Graduate Accommodation

General

The College aims to provide subsidised accommodation for its Research and Other Graduate Students in their first threee years, but does not guarantee this.  Priority is given to those who are coming to Cambridge for the first time.  The maximum duration of stay for a PhD student is limited to three years and eleven months.

Graduate students with partners are normally allocated a one bedroom flat where available;  we regret that there is very limited accommodation available for couples with children.

All accommodation is furnished, but you will need to provide cutlery, crockery and linen.  The rent does not include heat and light which are charged separately.  Telephones are entirely a matter between the occupant and the telephone company.

Accommodation for all new students is not available before 1st October in any year, although exception will be made for those who academic courses start earlier;  we require written proof of this.

Postgraduates are normally expected to vacate College accommodation on submitting their theses, but it may be possible in certain special cases for them to remain in residence until taking their viva.  However, this is never possible beyond mid-September.

Rooms in College

Rooms in Memorial Court are allocated by the Graduate Admissions Tutor.  They are located in Thirkill Court, a small modern part of the College, off Queens' Road, have background central heating and limited cooking facilities.  All rooms are pre-wired for computing and Ntl telephone lines.  Contact the Computer Officer on 333266 (email al233@cam.ac.uk) for connection and Ntl directly on Student Services 0800 052 1680 or to order online go to www.ntl.com/at-uni/cambridge.  Permission to reconnect these lines in not required and you are responsible for payment of all charges and calls arising from the reconnection of a line.

Students staying beyond a first year will normally be rehoused in Graduate housing during the last fortnight in September.  Those on a one-year course which finishes in June must vacate their rooms by the end of July;  others must leave as soon as the course is completed, and in any case, no later than 14th September.

College owned flats and houses

Monthly rents from October 2006 have been increased by 8.5% as agreed by the Finance Committee in March 2006.

Student groups in College houses

(a)  A Head Tenant is chosen by the household and is responsible for the payment of rent and all bills and expenses incurred by the group.  The Head Tenant is expected to report any general repairs via the Repairs webpage http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/maintenance/index.php and to introduce any new students into the  household routine.  All tenants will be required to sign an individual tenancy agreement and check the inventory.  Deposits will be paid by individual tenants when they collect their room keys and will not be repaid unless the room is surrendered in good order and the keys returned to G1, Old Court.

(b)  There is no right or automatic mechanism for allowing rent reductions if a group member is away on holiday, through illness or as part of their University course.  If any member must be away, they must either continue to pay their share of the household's costs or give up their place.  Exception is made for overseas medical electives, when half rent is charged.

How to apply

Current graduate students complete an application form sent out by the Rooms Co-ordinator.  New students are sent an application form by the Graduate Administrator.

Tenancy Agreements and Inventories

Tenancies and Rents

Couples who wish to apply for partnered accommodation should note that if a student's spouse or partner is earning more than twice the British Academy grant they will be expected to contribute towards the rent at a commercial rate (approximately £50 per week).

If a student intermits from their studies, then they will automatically forfeit their tenancy and will only be considered for accommodation on the full resumption of their studies.  One month's notice is required prior to a period of intermittence.

If a student is given permission by the Board of Graduate Studies to work away, then this must be notified a mimimum of one month in advance to the College.  Where the student is away for a period of twelve consecutive weeks or more, the student will relinquish all rights to a tenancy until their return.

The tenancy agreement stipulates that rent is to be paid monthly in advance and payment must reach the College Bursary by the 10th, otherwise fines will be incurred. Those with financial difficulties should consult the Graduate Tutor or the Financial Tutor as early as possible - don’t let fines mount up.

Current tenants or applicants for accommodation with a very poor previous record of rent payment  will be asked to provide and maintain their rent six months in advance and a deposit equivalent to six months rent will be required.

Fines for late payment of College Bills

Rents have to be paid by the 10th of each month, otherwise fines will be incurred at the rates below.

Please note that as from Easter Term 2006, the following new rules will apply.

1. Any student notifying the Bursary of a delay in their bill payment will not be subject to a fine until the agreed period of grace expires.
2. All students who fail to pay their bills by the due date will be fined (unless they have previously notified the Bursary).

Fines will be:

• Overdue - £20
• One month late a further £20
• Two months late a further £20

Any debts outstanding after two months will be referred to the Financial Tutor.

We are proposing a system of generating emails to let you know when the bills have been issued, so that you know when to check your pigeonholes.  This should remove any misunderstanding about when your payment is due.

This stipulation applies even if you are away from Cambridge and therefore do not receive an invoice.  If you are going to be away, you must make suitable arrangements for payment such as leaving a post-dated cheque with the College Bursary.  Please note that those with genuine financial problems will always be sympathetically treated but you must let the College know.

Rent payment by standing order

The College requests that all those Graduate students that have a United Kingdom bank account should pay their rent by standing order.  A standing order enables a regular payment to be made from your bank account and sent to the College rent account.  This payment is controlled by you and not the party who is to receive the money, so any amendments to the date or amount will need to be made by yourself.  This will be necessary:

1. when you depart from your current address and also
2. when the annual rent increase is applied, taking effect from 1st October each year.

Please make sure that you arrange for payment to reach our bank account by the 10th day of the month.  To set up a standing order you will need to go to your bank to complete a standing order request form.  The College account information is shown below:

Sort Code:  20-17-19

Account Number:  90246964

Beneficiary Name:  Clare College Bursar's Account

Reference:  this is a unique payment reference for each student and will be supplied by the Bursary - important, this MUST be quoted.

Giving notice

Under the terms of the tenancy agreement you must give at least one month's written notice if you wish to leave;  you will be charged rent for that month.  All accommodation is reallocated each year, so there is no guarantee of tenancy beyond mid-September.  Tenants are expected to keep accommodation clean, heated and well ventilated and to settle all bills.  Deposits will be withheld until the College is satisified that these criteria have been met.

Council Tax

In general, full-time students are exempt, but non-student spouses and partners are not.  Most shared houses which are occupied exclusively by students are exempt from all charges, as are similarly occupied single self-contained bedsits.  If you need a Council Tax exemption letter, please contact the Graduate Administrator, Sue Goodbody, (smg44@cam.ac.uk) in the Tutorial Office.  A couple, where one of the partners is not a student, will be liable for 75% of the full tax on that property.  In such cases it may be possible to claim Council Tax benefit dependent on joint income.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)

The shared houses and communal floors that accommodate graduates have been registered as Houses in  Multiple Occupation with the City Council.  Under legislation the College is required to ensure that the number of occupants is not exceeded - see Guests in Graduate Assommodation.

Fire regulations must be adhered to by not removing curtains or lampshades and not bringing into the premises any items which do not meet the fire regulations.  Burning of candles is not allowed.

Individual rooms are the responsibility of the tenant and College cleaners will not enter.  It is the duty of the tenant to clean the room regularly and to ensure that it is in fit condition when the tenant leaves.

Students' responsibilities

Students are solely responsible for:

1. keeping communal areas tidy
2. the disposal of waste and recycling items, including putting out bins on a weekly or fortnightly basis, as appropriate, for collection.  'Green' bins containing food waste etc must be put out for collection whether they are full or not.  Waste for rubbish collection must be emptied by tenants
3. removing out of date items from refrigerators
4. all cleaning and maintenance of their own appliances, such as kettles, microwave ovens, toasters and any electrical 'leisure' goods etc

In kitchens, tenants are resposible for washing up cooking utensils, grill pans, ovens and hotplates as well as crockery and cutlery.  Sinks must be kept clear of dirty crockery and utensils to enable them to be cleaned and unblocked when necessary.

In bathrooms, shower rooms and WC's, tenants are expected to ensure that any spillages are wiped  and to ensure that washing, bathing and toilet facilities are kept in a clean and hygienic condition.

Empty bottles and cans etc must not be left anywhere in the houses or on the communal floors at St Regis House, including use as 'ornaments'.

Guests in graduate accommodation

Student rooms are intended for single occupation.  It is recognised that a student may wish to have an occasional guest to stay overnight.  As a broad guideline, you should not have an overnight guest to stay for more than three nights in any week.  Resident Clare students will not normally count towards this total..

Students living in College

All guests staying with graduates in Thirkill Court must be signed in at the Porters' Lodge.  This can be done at the Porters' Lodge either in person or via the telephone.  This requirement exists for reasons of safety.  In the event of fire or accident the College must be able to provide accurate information about the number of students on the premises.  Resident Clare students may be signed in anonymously as 'Clare student'.

Students living in shared housing

Graduates living in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) should inform the other students sharing their accommodation of any overnight guests at least three days before arrivial.

• Overnight guests in HMOs are not allowed to sleep in communal areas.
• No more than two overnight guests are permitted in any HMO at any one time.
• By a vote of a majority of the HMO residents, guests will be asked to contribute to the communal house bill, a total of £3 per night.  In the event of a dispute, a decision shall be left to the discretion of the  Head Tenant.
• Students must accept full responsibility for their guests.

Telephones and computer lines

These are the sole responsibility of the tenant.  Flats 1-16 (front block) at St Regis, Chesterton Road, are wired for BT telephone and computer.  Flats 17-32 (middle block) at St Regis, Chesterton Road, are wired for BT/Ntl telephone and computer.  St Regis House, flats and floors, are wired with Ntl telephone and computer.  67, 97, 108, 120 and 190 Chesterton Road, 69 Alpha Road, Queen Edith's and Netherfield House flats for Ntl telephone to which a CU2 line can be connected, and in conjunction with a modem, email and the internet can be accessed.  Contact Ntl directly on Student Services 0800 052 1680 or to order online go to www.ntl.com/at-uni/cambridge

Please contact the Computer Officer, Allison Lewis (al233@cam.ac.uk), telephone 333266 or view  the web page http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/academic/computing/index.html for information about charging etc and how to get connected.

Parties

Parties are not allowed in graduate accommodation.  If parties are held where staff clean, the cleaners will be withdrawn from the property.

Cars and parking

It is not normally possible to garage or park cars in College, although one or two spaces may be available for allocation by the Steward (Mr Mick Petty) to someone whose research is totally dependent on the need to use a car.

The properties at St Regis, Queen Edith's House and Netherfield House have limited parking facilities.  Other graduate properties have either no parking or fall within a residential parking area.  Permission to bring a car to Cambridge must be approved by the Graduate Tutor and a Motor Proctor Licence applied for.  Application for a Licence must be made within seven days of the vehicle being brought into a ten-mile radius of Great St Mary's Church, or within seven days of Full Michaelmas Term, if the application is for a renewal.  The Licence must be displayed on the windscreen of the vehicle.  Failure to comply could result in a fine from the University of up to £150.

Crime prevention

Please ensure that you bear in mind the need for security and discretion whilst in Graduate Housing.  If your window is visible to passers-by, please ensure that valuable items are not immediately obvious.  Do not leave doors or windows open in unoccupied rooms - a computer can vanish in seconds.  Please ensure communal areas are secure by closing entrance doors properly.  If you see any suspicious behaviour, please report it to the Police immediately at Parkside Police Station, telephone 01223 358966.

Supervisions

The Finance Committee has ruled that the use of any part of this accommodation for conducting supervisions should be regarded as exceptional and only with the Graduate Tutor's and Steward's permission.

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UNDERGRADUATES

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GRADUATES

• Graduate Introduction
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• Money
• Research Studentships
• Living in Graduate House