Advice for Off-Campus Students

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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, helping you manage complaints procedures, or more positively hosting events in the community for students and residents alike.

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

Their role is to represent both students and community members, as well as liaising with our partners in the local council, police and private accommodation. If you have any questions, queries, or concerns about living out in the community then please do get in touch! The team can also help with signposting to more appropriate services if and when required.

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

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Click here to learn more about the SafeZone app.

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Top Tips to Avoid Waste/Rubbish issues

Make sure you put the correct bins out on the correct days! Making sure that any food waste is contained within your food waste bin and NOT in your black bins, as this leads to the bags being ripped open by the pesky seagulls! Making sure that any food containers are washed before placing in the relevant bins is also a great way to avoid this. If you require new bags, you can collect new bags from these locations for free!

If you’re interested in keeping the local area 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 sometimes mean that amplified noise can be disruptive. Issues, such as slamming doors, using the stairs or talking, do not qualify for noise complaints. Fire doors can often slam shut, so please be aware of this and be considerate of the noise they make!

Amplified noise, such as from speakers and televisions can cause disruption for neighbours. As a rule, if you can hear your music or TV when you are outside the home, then they are likely too loud.

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Common Issues & How We Can Help:

Conflict within your house:

Communication is key. We encourage establishing a clear channel of communication about the issues or disagreement - and whilst it may be tempting to do this over text messages, this can aggravate the situation due to 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.

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.

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!

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 do not 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. We understand this is not possible for everyone as in some instance’s car ownership is necessary.

Much of the local area is designated as residents-only parking, and as such you will require a parking permit to use these spaces. If you are living in the community and wish to park in the residents-only parking spaces, you will 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.

Being Neighbourly:

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, as a neighbour, you find disruptive, but this does not mean your 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.

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 the team is available for conflict and tension mediation between neighbours, if needed.

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 student group 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.

Check out what events CampusLife are running!

CampusLife regularly host a wide variety events for all students (and staff) to come and enjoy. From trips to smaller activities, there is something for everyone! It's also a great way to meet new friends, so come along and see what our events are all about! Click HERE to find out more!