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| Welcome to Norwich and Faulkner Flats We have been running student accommodation in Norwich for many years and are putting this information together so you have a few hints and tips about your house and life in our city . Because of our experience we know that student living does not have to be squalid and uncomfortable. It does not have to comprise cold dark, damp rooms with piles of unwashed dishes in the sink and heaps of used and smelly clothing on the floor. All our houses are clean, bright, warm and, we hope, safe. We try to comply with all safety regulations at all times. If there is a problem or a matter you consider not to be correct please advise us immediately. The essence of comfortable and fun shared housing is consideration for others. This may sound pious but you have got to live with them and you are likely to get on better with your housemates and neighbours if you try looking at life from their perspective. Do you want to come back from college tired and hungry to find the sink full of filthy plates, the toilet unspeakable and the sitting area covered in dirty glasses and empty beer bottles? It is because we want to avoid major arguments and the nauseous hassles of clearing up after you depart and lost deposits that we have various rules and regulations. Firstly, and this is an obvious safety matter, you are not permitted to use candles, joss-sticks, oil lights or any form of heating or lighting that uses flame within the house. The houses are equipped with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and fire-blankets
Smoking....here we have to say outright that we believe smoking to be an anti-social habit that has no place in shared housing. It causes many unpleasant arguments. Non smokers rightly object to the residual smell impregnating carpets and furniture and food. They also object to dirty ashtrays, burns and the increased costs of cleaning the house at the end of the year.
Bicycles... Norwich apart from one or two steepish hills is great for cycling. It is definitely the quickest way to get around the city. However bike theft is a serious problem. There are two ways of dealing with this. You can have a bike so awful that nobody would want to pinch it or you can take serious steps to lock it up. This is probably the right way to go. We provide bike sheds
You should note that, despite this, bicycles are NOT ever allowed to be brought inside the house. There are two reasons for this. The first is the obvious damage done to the fabric of the house and secondly the halls and “means of escape” have to be kept clear at all times. This is not us...it is the law and we are responsible for ensuring that it is enforced.
Our concern for your health and well being does not go so far as to permit weight-training and gym equipment inside the house. This does seriously damage the property... a few years back we had to completely rebuild a two storey bay window damaged by a tenant’s weight-training equipment at a cost of nearly £10,000. Pictures and posters on the walls are fine but do not use Blu Tak or similar adhesives. After a while they prove difficult to remove and if you do get the stuff off it leaves a greasy mark which will not take emulsion. So use drawing pins. They will leave tiny holes but a coat of paint covers them up. No DIY decorating...too many student disasters in the past.
No sharing or subletting. We explain this as our no shacking-up no dossing-down rule. Our houses are geared to a set number of people. We do not want more and in most cases it would be illegal to permit more to stay. It causes strain on the facilities and your fellow tenants and this leads to friction within the house. There are other legal points. As landlords we owe a “duty of care” to our tenants. We cannot possibly be responsible for people we do not know and have no say in letting into the house. All visitors to the properties come as guests of the residents and their conduct is the responsibility of the person inviting them in. Visitors are permitted in the house only when the person who is responsible for them is there. That means if your girl/boyfriend is found there when you are not she/he will be asked to leave immediately.
Which brings us to security. In a shared house you are not only responsible for the security of your own belongings but you have to bear in mind everybody else. Therefore do not part with keys or code numbers to anybody and check doors and windows are shut and locked before leaving. Shared student housing is particularly vulnerable during the holiday periods because you all have too many of the goods petty thieves can quickly sell. In term time it generally is not too much of a problem but when you go away take as many valuables with you as you can. It is usually possible to include your possessions on your parents’ household insurance while you are at college or there are special student policies from insurance companies such as Endsleigh.
Car parking.... this can be a real battleground in a city. Some of our properties have their own parking. This is for the use of residents at all times and their visitors while in the building. This means you can park there with a permit from us. We do not charge for this and we do not guarantee there will be a place available. Parking there is at your own risk. It is not permitted to let friends or relatives park there ( for shopping or to go to college for instance) if they are not in the house with you and available to move their vehicle immediately if required.
Rubbish...the council’s contractors are to be handled with care. They will not move rubbish if it is not presented to them correctly. This means it has to be inside a black rubbish bag or the wheely bins provided. This is an absolute. If rubbish is not in a bag or wheely bin it will not go. It will just stay there rotting slowly and smelling worse by the day. Keys... some of our houses have door closers and locks on the room doors. Make sure you take your key with you at all times. It can be embarrassing if you come out the shower and find yourself locked out. Also expensive. A call-out is £5.00 and this may be doubled after 7.00pm and at the weekends...and we cannot guarantee to come immediately.
Deposits. Before we leave painful and tiresome subjects let us talk about deposits. They are, unfortunately, essential to ensure we get back the property in good order at the end of the tenancy. Obviously no deposit will be returned if there are arrears of rent and there will be deductions according to the state of your room and the communal areas. We prefer to hand back the deposit intact but if the house is dirty we will charge. Damaged or missing items will be charged for and so will items that take special cleaning for instance : Oven cleaning £50, Fridge Freezer cleaning £20, Toilet Cleaning £35 per toilet, Shower cleaning £20 Carpet cleaning £50 per room and so on. “Hey” you say “that is expensive”....so it is but if you want the luxury of somebody else cleaning-up after you then you have to pay for it. Clearly it is much cheaper to do it yourself as you go along. So having got the hassles out of the way what can Norwich offer you? Well there is plenty going on . We have a pleasant city with theatre, cinemas, clubs, restaurants, good rail links to London and Cambridge and a fair road system. The countryside and the Broads are close to hand
Beer There are plenty of pubs some of which provide excellent food and others part-time jobs. Try the Fat Cat ( Nelson Street), Unthank Arms (Newmarket Street), Adam & Eve ( Bishopgate)
Eating out Web sites...see for yourselves Norwich School of Art & Design ...but there is much more out there in our City. Problems at the house? If you are an Art School tenant (Nicholas Mews only) you should first contact the Art School: # Carol Burton Assistant Registrar: 01603 610561 # Emergency: Nick Faulkner 01603 250550 or 07836 218029 # Back-up Sally Wright 01603 259809 |
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