Advice for Off-Campus Students

Image shows three students looking at a counter of food in Swansea Market

Connect with your community

Community @Campus Life: What We Do

The Community Team are here to help you feel safe and connected to your local community, as well as supporting you through any issues you may experience while living off campus.

We aim to promote community cohesion between our students and local residents through our services. This can be through support, such as mediation or helping you manage complaints procedures or more positively hosting events in the community for students and residents alike.

You can contact your Community Liasion Office by emailing community.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk

Her role is to represent both students and community members, as well as liaising with our partners in the local council, police and private accommodation. Cerys pays regular visits to highly populated student areas, such as Uplands, Brynmill and Crymlyn Burrows, so make sure to stop her for a chat if you spot her.

Remember to abide by the Student Charter which can be found here.

SafeZone App

Click here to learn more about the SafeZone app.

Students walking through Bay Campus, feeling safe.

Keep Our Bay Beautiful

Swansea Bay is a beautiful stretch of sand, sea and sky that has been crucial to many people’s enjoyment of nature and socialisation during their time in Swansea. We urge that if you do socialise on the beach that you do so in line with the current government guidelines, which you can find here.

It’s also important to take your rubbish to the bins before leaving and if the bins are full, please take the waste home with you. By clearing up after ourselves we can ensure that the Bay remains a beautiful nature spot that students, community members, children and dogs can all enjoy.

If you’re interested in keeping the Bay clear of rubbish, we suggest following organisations such as 2minutebeachclean and Don’t Be A Tosser, who organise large-scale beach litter picks when they are most necessary. You can also volunteer with Discovery on regular litter picking sessions with fellow students and community members

Top Tips to Avoid Noise Complaints:

Students and community members will often lead different lifestyles, with differing hours of activity, which can lead to noise being disruptive. As renters or home-owners, you have a right to enjoy the property as you best see fit. Issues, such as slamming doors, using the stairs or talking, do not qualify for noise complaints.

However, you could be visited by the police if someone complains about amplified noise, such as from speakers and televisions. As a rule, if you can hear your music or TV when you are outside the home, then they are likely too loud. Here’s some tips for reducing noise:

Don’t put speakers or televisions up against a shared wall
Close the windows to avoid noise travelling
When gaming keep both vocal noise and amplified noise to a minimum, especially when playing at hours people may consider unsocial

Frugal Living Booklet

How We Can Help:

Conflict within your house:

Due to differences in lifestyle, personalities, values or habits you may find yourself in regular conflict with members of your house. Conflict between housemates and friends is completely normal, so long as it is not extreme enough that you feel unsafe in your own home. However, any conflict can be distressing, and everyone has a right to feel welcome in their own home and use the space as they please.

Firstly, we encourage establishing a clear channel of communication about the issues or disagreements. Although it may be tempting to use media devices, such as instant messenger or texts to communicate clearly, often this aggravates the situation with rash messages sent in anger and confusions over meaning and tone. We suggest you sit down and talk it out, making sure to look at that issue from the other person’s perspective.

If you are worried that the conflict within your house is extreme, or you just want the extra support, the Community team is on hand to act as a mediator. We find that the presence of an impartial third-party can be very helpful in resolving issues, so they don’t arise again. Please don’t hesitate to contact us by email if you would like more information on our mediation services, or if you simply want support not intervention on your behalf.

Conflict with Community Members:

The most effective way to solve most community issues is to know your neighbours and communicate in an understanding and neighbourly manner.

Anyone living in a house, whether rented or owned, has the right to live within it and enjoy the property. This enjoyment may include activities that your neighbour may find disruptive, but this does not mean complaints constitute actions beyond an informal discussion about the issue.

By swapping phone numbers, for example, you can open a line of communication for any problems, issues or complaints. This means your neighbours are more likely to contact you directly when the disruption is happening, instead of making a complaint to the Community team or the local police.

It is also common courtesy to let your neighbours know ahead of time if you’re planning a gathering in your home that they may find disruptive. A text or a note through the letterbox is always much appreciated, as well as any small gestures such as chocolates or flowers if you and your house enjoyed yourselves especially late into the night.

We advise that neighbours speak to each other with empathy and try to envision how they would feel if roles were switched, with the hope, where possible, to resolve issues themselves. However, if this fails you can contact the team for conflict and tension mediation between neighbours, if needed.

Problems with your landlord:

Landlords are required to register themselves and any property they own, so you can look up the details of your property’s landlord by searching on the RentSmart Wales website. It is wise to do this before entering into a tenancy agreement.

Our team is always happy to support and advise you through any issues you may have with your landlord, although for the legal aspects we will direct you to the Student's Union Advice Centre, who are well versed in the surrounding legislation.

Parking:

Like many Universities, Swansea University campuses don’t provide parking for students, which is one of the many reasons we advise leaving your car at home when you come to University. Not only will you be a taxi service and designated driver for your friends and housemates, running a car may not be cost effective and even residential parking can be tricky in student areas. Although we understand this is not possible for everyone as in some instance’s car ownership is necessary.

In any instances of problems surrounding parking and the right of access, we suggest reaching out to your neighbours and opening a line of communication if you feel that there is a better arrangement for all parties.

Unless there are local parking restrictions that give the right to a particular space, residents do not have automatic rights to a parking space on a public road, even if it is outside of their house – rented or owned. However, all residents have a right of access to their drive or garages. If there is a shared drive, then each person has a right of access and neither should block the drive.

The local authority and the police have wide powers to remove vehicles that are illegally parked, obstructing the highway or are abandoned. You can find further information on the Swansea Council website on how to report these instances.

If you wish to use the resident’s parking, you’ll need to apply for a permit with the council. If you live within a rented multiple occupancy house, you’ll need to register with this online form before applying for a permit. Please make sure you can fulfil the evidence requirements and note that only 2 residents permits can be issued to each household.

Do you have an idea that will improve your local community?

Image shows a group of students on the beach, gathered around collected plastic and rubbish.

Our Community Grant awards up to £250 to a group or individual who has an idea of how to improve a geographic community that will benefit both students and community members. This can be something as simple as a litter pick or beautification project, or a larger community event. Find out more about our simple and short application process here, you’re always welcome to reach out for help and advice.

Give back and volunteer with Discovery!

Image shows students walking alongside some green and white beach huts.

Whether you’re looking for a one-off volunteering opportunity or want to commit to something regularly to develop your skills, check out Discovery's projects running both in person and online. They aim to enrich the lives of disadvantaged people across Swansea and work with different community members and local organisations. Volunteering is an excellent way to connect to the wider Swansea community, whether it’s buddy-reading with local school children or helping out in the community garden.