A Guide to Student Accommodation: What to Consider

As the yearly wave of new students appears each autumn, facility and accommodation managers are presented with the challenges of ensuring that their accommodation service is ready for another year of residency and that it is in a good, livable state following the previous tenants' stay. Meanwhile, different challenges may be presented should managers be dealing with summer-stay tenants.

In the following guide, the accommodation experts at Bunkabin detail the legal requirements that accommodation managers must meet when preparing for the next year of student life, what they must uphold throughout the year, and how temporary portable accommodation solutions can help accommodation managers who have a high demand for beds and may be lacking in accommodation space.

Why is it essential that facility and accommodation managers meet their legal requirements?

Whether students are living in university-managed accommodation or private halls, they have a number of rights that must be upheld by the managers responsible for their premises. Failure to meet the student living standards set by the UK government can lead to serious legal consequences and can have an impact on the institution's reputation. Therefore, it is essential that facility managers ensure that university accommodation is kept up to the highest quality by conducting routine inspections and seriously considering any complaints that the residents may have.

Facility managers are required to conduct repairs and maintenance, take steps to ensure fire, gas and electrical safety, and maintain the security of the premises. Additionally, the managers must ensure the occupants' tenancy agreements are implemented and maintained properly, and that they comply with UK law.

All of this information is accessible to the students living within the accommodation, therefore, they will be able to find out whether their living standards and needs are being met and will be able to take legal action if they are dissatisfied.

To name a few examples, student occupants may be able to make formal complaints against their facility managers if they experience any of the following:

• Repair and maintenance requests are not met
• Asbestos is not removed safely
• Harassment
• Attempted eviction that goes against the tenancy agreement

As well as the legal requirements of student accommodation - double-glazed windows heating and gas safety - good, attractive premises will prioretise functionality and convenience electrical plugs and appliances that meet the student's needs. In student halls where shared catering and laundry services are provided, the students will not require such appliances in their personal accommodation.

However, accommodation providers must ensure that the students have access to food-preparation applicants and safe electrical power outlets to power them if they are located within the students' personal areas. The managers must ensure that the premises qualify for an Electrical Safety Certificate that is accepted by the local authority.

What needs must accommodation managers meet?

As well as these legal requirements, accommodation managers should strive to meet their occupants' needs. Ultimately, educational institutions should work to support students and give them the best environment for learning.

Are there enough power outlets in the accommodation? Are the appliances accessible and of good quality? Do these aspects of the accommodation service reflect the cost to the students? If accommodation managers fail to make these considerations, they may find that students choose not to live in the halls of residence and opt instead for private rented accommodation alternatives.

There are many benefits to both students and educational institutions when providing accommodation directly associated with the university or college. These benefits include convenience for the students who will have an easier commute, a close-knit social environment and a good reputation for the institution if they can provide high-quality accommodation. Therefore, it is in the accommodation managers' best interests to meet and exceed all of their tenants' needs.

Additional amenities that accommodation managers should consider investing in include:

• Providing good internet speeds
• Providing good-quality furniture, such as beds, desks and chairs
• Blackout blinds and thick doors/sealable windows to reduce urban noise and sound pollution
• Welcome packages with information about the local area to help new students to integrate into their surroundings
• Areas for occupants to socialise
• Cleaning staff to maintain the accommodation areas in line with the institution's standards

Many of these amenities are inexpensive to provide and will go a long way in improving the quality of your accommodation, allowing you to step above the private sector organisations that typically put profit first and offer less for higher prices, to the detriment of the students.

Deposits

When offering an accommodation service, it is important for managers to consider the risks to themselves, too. The accommodation service must ensure that it clearly details the terms of how the deposit will be managed in the tenancy agreement. This should be done by stating what a tenant's responsibilities are and what negligent actions will result in the deposit being taken away.

If the accommodation manager wishes to claim the deposit due to damage being caused, they should contact the tenant to explain their reasoning and must petition the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS). At the end of the tenancy agreement, if the tenant has upheld the terms of the agreement, it is essential that the accommodation office returns the deposit as promised, as failing to do this can have legal and reputational repercussions on the institution. Deposits should be returned within six weeks of the tenancy ending.

Tenancy Lengths

When planning a college or university accommodation service, it is essential that the length of the tenancy matches the tenants' needs in line with the academic year. Typically, student accommodation tenancies last from September to June or July. This matches the academic year and any exams that may come towards the end, leaving students with some time either side of the tenancy period to move in and out and enjoy their time in their new space.

Accommodation managers should make sure their tenancy agreements are flexible to allow for summer-stay extensions. For maximum success, accommodation managers should consider keeping the deadline for such an extension open and close to the tenancy end date. Students - especially first-year students - may not know whether they want to stay in the accommodation over the summer before they have actually made the move. Therefore, accommodation managers should allow students to apply for a summer extension late into their tenancy, setting deadlines appropriately to allow for enough time that there will be no management issues. This can be done through a rolling contract that is updated as the year progresses, or through a set tenancy that prompts the tenant to decide whether they will extend their stay as their tenancy is coming to a close.

How Can Portable and Temporary Accommodation Help Facility and Accommodation Managers?

At Bunkabin, we understand the importance of upholding student accommodation standards - it can often be the difference between students enjoying their time at university and not, which is why we offer high-quality accommodation solutions for students.

With the cost of living crisis looming over many institutions, and with many institutions needing to relocate or refurbish their accommodation premises, temporary accommodation can be the easiest way to get students into their accommodation without compromising on quality and allowing students to focus on what is important - the academic year.

Our temporary student accommodation offers flexibility and consists of everything students need for a comfortable, spacious home. We offer portable units that provide excellent amenities, ensuring students can rest, relax, study and socialise with ease.

These cabins benefit from:

• Bed and storage space
• A powerful low-energy mains pressure shower
• En-suite toilet and sink
• Wardrobe and shelving
• Personal workstation

Our modular cabin units are the perfect solution to any student housing shortage. We can also provide the ultimate flexibility by offering short-term and long-term hires, depending on what is required. We are able to help house students safely and affordably - read about how we have helped other educational establishments in our case studies.