Maintenance charges and appealing

Posted 6 months ago

Understanding charges and how to appeal

Make sure you understand about charges for damage, including to communal areas, and how you appeal.

We appreciate that fixtures and fittings can wear out during normal use. If, however, you cause damage deliberately or through carelessness, you will be charged the full cost of repair and may be fined under the University Residence Disciplinary Regulations. 

If damage is caused in the communal areas, and unable to find who is responsible after an investigation is carried out by the Residence Life Warden, we'll charge all residents who have joint responsibility for the area. If we decide to make a charge, we'll send you a Notice of Intent to Charge which explains what the charge is for and how much it is.

Charges can be much more expensive than you might expect. Damage to a carpet, for example, involves the whole carpet being replaced, costing hundreds of pounds. University-approved contractors are expensive because of the flexibility, responsiveness and high standards we demand from them. For further guidance on your inventory and a sample list of charges below.

Information Sheet - Inspection Damage Charge List.docx
45.15 KB

Fill in your inventory form correctly at the start of the year and treat your accommodation with respect, so we can return your full deposit to you at the end of the year.

Appealing against a charge

You can appeal against a charge, or tell us about any mitigating circumstances. Any property cleaning or damage charge appeal should be submitted by completing the Residences Damage or Cleaning Charge Appeal Form here.

Appeals must be submitted by the date shown on the Notice of Intent to Charge. If we don't receive a response by this date we assume that you accept responsibility for the charge and add the amount to your residence account.