Application
Application to Rent a Room in a Senior Residence, Student Flat, or Room
Application forms are available in Room 120 and Room 121 at Pres Steyn Annex. Only registered students of the UFS are accommodated in senior residences. A student may only move into a senior residence after the necessary deposit and first month’s rent have been paid, and if he/she is in possession of a letter of admission issued by Housing and Residence Affairs.
Students’ rent is levied per calendar month. The date of taking up residence is always the first day of the month, regardless of when the student actually moves into the residence, except when a student moves out in the middle of the month and the vacant place is immediately taken by a new occupant.
Students who do not Respond to Placement
When a student’s application is successful and he/she is placed in a senior residence, Housing and Residence Affairs give the student a placement letter in which a return date for the acceptance/ cancellation of the relevant place is mentioned. If a student fails to respond in time, the reservation is cancelled and may be allocated to someone else. If a student responds at a later date or applies again, no guarantee can be given that the same room or even the same residence will be allocated again.
Present Residents: Reserved Place for the Next Year but do not Turn Up
Present students who already live in senior residences and who have reserved places for the following year, but do not turn up, are held responsible for TWO (2) calendar months’ rental, regardless whether the student registered or not.
Students who Change from one Residence to another
Before a student applies for transfer to another senior residence, he/she must make sure of the admission requirements that apply to the residence which he/she wants to be transferred to. The required form for transfer application is available at Room 120 and Room 121, Pres Steyn Annex. In such cases, academic qualifications will be verified again.
Unauthorised Exchange of Rooms
Residents in senior residences may only exchange rooms with the written permission of Housing and Residence Affairs. Students who exchange rooms without this written permission, will be fined and/or their accommodation cancelled.
Cancellation of Accommodation
The following is important in the case of cancellations:
- The cancellation date can only be on the last day of the month, regardless of whether the student vacates the room before the end of the month.
- If a student vacates a room before the end of the month, he/she remains responsible for the rent until the date of cancellation, unless someone else, who qualifies, but is not a current resident of a senior residence, moves into the room with the necessary written permission from Housing and Residence Affairs. In this case, the student will remain responsible for the rent until the date on which the new occupant accepts his/her placement in the room concerned.
- If a student has already reserved a place for the following year, he/she must indicate that such place should also be cancelled.
- A student cannot cancel for the end of October or November, return to the residence in January of the subsequent year and expect to remain in the same room. An application form must again be handed in for approval. No guarantee can be given that the same room will again be allocated to such student.
Cancellation of Accommodation – During the Course of the Year
If a student needs to cancel accommodation during the course of the year, written notice of TWO (2) calendar months will be required. This notice must be handed in at Housing and Residence Affairs, Room 120 or Room 121, Pres Steyn Annex.
On the day that the student wishes to vacate, the student must:
- Obtain the required cancellation form from Housing and Residence Affairs (Room 120 and Room 121) at Pres Steyn Annex.
- Complete all the relevant sections on the cancellation form.
- Hand in linen and other supplies to the Service Manager and obtain his/her signature on the cancellation form. Even in cases where no linen or other items were issued, the signature of the Service Manager has to be on the cancellation form.
- The Residence Head and the Sub-Warden, who is responsible for breakages, will compare any damage in the room with the inventory of the room in question. Any damage other than normal wear and tear will be reported to Housing and Residence Affairs by the Residence Head. The costs incurred will be debited to the student’s account.
- Obtain signatures on the cancellation form from the Residence Head and the Sub-Warden.
- Hand in the cancellation form at Housing and Residence Affairs (Room 120 or Room 121).
- Before leaving the residence, the keys must be handed in to the person responsible for keys (Residence Head/Placement Officer).
- It remains the sole responsibility of the student to personally hand in the completed cancellation form, with the necessary signatures, at Housing and Residence Affairs.
- Housing and Residence Affairs will not accept any cancellation form without the necessary three signatures.
Note: The cancellation date will be regarded as the date on which the form is submitted at Housing and Residence Affairs, or the date on which the residence was vacated, whichever is the most recent.
Cancellation of Accommodation – At the End of the Year
During September/October Placement Administration sends out letters to all residents in which the following are requested:
• Does the student require accommodation for the following year?
• Does the student wish to move to another room or residence?
• Does the student wish to vacate the residence, if applicable?
The above-mentioned must be returned to Placement Administration before a certain date.
If the student will be leaving the residence or will be changing rooms/residences, the same steps must be followed as described above under the heading 'Cancellation of Accommodation – During the Course of the Year'.
Control over Residents
It is the responsibility of the Residence Head and the Sub-Warden/s to:
- know at all times exactly who lives in the residence;
- see to it that no unauthorised persons are allowed to live in the residence;
- see to it that all the students who live in the residence appear on the computer list of Housing and Residence Affairs; and
- report any deviations to Housing and Residence Affairs immediately.
Resident control is done on a monthly basis in order to control the accuracy of computer information with the actual residents in each room in a residence.