Res matters

dregin

From: DCU Welfare Officer <welfare@dcusu.ie>
To: allstudents@list.dcu.ie
Date: Tue, 01 Mar 2005 12:28:40 +0000
Subject: [Allstudents] Campus Residences
Campus Residences

With the deadline for campus res soon approaching there are a few things
that I believe you need to know. While campus accommodation has some
great things to offer, such as a high standard of accommodation and
convenience, there are lots of other things that aren’t so good.

The question I ask myself is where to start. After 8 months in this job
I have come across so many problems with campus res. I suppose firstly
you do not sign a tenancy agreement, that under law would protect you
rights, you sign a licence, where campus res are entitled to impose any
terms and conditions they want on you. In short you have no protection
for your rights as set down under the Residential Tenancies Act.

The whole complex is surrounded by high gates and fences that are closed
early every evening. It seems that security and the protection of
property seems to over-rule people's civil liberties. To add to this if
you loose you key card or unfortunate enough to lock yourself out of
your room you will be charge €5 during office hours and €20 out of
office hours for the privilege of been let back into your room.

If you decide you no longer want to live in campus res you are liable to
pay your full rent even though you no longer live there. You are locked
into a fixed term contract. If you were to live in off campus
accommodation this would be illegal because you are protected by the
residential tenancies act which lays periods of notice you have to give
to leave rented accommodation.

There is a huge issue of your privacy or lack of it while you live on
res. Members of the maintenance team have free rain to enter apartments
whenever they want. No notice must be given if they want to enter your
apartment. Then there is the ever-thorny issue of room inspections.
While most people agree that these are a good idea they needn’t be as
strict as they are. People are in essence been fined for living in their
apartments, with fines been incurred for such things as a wet bathroom
floor although its obvious the person is just out of the shower, having
rubbish in their bins and the list of ridiculous fines goes on and on.
The view of the Campus Res staff member on the level of cleanliness is
finial with no come back for the resident.

Then there is the old faithful in complaints. The fact that your not
allowed have overnight guests in your apartment. You can have as many
people as you want up until 12.00 but after that mysteriously you aren’t
allowed. This is something that the Students’ Union has been campaigning
for several years to get changed, but unfortunately to no avail.

Bearing all this in mind and the annual rent is anything between €3168
and €4500 before bills. That’s €88 per week for the cheapest room in
Larkfield and €125 per week for the double room in College Park. The
average rent in a house around DCU for a single room is €70 to €80.
The question you have to ask yourself is are you happy to live on campus
under these conditions?

--

Ronan O'Hart
Welfare Officer/Vice President
DCU Students Union
T: 01 7005652
M: 086 6041244

Alot of good points, but no real ideas for any solutions. An outline of what exactly the tactics of the SU have been to date would be handy. Rehashing old lines of enquiry will hardly be of much benefit to anyone....

OFDM

dregin wrote:

you do not sign a tenancy agreement, that under law would protect you
rights, you sign a licence, where campus res are entitled to impose any
terms and conditions they want on you. In short you have no protection
for your rights as set down under the Residential Tenancies Act.

Is that even legal? How can they get away with that?

dregin

Apathy
ap·a·thy Audio pronunciation of "apathy" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (p-th)
n.

1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

dregin

http://www.oasis.gov.ie/housing/renting_a_flat_or_house/landlords_rights_and_obligations.html
and
http://www.oasis.gov.ie/housing/renting_a_flat_or_house/tenants_rights_and_obligations.html
I think that's the right section. Some very interesting stuff.

Rights as a landlord

You have the right to:
- be informed who is ordinarily living in the property (this does not include overnight visitors or short stays).

You do not have the right to:

- enter your tenants’ home without permission.

Rights as a tenant in private rented accommodation
- You are entitled to have friends to stay overnight or for short periods, unless specifically forbidden in your tenancy agreement.
- give the landlord access (by appointment) for routine inspections.

Some pretty dyer conflictions in both of those papers tbh.

Suaimhneach

People on res, me included actually need to do something about it. A protest, or something that will get their notice. I have no idea what, and I know actions speak louder than words, but unless one can be sure that Res is backing any ideas put forward, then I have no idea what there is we can do.

Creature

Wow I had no idea they're that strict with students living on campus. It must really spoil the atmosphere living away from home for the first time.

dregin

Actually....does the license signed actually constitute a tenancy agreement? Legally like? Since there's absolutely no way to negotiate it, and it isnt actually a contract but a license.

OFDM

dregin wrote:

Actually....does the license signed actually constitute a tenancy agreement? Legally like? Since there's absolutely no way to negotiate it, and it isnt actually a contract but a license.

It all sounds very fishy - potential for a lawsuit tbh...

steveland?

Jesus... just reading that makes me so pissed off!

I don't see why anyone would want to live on res when it's cheaper to live near res and you actually have some degree of freedom/privacy.

You's need to stand up for yourselves!

I know it's easier said than done but that's ridiculous.

Fines for having a wet floor? Ffs...

/me thanks god parents moved in 20 minutes away from college

dregin

I got fined €20 for a wet floor last year. In the letter I was given about it, it said that it was so they could pay a cleaner to come in. Then in hand writing it said "there will be no cleaner" or something along those lines.

sionnach

dregin wrote:

I got fined €20 for a wet floor last year. In the letter I was given about it, it said that it was so they could pay a cleaner to come in. Then in hand writing it said "there will be no cleaner" or something along those lines.

that's a joke. You should have demanded your 20 euro back. I'd love it if a group of students who just got screwed over for stuff like that brought them to the small claims court or something

katnip

Any student who lives on Res in DCU has no legal rights whatsoever. That is not being overdramatic, it is simple fact. A couple of us investigated into this and spoke to those involved. If you sign a 'licence agreement' you have agreed to abide by whatever is in that agreement, and it usually contains clauses that allow the operators to do whatever they want to e.g. ridiculous fines, rules and regulations. Once signed, you sign your rights away. There is no legal comeback against it. Trust me, it is worth it to opt to live off campus where you will sign a lease and have a rent book. You can still be close by but you will have tenant rights that are afforded by law.
The SU cannot force campus res to change their minds as to what crazy restrictions are put in the licence agreement (they have been trying for years). They can only try to inform the students of what other options are available to them.

OFDM

katnip wrote:

If you sign a 'licence agreement' you have agreed to abide by whatever is in that agreement, and it usually contains clauses that allow the operators to do whatever they want to e.g. ridiculous fines, rules and regulations. Once signed, you sign your rights away. There is no legal comeback against it.

Can someone explain how this be legal? Tenacy is legislated for under the Landlord and Tenants Acts 1967 – 1994 and the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 - by requiring the signing of a "licence agreement", they are effectively by-passing this legislation - what's stopping every landlord in the country from doing the same?

katnip

Licence agreements tend to be operated by large scale accomodation centres like campus res, who lock you into the contract by getting a large lum sum when you move in. The contract tends to stipulate that if you move out before the agreed time then you lose the rest of your money. I'd imagine that's why most landlords go for actual leases cause they tend to be on a weekly/monthly paying basis. If every landlord asked for a couple of grand to move into their house, I wouldn't see much uptake by students.

D

It's simple the liscence that you sign is legal and binding. If you don't agree with it don't sign it. But then someone else will sign it...