WIT Campus Accommodation Guide Lines

The following information should be used as a guideline only.

All information provided is subject to change and does not constitute a contract or any part thereof between WIT Campus Services – Accommodation and a student or any third party.

Information included relates to;

Applications
Deposit
Rent and Charges
Maintenance
Cancellations
Occupancy Licence
Overnight Guests
Cards
Car Park
Fines
Post
Fire Safety
Apartment Safety
Personal Safety off Campus
Inspections
Behaviour / Discipline
TV Licence
Calendar

Accommodation staff can be contacted on accommodation@wit.ie or manor@wit.ie or at Accommodation Office WIT, Tel. 00353 51 302615 or Manor Village Tel. 00353 51 306100.

A. Applications.

All applications must be made through the website. http://witcampusservices.ie/accommodation/
New WIT Students and existing WIT Students must complete the application online.
The submission of an application using the website does not guarantee an offer of accommodation.
Applications are booked in on a first come first served basis. Any student who is in "twin room" accommodation must accept that Management reserves the right to fill all beds as they see fit. If there are no rooms available, applicants will be informed and will be put on a waiting list. Every effort will be made to accommodate all applicants by WIT Campus Services – Accommodation staff. No applicant will be left without accommodation.
A confirmation of receipt of application will be sent via email once the data entered on the website has been validated. You will be given a “ResId”* number. Please quote your name and this number with all future correspondence.
Please ensure that all data is entered correctly as WIT Campus Services – Accommodation will not be held responsible for incorrect or insufficient data.
The information provided is subject to change and does not constitute a contract or any part thereof between WIT Campus Services – Accommodation and a student or any third party.
* - ResID is NOT your WIT Student number. ResID is your accommodation reference number.

B. Deposits.

A €400 deposit secures your booking until the first instalment is paid on 01/09/2011.
When applying on the website, the €400 deposit must be paid by credit / laser card or by cheque (cheques must be received within seven working days of applying).
If you are unable to pay using a credit / laser card, please forward a cheque / postal order to WIT Campus Services - Accommodation, WIT, Cork Road Waterford quoting your Name & your ResID number. Deposit payment by cheque / postal order must arrive at WIT Campus Services-Accommodation within 7 days of the application being made, if it does not arrive, the application will be rejected & deemed cancelled.
Please be advised this is a booking deposit and does not guarantee a place in our accommodation.
Current residents who wish to remain in WIT Accommodation must inform Campus Services Accommodation Staff of their intentions in writing on or before 01/06/2011. €100 will be deducted from their deposit return from the 2010/11 academic year and the €300 balance must be paid on or before 01/07/2011. Failure to pay the deposit balance will cause the resident to forfeit their automatic place in 2011/12 & loose their €100 deposit.
All cancellations will be subject to an administration fee of €100.00. Deposits will be returned minus the cancellation fee to applicants who don’t receive their place in WIT for the academic year 2011/12 subject to the following condition;
- Applicants must inform WIT Campus Services – Accommodation of their official cancellation either by letter, email, fax or phone call.
- All cancellations must be received within 3 days of the 1st CAO offers being issued. Expected date of 1st round offers being issued Mon 23rd of August 2011. Therefore no later than 26th of August. Cancellations received after this date will result in the forefeit of the full €400 deposit.
Deposits will be paid using EFT (electronic funds transfer) unless otherwise requested.
At the end of the 2011 - 2012 academic year Deposits will be returned by 31/07/2011. All outstanding charges (e.g., ESB, fines, breakages, repairs) will be deducted from the deposit before it is returned. A final statement of account will be mailed to the resident’s home address.
Objections to charges against deposit returns must be given in writing within 30 days of the deposit being returned. If an objection is successful, any monies due will be returned by 31st August 2012.

C. Rent & Charges.

Your rent covers your occupancy of the property from 1st September 2011 for 38 weeks.
A television is provided in each apartment.
A valid TV licence is required for every apartment at which a TV set is held. The TV Licence is paid for by the occupants of the apartment.
Broadband is available at Manor Village & College Fields.
At Manor Village, the ESB meter readings are taken on the first day of the licence agreement and sent to the ESB. Bills are issued every two months and should be paid at reception in Manor Village.
The final meter reading is taken on the last day of the licence agreement and again sent to the ESB for a final bill. This sum is taken from your deposit and a copy of the bill sent to you with the balance. The cost of electricity is shared equally amongst the Residents of each apartment.
Late payment of ESB will incur a €25.00 fine per bill.
College Fields apartments operate on Electricity cards, which may be, purchased in Secretarial Services, in The Courtyard, Main Campus, WIT.
Car Park - a €200 fee will be introduced for the 2011/2012 Academic Year. Payments can be made at the discretion of each student i.e.in one lump sum, monthly or weekly payments. Students who do not avail of the yearly parking will be subject to a weekly car park fee of €10.
Late payment of rents will incur a €100.00 fine per term and a €50 fine for pay monthly. Rent is due on the first day of each Term. Unpaid rent is deemed late after this date.
Refuse charge of €80.00 is also payable – this is paid in a lump sum at the beginning of the year and covers the cost of weekly refuse and recycling waste removal.
Any request from a resident to move rooms will incur a €30 charge. This is payable immediately on request, subject to a room being available.
Apartment or room lockouts will incur a charge of €5 during office hours and €10 outside of office hours.
In the event of any damage beyond that of fair wear and tear, caused by the resident, the cost will be charged to the resident(s) and deducted from their deposit before it is returned. A detailed invoice will be provided to the resident and payment will be required within 2 working days.
If residents do not leave their room in a clean and tidy state at the end of their rental period, a charge for cleaning will be taken from their deposit before it is returned.
An €8 laundry charge for Curtains, Mattress Covers, Cushion covers etc will be deducted from each residents deposit at the end of the rental period May 2011.

D. Maintenance.

Residents must make WIT Campus Services – Accommodation Staff aware of all maintenance / repair problems as they arise.
Residents must make their apartment available to all maintenance staff on request in order to carry out any repairs.
Failure to report maintenance will result in the cost of callout and repair to be incurred by the residents.

E. Cancellations.

All Cancellations whereby the deposit is being returned are subject to an Administration Charge of €100.00.
Any student who takes up residence and for whatever reason subsequently vacates their room will not be refunded their deposit. The balance of their rent will be refunded as soon as the room is re-let to another student. In the event that the room is not re-let then the rent is not refunded.
If the resident deregisters from WIT, WIT Campus Services – Accommodation will hold the balance of their deposit for the Academic year 2012/13. If the student does not return to WIT Campus Services – Accommodation, their deposit will be forfeited.
All cancellations during the Academic Year must be in writing and if deregistered appropriate paperwork to be sent also i.e. deregistration letter.

F. Occupancy Licence.

An Occupancy Licence will be issued to all successful applicants along with confirmation of the room booking.
All residents must read over their contract carefully and should make sure they sign the correct contract whether they will be staying for half a year or the full Academic year.
Students will be liable for loss of rent if they cancel their accommodation before their Occupancy Licence expires.
All residents will be required to complete and sign the Occupancy Licence, which is subject to the terms and conditions attached to it.
Each resident must also have a guarantor sign a Guarantee Agreement.
Each resident must complete and sign an inventory of their allocated room. This must be completed within 24 hours of receiving access to the room.

G. Overnight Guests.

For Health & Safety purposes WIT Campus Services – Accommodation must be informed of overnight guests at 12pm on the day of arrival of the guest.
All guests must sign in and pay a €5 administration charge per night.
It is at the discretion of WIT Campus Services – Accommodation Staff whether the guest will be permitted to stay or not.

H. Cards.

All residents will be issued with a Temporary Access Card when they arrive and book in. College Fields Residents will return the Temporary Access Card to WIT Campus Services Accommodation Staff and will be directed to the WIT Card Office on the Main Campus where access to their room and apartment will be added to their WIT Card. Manor Village Staff will have their cards programmed on arrival; on condition they have their student card.
Residents that do not return the temporary access card to WIT Campus Services Accommodation Staff will incur a €20.00 charge against their deposit.
Under no circumstances should a resident part with their card to the Apartment.
The loss of any card should be reported immediately.

I. Car Park

Users of the Manor Village & College Fields Car Park please be aware spaces are on a first come first served basis. All vehicles are parked at the owners risk; Campus Services will not accept responsibility for any damage that may occur within the parking area. Students who park in both the staff parking area and the retail unit area will be clamped or fined.
A €200 fee will be introduced for the 2011/2012 Academic year. Payments can be made at the discretion of each student i.e. in one lump sum, monthly or weekly payments. Students who do not avail of the yearly parking will be subject to a weekly car park fee of €10.

J. Fines.

Fines will be imposed on residents who fail to adhere to the Terms and Conditions laid out with their Occupancy Licence.
Noise disturbance will also incur a fine.
All income from fines will be donated to the SAFE fund operated by WIT Pastoral Care.
Fines are payable with 7 days to WIT Campus Services – Accommodation staff.

K. Post.

Manor Village post will be available to tenants from their pigeonhole at reception.
College Fields post will be available at Secretarial Service on the Main Campus.

L. Fire Safety.

A fire safety manual will be given to each resident. It is important that each resident is familiar with its contents.
Residents should familiarize themselves with the location and
instruction for use of fire fighting equipment.
Residents must not use such equipment (e.g. such as extinguishers, hoses, room doors and door closers) unless a fire emergency occurs, unauthorized or indiscriminate use of fire fighting equipment is prohibited.
Where the Fire Brigade responds to a fire alarm, residents found negligent
will be charged the Fire Brigade call-out fee.
Residents must actively participate in organised fire drills.
Heating equipment fuelled by gas is not permitted on WIT Campus Services - Accommodation.
WIT Campus Services forbids the use of chip baskets and deep fat fryers..

M. Apartment Safety.

Ensure your apartment and house doors are locked at all times.
When vacating your apartment, check to ensure that all windows are locked.
Never give your apartment keys to anyone else and do not leave your keys where others could have access to them.
Before you admit any callers to your apartment, ensure you are satisfied with their identity - ask for identification if in doubt.
Ensure that you do not have obvious signs of a vacant apartment - curtains drawn during daylight hours etc.
Ensure that all your property is marked with your own personal identification code.
Items of value should be securely locked away.

N. Personal Safety Off Campus.

When travelling on foot, use busy routes and well-lit walkways - avoid
isolated and darkened areas.
Inform another trusted party of your intended destination, mode of
transport and expected arrival time.
Walk facing traffic so that vehicles cannot approach you from behind
without you being aware of their presence.
Do not display obvious valuables on your person - jewellery, handbags,
etc unless completely necessary.
Carry only the amount of cash that you require - credit cards; bank pass
books should be kept securely out of sight and not in hip pockets. If you think you are being followed, go to the nearest place where there are people, even a private house and ring the Gardaí.
If you are assaulted, help is available to you 24 hours a day. In any case
involving sexual attack, you may feel dirty, but you should NOT wash,
change your clothes or clean up the immediate vicinity until after you have
talked to the Gardai, you may unwittingly destroy essential evidence. Many
crimes of rape, sexual attack are not reported and most rapists will
continue their assaults until caught.
Avoid situations, which will necessitate you travelling alone at night time.
There is safety in numbers. If however, you must travel on your own, plan
your journey to limit your exposure to risk of assault, robbery or theft, by
scheduling your journey to coincide with bus and train times etc. Use a taxi
if no other transport is available.

O. Inspections.

Inspections will be carried out between 3 and 5 times during the year.
Residents will be given 5 days notice in writing.
WIT Campus Services Accommodation reserve the right to inspect an apartment provided a minimum of 48 hours notice is issued to the residents.
Residents will receive a checklist for successful inspections.
All charges relating to the inspection will be given in writing to the resident by way of a statement of account.
Residents will also be made aware of a date for re-inspection when they receive the notice of charges.

P. Behaviour / Discipline.

Residents involved in disorderly behaviour in WIT Campus Services -Accommodation property will be subject to disciplinary charges and criminal charges as appropriate. Such behaviour includes fighting, vandalism, harassment, damage to WIT Campus Services property, disturbing the peace, or any other activity considered inappropriate by the WIT Campus Services - Accommodation authorities.
Residents must at all times conduct themselves properly and in a
manner which is conducive to study and sensitive to the privacy and needs
of other residents.
Residents who assault any member of the WIT Campus Services -Accommodation Staff for any reason whatsoever will be subject to disciplinary and criminal charges as appropriate.
Residents committing wilful or reckless damage to WIT Campus Services property will be subject to disciplinary charges and criminal charges as appropriate. Any damage must be reported to WIT Campus Services - Accommodation Staff immediately. Residents responsible for damage will be held responsible for repair costs, and may be subject to other disciplinary and criminal charges.
Residents are responsible for the cleanliness of their rooms and immediate surroundings. Residents deliberately littering or disposing of rubbish outside designated collection points will be charged for disciplinary action.
WIT College Authorities will be made aware of all disciplinary proceedings taken against any resident.
WIT Campus Services strictly forbids residents to cook or store perishable items in their bedroom.
WIT Campus Services strictly prohibit displays of any kind from apartment windows.
Pets and other animals are not permitted on WIT Campus Services property.
WIT Campus Services Staff reserves the right to inspect any room at any time to ensure that these rules are obeyed.
For security reasons Manor Village Management need to obtain photo ID for students residing in Manor Village. As a result their photo ID will be obtained by their WIT Card through the WIT Card office.

Q. References.

Due to the changes in the Tenancies Act 2004, landlords are becoming more aware of the problems anti social tenants bring. As a direct result of this, Accommodation Services are often asked to supply a reference on behalf of past residents. Accommodation Services will not supply a reference to any resident that has failed to adhere to all the terms and conditions of their licence agreement.

R. TV Licence.

As per the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1972, occupiers of apartments / houses who possess a television set, require a TV Licence for each apartment / house. TV Licences are available from any Post Office. It is the responsibility of each resident to purchase a TV licence for his or her own apartment.