Property maintenance
Some common issues to be aware of
Posters etc.
It's nice to personalise and decorate, but please be aware that many methods of fixing things to walls cause damage. Marks from blu-tack, white tack or similar are one of the things we most often have to charge for, as it has an oil that penetrates into surfaces which needs to be removed and then painted over. We advise against using these products, as they cause damage to decorations.
Damp
This is a major issue in student housing. See our section on mould for more detail on condensation damp.
Make sure you ventilate the property well, particularly by opening windows after showering or cooking, and in the morning to let fresh air in. Try to heat the property consistently and keep the walls warm.
Freezer frost
Frosted up freezers will cause the freezer drawers to break when you try to open them. Freezer drawers are usually surprisingly expensive to replace- sometimes costing up to £60 each.
The best ways to avoid freezer frost:
Minimise the time the door is open
Only put cold food in to freeze
Make sure the seal is clean and functioning correctly
Try not to overfill the freezer
Defrost it before it becomes unmanageable
Limescale
Oxford is a hard water area, meaning limescale will build up very quickly. This means you need to regularly clean your toilet, sinks and bathroom with anti-limescale cleaner. Limescale which has built up is hard to remove, and also provides a home for mould and bacteria which is even harder to get rid of. Make sure you regularly clean areas affected by limescale with an appropriate cleaner.
Showerheads need to be descaled regularly, as limescale build-up can potentially present significant health risks by harbouring dangerous legionella bacteria.
You can easily make your own limescale remover by diluting some white vinegar in a spray bottle.
Gardens
Please keep your garden/s neat and tidy. A messy garden gives students and the University a bad reputation in the community, plus can help create a habitat for pests.
Drains
It is your responsibility to make sure that you do not block toilets and drains with inappropriate items (ie cooking oil, rice, hair, sanitary products, face wipes, excessive use of toilet paper). We may charge you for removing blockages caused by misuse.
Trip switches
Your property will have a distribution board with electrical trip switches (circuit breakers). They may trip because an appliance is faulty or there are too many appliances being used at the same time.
If you reset the switch and it trips again it is probably due to a faulty appliance or light. To find the fault you need to unplug all appliances, reset the tripped switch, and then turn each light and appliance back on individually. If a certain appliance is causing the switch to trip, then it is likely faulty and should not be used.
If a switch keeps tripping but you cannot find a cause, please report it as a repair.
Water leaks
Familiarise yourself with where the stop tap for your property. This is the tap that turns all of the water off in the property in the event of a leak. You don't want to be running around hunting for this whilst the property floods, so make sure you find it in advance. If you can't find it, let us know.
If you notice dicolouration or a change in shape in the ceiling, it could be a leak. Please report this immediately to guard against further damage.