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ADVERTISE EARLY As has been the case in

recent years, second and

third year students are

already seeking accom-

modation for next year

as they wish to have

their accommodation

sorted out before they

leave for the summer

break. These students

tend to seek higher quali-

ty properties. We expect

there will be a very

strong demand for ac-

commodation from the

start of May, so get your

houses in early.

DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is intended for general infor-mation purposes only and should not be relied upon as the basis for making any deci-sion. No liability for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any reliance or non-reliance on any material in this publication is accepted by UCC or any of its officers, servants of its agents. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accu-racy of this newsletter, no liabil-ity is accepted for any errors or omissions.

NEW Accommodation Office Website The Accommodation Office will be launching a new website over the summer which we hope will be easi-er for students to use. A feature of the site will include pho-tographs of all advertised houses. As you clean and prepare the house in June it will be an ideal opportunity to take photographs of the property which will be a main tool in attract-ing new tenants. We suggest the inclusion of photographs of the exterior of the building, living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms. These photographs will also serve as an excellent record of the condition of your property at the start of the tenancy and help avoid later disputes. Photographs can be forwarded to houses@ucc.ie .

this issue

New Website P. 1 Advertise Early Please Remove Rubbish Carbon Monoxide P. 2 Group Leases BER Landlord Suggestion Box Cleaning the Property P. 3 Safety Notice Contents Insurance

Information Provided to Students P.4 Anti-Social Behaviour

Issue 7 l Spr ing2011

LANDLORD Briefing p

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LANDLORD Briefing

INFORMATION PROVIDED TO STUDENTS

Among the information provided to our students this year have been: > Information leaflets on antisocial behaviour and the requirement that all students should respect their neighbours. > How to keep their deposits. > Keeping their homes safe from burglars. > The dangers of Carbon monoxide poisoning > Fire Safety in rented accommodation

CONTACT US

As students clean out their properties a lot of rubbish

can be generated. We are recommending to landlords

that additional collection of rubbish including bottles

etc. be arranged for the last week of May. Prompt re-

moval of rubbish will avoid bins overflowing and re-

fuse being scattered which can cause needless upset

to neighbours. Overflowing bins are a health hazard

as well as being unsightly and foul smells.

Please Remove Refuse

We would like to thank landlords for their cooperation over the past year. We are particularly grateful for landlords’

prompt response concerning noise and antisocial behaviour. Due in no small part to your prompt intervention, we

have had no problematic houses this year among our 1,463 registered houses.

Complaints from residents with regard to student houses were well below last year’s levels and issues such as over-

flowing bins and littering were also down. This is a very welcome development and we hope this will continue as it is

in all our interests. In this regard, please find enclosed a leaflet to bring to the attention of your tenants.

IMPROVEMENT IN ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR COMPLAINTS

The recent death in Kinsale from carbon monoxide poisoning has again shown that carbon monox-ide poisoning is a real hazard in any house that has gas appliances. We strongly recommend the installation of carbon monoxide alarms which will alert tenants to the pres-ence of this odourless, invisible yet highly toxic gas Regular maintenance of all gas equipment at least annually is required. Inform tenants that if they see any soot stains around appliances to alert the landlord immediately as this shows carbon monoxide leakage. Ensure that there is adequate ventilation in all rooms with gas fittings.

Disputes with regard to deposit retention have continued to increase. This cre-ates a very bad feeling at the end of a tenancy, with landlord disappointed with the conditions that the properties are being returned in and tenants equally ag-grieved that their money is being kept without them being clear as to why. We suggest the following steps to avoid disputes: - Carry out an initial inspection at least a month before the end of the tenancy to draw students attention to any damage done and to highlight areas that need attention.

- We recommend that you supply a check list to students stipulating basic cleaning that is required. Kitchen Remove all food stuffs. Clean the sink Clean the floor Clean the hob and grill pan Remove all rubbish. Wipe down all work surfaces. Defrost fridge and freezer Wash all ware and tidy it away.

Bathroom Remove all personal items Remove all rubbish Wash down shower Clean toilet Wash down sink Brush/hoover the floor Bedroom Remove all personal items Remove Rubbish Wipe down desk Clean bedside table Hoover the floor

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LANDLORD Briefing I s s u e 7 l S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

CLEANING THE PROPERTY: A TO DO LIST

CONTENTS INSURANCE Students in private rented accommodation are finding insurance - cover for their property difficult to get. We are advising students to add items, like bicycles, laptops and music systems as named items to their parents’ home insurance cover. We are asking landlords to also include this advise on their lease agreements.

BUILDING ENERGY RATING

After the cold winter, students are particularly conscious

of the need for warm, economical houses, so good BER

ratings are an excellent attraction for any property.

Landlords who have invested in increasing the insulation of

their properties will have the opportunity to highlight this on

our new website.

CARBON MONOXIDE

FAULTY IMMERSION CYLINDER CAN CAUSE FIRES

Geminox is seeking to locate its Ebs Immersion Water Cylinder

Check your hot-press to see if you have a Geminox Cylinder and if you do, switch it off immediately.

ALL AFFECTED MODELS WILL BE MODIFIED FOR FREE TRADE. F YOU HAVE INSTALLED ONE OF THESE MODELS PLESAE CONTACT: Lo-Call 1850 427 947 or email: info@gaswise.ie

GROUP LEASES NO LONGER ACCEPTED

While the vast majority of our tenancies are single room lettings to individual students ,the relatively small number of joint tenancies have created significant problem this year.

Because of financial difficulties some students pulled out and other students were left to cover the full cost because they had signed joint tenancies, often with people they hardly knew.

To avoid this occurring in the future, the Accommodation Office has decided that we will no longer accept joint/group tenancies.

SAFETY NOTICE: GEMINOX WATER CYCLINDER

LANDLORD SUGGESTION BOX A landlady rang to say that over the cold snap she gave the ten-ants extra money to keep the heating on while they were away at Christmas. This helped to avoid any damage to her property. She asked us to let other landlords know of her idea. The insulation of a ‘Frost-Watcher ‘or a ‘Tubular Heater’ will help prevent condensation in your attic and fro-zen pipes. A neighbourhood watch sticker prominently placed on a front window will help to dissuade thieves. If you have any suggestions for inclusion in the next newsletter, please drop us a line.