Your Quick Guide to Keeping the Peace in Student Accommodation

Find Digs wants your time in our accommodation to be enjoyable and hassle free. The majority of students have a good experience but sometimes you may need assistance to sort out problems. It is quite common for difficulties to arise when living in shared student accommodation and Find Digs may be able to help.

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Consideration for other residents

You have chosen to share your home: some compromise will be necessary.

Don’t assume your flatmates have the same interests as you – respect their boundaries.
Others may have different lifestyles or study commitments, which means they may eat, sleep and study at different times to you.
Make sure your flatmates are OK – it can be isolating living in student accommodation.
Get to know each other – eat together or watch a film sometimes.
Be sensible about your alcohol intake and the noise you make, especially during quiet hours (after 11 pm).

Noise Issues

Move your speakers away from neighbour’s walls and keep them off the floor.
Use headphones during quiet hours.
Set the bass on your stereo at a low level as this can be particularly irritating.
Don’t play your music too late. After 11 pm you should not make any noise that can be heard outside the room it is being made in.
If you play a musical instrument, practice at reasonable times and not early in the morning or during the late evening. Agree practice times with your neighbours.

Cleaning

Clear up when you have finished cooking or eating. It is unfair to expect the other residents to have to clean the kitchen before using them.
Agree if you are willing to share your pots and pans. If somebody borrows something, agree that they should wash it up immediately after using it.
When discussing cleaning, focus on the future and how to improve the situation, rather than going over who is to blame.
Remember that people have different standards and there is never a perfect resolution.

Dealing with Antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour is a general term which refers to behaviour which adversely affects the health, safety or well-being of other people.

In student housing this can include vandalism, setting off fire alarms, abusive behaviour, excessive noise, dumping rubbish or tampering with the health and safety equipment.
We take antisocial behaviour – particularly damage to health and safety or fire equipment – extremely seriously.
Find Digs may involve the Police where vandalism has occurred.
We also encourage all tenants to report any criminal activity to the Police themselves.

Friendships, fall-outs and personality clashes

Many first year students have been randomly allocated together and it can take time to learn the skills to negotiate and compromise over issues.

You may find that the best way forward is to agree that you will be polite and keep your interaction down to a minimum in future.
You don’t need to be friends, but you can normally find a way to live with each other for the rest of your tenancy.
Even if you do not like somebody you can still live together in a pleasant environment.

Complaints about others

You should always try to speak to the person involved first, they might not be aware of the problem they are causing.
Avoid writing notes or posting messages on Facebook – this will not help.
It is in everyone’s best interest for problems to be sorted out amongst residents themselves
If the problems persist and you cannot sort them out, please speak to your Residence Manager or Find Digs.

How Find Digs Can help

What Find Digs will do:

respond to requests for welfare or pastoral support
ask you to try to resolve any problems first
refer matters to University disciplinary procedures if necessary

What Find Digs will try to do:

encourage a good living environment
organise some social events in cooperation with social and well-being reps
assist with help and advice solve complaints and disputes between residents
if we can’t help, refer you to someone who can

What Find Digs Cannot do:

clean your room/kitchen/bathroom
solve disputes or fall outs without your help and compromise
discuss personal details with other residents or your parents without your consent

Do you have an issue you cannot seem to resolve?

Speak to your Residence Manager or contact the Find Digs team. Sophia and Alexia are here to help you. E-mail them directly at sophia@finddigs.co.uk or admin@finddigs.co.uk. You can call us or leave a message on +44 (0) 207 3816 280.