Conditions of Occupancy 2025-26

Introduction

The Conditions of Occupancy are the terms and conditions which form your Accommodation Contract with Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincy Belfast (‘the company’). By accepting your accommodation contract you are agreeing to abide by the Conditions of Occupancy detailed in this document. along with the Residential Centre Student Handbook.

It is important that you read and familiarise yourself with this information and the Residential Centre Student Handbook, as this contains further information on being a resident, with which all residents are expected to comply.

Dates of Occupancy

1.     Residency will last from Sunday 14th September 2025 until Friday 5th June 2026 inclusive, unless the accommodation period is ended by the company under the terms and conditions of this Contract.

2.     This does not include the Christmas holiday period, when the Student Centre will be closed for residency due to the Christmas holidays. Residents must vacate their rooms by 12pm on Friday 19th December 2025 and may return from 12pm on Friday 2nd January 2026 (Christmas dates are subject to confirmation). Residents are not charged fees for the Christmas closure period.

3.     Students travelling from outside Northern Ireland may be required to begin and end residency a week earlier; this option is available to these students only upon discussion and contract with the Management, or the Chaplain acting on its behalf.

4.     Keys must be collected and returned during Monday to Friday office opening hours, apart from Sunday 14thSeptember.

Our Obligations

5.     We will provide you with:

a)     a furnished room;

b)     the right to use furniture and other equipment (whether furniture or not) provided in the room; and

c)     the right to use, along with the other residents, the kitchen, toilets, showers, laundry facilities, corridors, staircases, recreation rooms and lounges (called common areas in the Accommodation Contract) subject to their availability;

d)     Use of Wi-Fi;

e)     Use of the garden area to the rear of Houses 16-22 Elmwood Avenue;

f)      Cleaning of communal areas at least once a week, subject to public health advice and requirements.

6.     What is not being provided:

a)     Access to the garden to the rear of house 26 Elmwood Avenue

b)     Access to the parking area to the rear of 16-20 Elmwood Avenue

c)     Access to the area comprising the Hub café and Church of the Resurrection, though right of access and use may be permitted subject to availability and public health advice and requirements

7.     We may conduct room inspections throughout the year to ensure you are complying with our health and safety policies, to carry out necessary repairs, to ensure that you are fulfilling your obligation to keep your room clean and tidy, and to assess loss or damage caused to property. Inspections will be carried out after 10:00am and you will be notified no later than 12 noon the day before such an inspection.

8.     We reserve the right to enter your room without your permission under exceptional circumstances and where there is deemed to be a potential risk to student safety.  Examples include a fire or suspected fire, a serious electrical fault, suspected misuse of fire or other safety equipment, suspected possession of an illegal substance, suspicion of smoking/vaping, a flood or other emergency.

9.     We have the right to move you to similar alternative accommodation for reasonable management reasons including but not limited to:

a)     Any alterations or building work being carried out at the accommodation

b)     Your accommodation is deemed unfit for occupation

10.  You are not permitted to sub-let your room under any circumstances.

General Data Protection Regulation

11.  On taking up residency, we ask for your permission to use your contact details to contact you regarding any issues to do with your accommodation (e.g. receiving deliveries, organising maintenance), and/or any of the activities related to residency (e.g. different groups or organisations for which you may sign up). Additionally, due to the number of students who receive funding from their parents/guardian for their residential fees, we may find it necessary at times to discuss details of your accommodation fee account with them. In order to do these things, we require your consent. You will be able to do this by signing the relevant section of this Contract relating to Data Protection Regulation. You can withdraw your consent at any time throughout the year.  If you are aged under 18 years your consent is not required.

Your Obligations – Fees   

12.  You will make payment of the residential fee agreed for the room provided to you. There are two possibilities – a standard room (£4680) and a small/shared room (£4140). Fees are payable during the year, most commonly in three instalments at the start of each term. Other possibilities are in a lump sum at the start of the year or payments spread over 8 monthly payments from October to May. You will be provided with a payment schedule detailing the sums due, dates for payment, and penalty that will be applied for late payment.

13.  Supplementary fees may be applied to cover costs associated with Welcome Week activities, any Student Centre Residential, and provision of milk, which is purchased centrally for all of the student houses. Any reductions may be agreed by application to the Chaplain on the grounds of non-participation due to exceptional circumstances.

14.  You will pay a deposit of £300 on signing this Contract. For students returning to live in Chaplaincy for a second year of residency the deposit paid for year one shall be retained as the deposit for year two (subject to any deductions made for year one for loss or damage).

15.  The deposit shall be refunded subject on the termination of the Contract, subject to any reductions to cover the costs associated with loss or damage caused individually by you as resident or attributed collectively to you along with other residents.

16.  If fees, or loss or damage charges have not been paid by the end of the accommodation period, the company may deduct the same from the deposit. If deductions are made at the end of the previous year’s Residency Contract you will be liable to reimburse the cost of deductions up to a maximum of £200 as payment of a deposit for the year to which this Contract applies.

17.  The company may keep the deposit if you fail to take up residence without good cause.

18.  You will remain obligated to pay all fees under this Agreement regardless of limitations that are prescribed by law on the manner of residency as being necessary for public safety, for the protection of public order, or health, unless and until such times as you are mandated by the Chaplaincy to vacate the premises due to closure, whereupon the Chaplaincy will consider what reduction in fees is appropriate.

Your Obligations – Duties of Residency

19.  In addition to your obligations relating to fees, you will be obligated, as Conditions of Occupancy, to respect your accommodation, your household, and the life and ministry of the Chaplaincy.

20.  At the start of occupancy, all residents are issued a copy of the Student Centre Handbook. You are required to read and comply with the Handbook and its provisions, which should be considered part of the terms and conditions of your residency.

21.  There is an expectation that all residents will live in sympathy to the Christian ethos of the Chaplaincy, including how respect is shown to each other within the residential community through personal conduct and behaviour. Important examples include:

a)     Respecting the ‘quiet policy’ on site after 11pm each evening;

b)     Ensuring that guests and visitors conduct themselves appropriately within the houses;

c)     Respecting the ‘no smoking’ policy throughout the buildings;

d)     Understanding that drunkenness on site will not be tolerated, and that students cultivate a mature understanding on the use of alcohol within moderation.

Further examples and the full rules and regulations can be found in the Student Handbook.

22.  You are required to comply with any stipulations and rules for residency as may, from time to time, be communicated to you by the company, managing staff, or the Chaplain acting on its behalf.

23.  In particular, you will be required to comply with all stipulations and rules for residency as are deemed necessary for public safety, for the protection of public order, or health.

24.  You will keep your furnished room clean and tidy and will keep all common areas clean and tidy.

25.  You will inform the Centre Manager or Chaplain immediately if the furnished room or any items belonging to the Chaplaincy are damaged or lost.

26.  You will commit to playing a full role in the life, ministry and mission of the Chaplaincy, including 

a)     Supporting the staff, and house wardens, in their respective roles and responsibilities;

b)     Sharing in the communal life of each individual house, for example (but not limited to) sharing in the meals rota;

c)     Engaging in a core ministry that furthers worship, community or outreach;

d)     Participating fully in organised student centre gatherings and activities;

e)     Undertaking an act of service in the life of the Chaplaincy on a regular basis;

f)      Attending and participating fully in the Student Centre residential as and when it is considered safe to facilitate this;

g)     In summary, participating, sharing in and encouraging the ethos and values of the Student Centre as a place of community, fun, residency, hospitality, prayer, worship, formation, and outreach. 

Ending the Accommodation Contract

27.  The accommodation contract is not a tenancy and does not have a break clause or notice period allowing you to end the contract before the end date. The accommodation contract commits you to your room and you are responsible for the residential fees for the duration of your contract.

28.  The Resident may only seek to terminate residency with the approval of the Chaplain, and at such a time and on such terms as are agreed in writing with the Chaplain. 

29.  If residency is terminated for whatever reason, you will remain liable for all fees payable for the full term of this Agreement until another resident takes up the room. The company is under no obligation to secure another resident, and you should be aware that this becomes more difficult later in the university year.

30.  Your deposit may be used to off-set any costs associated with accommodating a new resident.

31.  The company may terminate residency if the resident is in breach of the Conditions of Occupancy, fails to comply with the stipulations and regulations contained in the Student Centre Handbook, or fails to comply with any Communications issued by the Board or managing staff.

32.  If any resident is in breach of the Conditions of Occupancy, Student Centre Handbook or Communications issued by company officers, the following procedure shall apply: 

a)     In the first instance an official verbal warning will be given. If a second breach occurs, for any reason a written warning will be given.

b)     If a breach is deemed to be serious, but not gross misconduct, a written warning may be given in the first instance.

c)     If a further breach occurs, for any reason, following a written warning, a ‘Notice to Quit Residency’ will be issued, normally with a 7-day termination period

d)     In the event of gross misconduct, a Notice to Quit Residency may be issued without verbal or written warning

e)     You will be entitled to an explanation as to the decision/s taken by the company

f)      You will have a right of appeal to an Appeals Committee that will be established by the Board. All appeals must be made in writing and, should you be required to attend a Disciplinary Appeal Hearing, you may be accompanied by another Student Resident.

g)     The company may bring your right to residency to an end if fees are not paid in accordance with the Fees Schedule given to you. In such circumstances you will be issued with a Notice to Quit Residency and must vacate residency within 7 days. You will remain liable for all fees payable for the full term of this Agreement unless and until notified to the contrary by the company’s officers.

Leaving Rooms            

33.  On termination of this Contract, you will return your keys and all property, furnishings, and other items provided to you by the Chaplaincy. All rooms will be inspected for an assessment of loss, damage, and cleanliness before any deposit is returned.

34.  A failure to return keys may causes a security risk to both your household and other properties accessible through your keys. If you fail to return your keys, you will be liable for all costs associated with securing the premises which may include changing locks and keys for all residents.

35.  You will remove all personal belongings from the furnished room and common areas and will leave the furnished room and common areas in a clean and tidy condition.

36.  You will be liable for any costs associated with decorative repairs deemed necessary due to damage, holes or markings caused to walls, ceilings, furniture, fixtures and fittings in their room, whether caused by the resident or any other person

37.  You will be liable, jointly and severally, with all other residents in the house in which they reside, for any costs associated with repairs deemed necessary due to damage, holes or markings caused to walls, ceilings, furniture, fixtures and fittings, in common areas, whether caused by the resident/s or any other person, unless full liability is accepted by an individual or individuals.

RESIDENCY - DATA CONSENT FORM

The Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincy Belfast consider our obligations under the General Data Protection Regulations (2018) to be of the highest priority. We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and our nominated Data Controller is the Chaplain. All information is held under strict confidentiality.

As a resident of the Student Centre, it is necessary for the Chaplaincy to maintain an up-to-date record of the contact details you have provided, so that we may contact you with queries and information throughout your period of occupancy. (More details can be found in the relevant section of the Conditions of Occupancy).

You should note that we will not use your data outside of these purposes, and strictly do not share residents’ information with any outside organisations or persons. The exception to this, as noted in the Conditions of Occupancy, will be to contact the Next of Kin provided on your application form, and/or the Guarantor provided on your Guarantor’s Agreement, under which circumstances it may be necessary to discuss the details of your accommodation contract.

For further information, our full Privacy Policy is available at https://www.thehubbelfast.org/privacy-policy

We would ask all residents to ensure that the office holds their up-to-date contact details, and that you would undertake to inform us should your phone, email or home address change during your period of occupancy.

By signing the form, you are giving consent to these terms.