Act 2004, requires that all agents/landlords protect their tenants' deposits under a statutory tenancy deposit scheme within 14 days of receiving a deposit. The DPS will safeguard that deposit throughout the period of the tenancy and repay the funds to the appropriate parties in accordance with their instructions at the end of the tenancy period. The DPS is the only custodial deposit protection scheme, is free to use and open to all agents/landlords. The service is funded entirely from the interest earned from deposits held. How do I pay the rent? Bill Pay Standing Order UK Bank Transfer International Bank Transfer Cheque (UK Banks Only) Cheque s sent by post must have a name, scheme and room number that tenant will occupy with Spectrum and your tenancy reference number on the back. Spectrum recommends Bill Pay with Santander 3

4 Payments can now be made through the Internet called Internet Billpay. It is an easy way to pay your rent online at anytime. If you log on to you will find a link to where you can make payments using a debit card via a fully secure payment site. You will be able to print off a receipt providing instant proof of payment. To register for Billpay follow this process: 1. Go to 2. Click on Pay my rent with Bill Pay 3. Click on New Users Register Here 4. Read through and accept the terms and conditions 5. Complete the Online Registration Form 6. Enter a brief security question, the answer and a password 7. Select Signpost Homes Ltd from the drop down box as the company you wish to pay 8. Enter your tenancy number in to the reference number field. 9. Pay the bill Debit Card You can pay your rent over the phone by debit card by telephoning You will need to quote your address and tenancy reference number. Standing Order If you wish to pay your rent by standing order, please contact the accommodation officer for a standing order form. UK Bank Transfer If you wish to transfer your rent payment directly into the bank account of Spectrum, please see the bank details below: Account Holder: Signpost Homes Ltd Bank: National Westminster Branch: Blandford Forum Sort code: Account no: Please ensure your payment is made quoting a reference detail, usually your tenancy number, tenant name or property address. Without this information, we may not be able to properly identify the correct tenant and we may be unable to apply the money to their account. International Bank Transfer 4

5 If you wish to pay by International Bank Transfer, directly into the bank account of Spectrum, please see the bank details below: Account Holder: Signpost Homes Ltd Bank: National Westminster Branch: Blandford Forum International Reference or IBAN ref: GB09NWBK The BIC or swift ref: NWBKGB2L Please ensure your payment is made quoting tenancy number, tenant name or property address. Please note that your bank will make a charge for this service; please ensure that your payment is sufficient to cover the fees, ensuring that the full rent amount in received by Spectrum in UK Sterling. Cheque Cheques should be made payable to Signpost Homes Ltd, and sent to us at the scheme address or as advised by the housing or accommodation officer. Please ensure that your full name and address and tenancy number (if known) is written on the back of your cheque. Only cheques drawn on UK banks can be accepted. Cash For security reasons, we prefer payment to be made using one of the methods listed above. Please contact your accommodation officer if you cannot pay by one of the methods listed. Statement of Rent Upon request, we can send you rent statements showing all transactions. What happens if I don t pay my rent? When you signed your Agreement you signed a legal contract in which you agreed to pay your rent. If you do not pay your rent we may take legal proceedings against you. Please contact your Accommodation Officer immediately if: You are having problems paying your rent You are not sure what rent you should be paying You want a statement to check what payments you have made If you fail to make a payment we will contact you in person or in writing to ask for it. If you continue to fail to make payment, we can serve you with a formal notice advising you that we may commence legal proceedings against you. 5

6 What happens if I am due to arrive out of office hours or at the weekend? Outside of Welcome Weekend we can only accommodate arrivals during our office hours. How do I report maintenance issues? To report a repair, please contact the accommodation office, telephone or ing point.exe@spectrumhousing.co.uk What happens in an emergency if the office is closed? We offer a 24 hours emergency service. Out of normal office hours, you will need to ring Can I bring my own appliances? Your own electrical appliances must be new or PAT tested. We do not permit students to bring their own heaters into the accommodation please ask if you feel you require additional heating in your room. In the interests of safety we discourage the use of adaptors only adaptors with circuit breakers (usually of a long bar design) are acceptable. If you are an international student you need to ensure that electrical appliances are suitable for use with 240V electrical supply. Any adapters not meeting these standards will be removed and only returned at the end of your tenancy. We strongly encourage you to use only electrical appliances purchased in the UK. Can I smoke? No you cannot smoke inside the building. All accommodation is non-smoking. Who is responsible for cleaning in my accommodation? All the accommodation is self catered and residents are responsible for keeping their studio flat clean, tidy and removing all rubbish. Flat inspections take place at regular intervals (with appropriate notice) and will identify any areas where standards are not acceptable. What is the postcode? King Edward Studios Cowley Bridge Road Exeter 6

7 Devon EX4 4NA Where do I collect my mail? Royal Mail does not deliver to individual student rooms. You should collect your mail from your mailbox located in the main lobby. Please note that you will be charged for a replacement key if you lose it. Students should ensure they are able to accept deliveries personally or make alternative delivery/collection arrangements wherever possible. Are there laundry facilities? There is a laundry on site. (There is a charge of approximately 2/ 2.20 per wash and 1/ 1.50 dryers) Can I bring my car to King Edward Studios? There is no student parking. Parking in adjacent streets is time restricted or residents only. Where can I keep my bicycle? Bicycle storage is provided to the rear of the building. What television service is available? Freeview television is available with a suitable television. Will I require my own TV licence? All rooms will require their own TV licence. This is a requirement of the TV licensing authority. What internet service is provided? StudentCom provides a Wi-Fi broadband service. Included in your room rent, you will receive a 20Mbps service with unlimited downloads and uploads. For those of you who are after an even faster service for quicker downloads, StudentCom also offer an optional upgrade to 50Mbps for an additional cost. In addition to your internet access, StudentCom offer a wide range of supplementary services for all your academic and entertainment needs including IPTV, a downloadable softphone, an online file backup service and the latest AVG Web Security. Further details can be found on the StudentCom portal upon connection to the network when you arrive at your accommodation. 7

8 Are lifts available in the building? There is a lift to the rear of the main staircase. Do I need Contents Insurance? Basic contents insurance is included within your rent charge, and you will be provided with a policy document upon arrival at the site. This is provided by Endsleigh Insurance and it is important that you check the limitations and exclusions of the policy to ensure that sufficient cover is in place for your individual requirements. You are strongly advised not to keep large sums of cash in your room. Full details of the cover provided and quotations to extend the basic policy can be obtained by visiting the website. ENDSLEIGH INSURANCE CONTACT DETAILS Online: exeter.university@endsleigh.co.uk Phone: General Enquiries Claims Enquiries: Can I change to a different room after I have moved in? We will use our discretion when tenant s approach us with a request to move rooms. Any request needs to be made in writing by either letter or to kingedward@spectrumhousing.co.uk detailing why you wish to move rooms. We will then consider the request. Please note, for any room change mid way through the tenancy, we will charge a administration fee. This will be raised as an invoice and can either be paid immediately, or you can be deducted from your 250 deposit. We will ask you to sign to accept this. What do I have to do before I move out? Your agreement will specify the term of the agreement (for example, agreements can be for a variety of terms, such as 44 or 50 weeks), and your tenancy will automatically expire at the end of that term. You do not have to give notice to end your tenancy at the end of the term. The things you have to do: Before you move out, we will carry out an inspection of your accommodation. You may be recharged the cost of repairing any damage you have done or the cost of replacement items if you have broken or lost them. 8

9 Pay your rent or anything else owed to us before you move out Before you return the keys please make sure that: -All your belongings have been taken from the property. If anything is left we will recharge you for taking it away -Your accommodation has been left in a clean and tidy condition Make sure that you return your all keys and electronic security fobs to us as agreed with your Accommodation Officer. Please note that we may continue to charge you rent until we receive them. You must meet with your accommodation officer the day you are moving out. 9