Writtle University College and ARU have merged. Writtle’s full range of college, degree, postgraduate and short courses will still be delivered on the Writtle campus. See our guide to finding Writtle information on this site.

While living here

Here you'll find answers to questions our students ask about living in university accommodation, including cleaning, having visitors, registering with a doctor and dentist, and getting support if you need it.

If you've got any other questions, please contact us.

If there is a local or national lockdown we will continue to support students and, unless told otherwise by public health officials, will continue to follow the National Institute for Health Protection guidance and ask all students to remain in their current accommodation. We will also move to online teaching, learning and assessment, and support.

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ARU is home to students from all over the UK and the world, so you’ll live with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Our accommodation is interfaith, mixed gender and culturally diverse.

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You'll be responsible for cleaning your accommodation, including your bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. We can provide a cleaning rota and support if you're struggling to get your housemates to help out.

We’ll carry out regular inspections and if an area is unsatisfactory, we'll ask you to improve it. If it doesn't improve, we’ll send in a cleaner to bring it up to an acceptable standard but at your expense.

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Not in student accommodation. All areas of the accommodation, including bedrooms, are non-smoking. This includes e-cigarettes. Please use the designated smoking shelters outside.

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You should report any fault or repair requests straight away, even if you think it might just be a minor problem.

By making a repair request you’re granting maintenance staff access to your room. The repair will be carried out by trained staff or approved contractors during the working day, generally between 9.30am–5pm. You don't need to be in your room when the repair is being done.

In an emergency, access to your room may be required without prior notice, but this will be avoided if at all possible.

How quickly the repair is completed depends on how urgent it is. Here are some example timescales:

  • Fire alarm fault: two to four hours
  • Repair broken lift: one working day
  • Faulty blind/curtain: two to three working days
  • Broken microwave (where other cooking facilities still available): five working days
Read more about read more about reporting repairs.

We’ll email you about planned repairs and maintenance work before they take place. We always try to give you at least 24 hours’ notice unless it’s an emergency.

If you need to report any faults or ask for repairs, instructions of how to do this will be in your accommodation. Repairs will be carried out by trained staff or approved contractors during the working day, generally between 9.30am–5pm. You don't need to be in your room while repairs are being done.

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Currently the visitor policy has changed to fit with the Government's COVID-19 restrictions. Tenants living with us will be contacted by email to be kept up to date with our visitor policy.

Once pandemic restrictions end, tenants can have visitors during the day. You'll need to check your tenancy agreement to see how often you can have overnight guests. You're responsible for the actions of your guests, so please make sure they behave!

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Our Residential Service will be happy to help. We have offices in Cambridge and Chelmsford, open from 9.30am-4.30pm, Monday-Friday.

Our Student Services Team can also offer support on a whole range of issues, from finances and study support, to wellbeing.

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In Cambridge, you can register with our Medical Centre which is on campus in the Mumford Building.

In Chelmsford, you can register with Rivermead Surgery, which is next to the Student Village.

You can also visit the NHS website to find local health services such as doctors and dentists.

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If you're locked out of your room, come to the Residential Service office to sign out a replacement key. If we're closed, you can contact your Residential Assistant or ARU Security. If it's not your first lock-out, you might be charged for staff to attend to let you back in.

If you don’t return your replacement key or can't find a key you’ve lost, you’ll be charged for a new key, costs will vary but may be in the region of £10 to £40. If we need to replace the lock, you’ll be charged for this too (up to £500).

Let us know you’ve lost your key straight away so we can take steps to make sure your home is secure. Never get the locks for your accommodation changed yourself.

For security reasons don’t mark your keys with your address and never give them to anyone else.

Read more about read more about replacement keys.

If you're not getting on with someone living nearby and talking it through with them hasn't helped, contact the staff at your accommodation for help. You can also contact the Students' Union; they may be able to offer advice and mediation.

If you’re being disturbed by noise, it’s important to report the noise to us while it’s happening so we can work out who’s responsible and address the issue with them.

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If you withdraw or intermit (take a break from your studies), your contract for a room in accommodation managed by ARU will be cancelled when you return your key and send a copy of your withdrawal letter to the Residential Service.

If you do not live in accommodation managed by ARU, you will need to discuss this with staff at your accommodation as their policy may differ.

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If you decide that you want to move out of your room before the end of the occupancy agreement, you’ll still need to pay your rent.

We suggest you contact the Residential Service, as we may be able to advertise your room. If we find a student who wants to move in, your rent liability will end on the day they move in.

Please speak to staff at your accommodation if you do not live in a room managed by ARU. You can also contact [email protected] for more help on leaving your room early.

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