As previously communicated, the University is currently working on plans to welcome you back to a safe and secure campus environment in the new academic year.
Students planning to join us in University Halls of Residence will receive detailed guidance separately later in the summer about the steps we are taking to make sure that your move-in period and, of course, your whole stay with us is safe and well-managed.
However, for students moving into private sector accommodation, we would encourage you to take the time to read the information below carefully. For most of you, it is not necessary to return to Liverpool until the autumn. That said, we are aware that some of you may be planning to spend the summer in Liverpool and intend to move into your new student accommodation from early July.
Whilst we are still waiting for detailed guidance from the Department for Education around new rules which may apply to this situation, the information below intends to help you navigate your move as safely as possible.
COVID-19
Government guidance currently states that students are able to make a one-off move to an alternative residence. This will then become your new ‘household’ in terms of government guidelines and social distancing measures.
It is important to remember that in line with current Government guidelines, you can’t move back and forth between, for example, your parental home and your student home. If you move into new accommodation that then becomes your ‘household’ for the purposes of social distancing rules. Under new rules which come into force on 4 July you will be able to socialise indoors and stay overnight with other households but you must maintain social distancing. This would include, for example, your family if you were to move into student accommodation from your family home.
If you are currently self-isolating, you should continue to self-isolate in your existing residence, and should not move to your new student accommodation.
If you are living in accommodation where you share facilities with other people, make sure you follow current Public Health England guidance, including cleaning your home to minimise the risk of infection. If you have concerns, there is also guidance on what to do if you are in a shared home with someone who may have the virus. It might be sensible to discuss the rules with the other members of your household soon after moving to ensure you are all happy with an agreed approach.
Social bubbles
If you live alone (single adult household) or are moving into a home where you will live alone, you can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. You can find full details on how this applies here.
Social distancing
Social distancing rules are still in force in the UK. This means that you should remain 2 metres away from anybody outside your household, or in your ‘support bubble’ if that applies to you.
Under new rules which will come into force on 4 July this distance will be reduced to 1 metre+ in England, although if it is possible you should try to maintain 2 metre distancing from others.
The new rules will also allow two households to meet indoors and stay overnight, but social distancing must be maintained. You can meet in a group of up to 6 people with those you do not live with but, again, you should do this while observing social distancing guidelines and keeping at least 2 metres apart.
Moving into your new student residence can understandably feel like a reason to celebrate, and we want you to enjoy this time, but please be aware that you should not be having any large gatherings or meetings with multiple households indoors because of the risk of infection.
Your new landlord
Make sure you communicate about moving in with your new landlord before arriving to collect the keys.
Accommodation operators will need to make some significant changes to their normal processes to ensure social distancing measures can be adhered to including cleaning the property thoroughly and assigning appropriate timeslots for moving in. You need to avoid moving in at the same time as your new housemates and aim to bring just one person to help you move if needs be.
Further information on what to expect from your new landlord can be found on the Liverpool Student Homes webpages.
Your local community
We are proud of what you bring to our community whether that is in Liverpool or any of our other campuses or partner universities.
Whether you are staying in halls, or are living in the local community, you have a responsibility to help us to maintain positive relationships with our neighbours and the wider community.
It’s great living with friends, but please remember that houses or flats with multiple occupants can easily and unintentionally cause disturbance to neighbours. Next door to you may be a family with young children, elderly people, people shielding, or those trying to work from home. Noise disturbance or anti-social behaviour can lead to a great deal of stress for those around you and damage the University’s reputation among the local community, so please try to think of others.
- Keep music, the TV volume and any other noise at a reasonable level at all times. If you like loud music, use headphones. Professional sound systems are definitely not suitable for use in a home.
- Be aware of your surroundings when walking through neighbourhoods at night. Loud voices can easily carry and cause disturbance to those around you
- Keep your property clean and don’t dump rubbish. Make sure you know when your bin collection day is so you can do your bit to keep your neighbourhood clean and tidy
In the current pandemic, it’s more important than ever that neighbours support one another. The checklist on our accommodation community pages will help you to start your new tenancy off on a positive note whilst ensuring that you and your housemates stay safe, consider your neighbours and follow social distancing regulations. Remember that as a student of the University of Liverpool, you are required to adhere to our Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline.
Please be assured that we will continue to follow any new guidance issued by the Government and ask all students to do the same. You can find the most up-to-date government guidance and advice here.
Further information
Please keep checking your email for important information, and continue to refer to our regularly updated FAQs.