Your right to terminate your accommodation agreement is affected by whether you will be remaining as a registered full-time student.
Students withdrawing from or suspending their studies, or who have had an enforced withdrawal from their York St John University Course
In line with clause 7.1 of the Accommodation Terms and Conditions, you can no longer remain in University accommodation if you cease to be a registered full-time student at any time during the Period of Residence.
We will be informed by our Student Records Team once a student’s status has changed and that they are no longer a student in full time education at York St John University. At this point we will inform you that you must vacate your accommodation and return your keys within 7 days.
Students who are continuing their studies at the University, but no longer wish to remain in their accommodation
If you wish to leave your accommodation before the end of the period of residence, for any reason other than terminating your studies at the University, then you will only be released from the agreement in exceptional circumstances. You must have considered all alternative avenues before requesting an early departure such as a room move or wellbeing support.
The following process will apply:
• Complete an Early Departure Request Form. This can be obtained via the Accommodation Policies webpage.
• Return the form and supporting evidence electronically to accommodation@yorksj.ac.uk. See notes for examples of approved supporting evidence.
• Requests will be reviewed by a panel with representatives from relevant areas of the University.
• Requests will only be approved if there are deemed to be exceptional circumstances, (See notes for examples of extenuating circumstances)
• Requests will be responded to within 10 working days; the outcome of the panel will be sent to your university email address.
• The University reserves the right to offer a room move or another alternative resolution if they deem it appropriate.
Leaving Your Accommodation if Approved
• If your departure is approved, you will be given 30 days to vacate the accommodation and return your keys.
• The date on which the 30 day period will terminate will be calculated from the date on which we received your request form; this will be communicated to you via email to your University email address. The agreement will automatically terminate at the end of those 30 days (or the date on which you return your keys, if later).
• If you return your keys in advance of the termination date you will still be required to pay the accommodation fees until the end of the 30 day period.
• If you have already paid your accommodation fees beyond this date a proportional refund will be issued.
• You are expected to leave your room in a reasonable condition If the room is found to be in an unacceptable state and/or that the room and/or the contents within have been damaged, you will be liable for all charges associated with any cleaning and repair costs.
Right to Appeal
• You may submit an appeal against the outcome if the grounds for appeal satisfy either or both criteria below:
i) There is new evidence that could not have been, or for good reason was not, made available at the time of the original request, and sufficient evidence remains that the appeal warrants further consideration;
ii) Evidence can be produced of significant procedural error on the part of the team in considering the initial request for an early departure.
• Appeals should be made in writing to the Head of Campus and Residential Services
• Appeals will be reviewed by a separate panel of relevant University staff and the outcome shared with you within 10 working days.
• Please note – you remain liable for your accommodation fees throughout this period. Please note that if your appeal is successful due to new information or evidence provided, the 30 day period to vacate your accommodation would start from the date this was provided.
Leaving accommodation without an approved early departure
If you choose to leave your accommodation without approval from the University, you will be liable for all future accommodation fees charges unless a replacement tenant moves in to the vacated room. There is no guarantee that a vacated room will be re-tenanted as this is based on demand for the room.
Important notes
Extenuating circumstances
The following list is not exhaustive but aims to provide guidelines on which early departure requests would be considered for review:
• A serious, acute or chronic medical condition (mental or physical) has been diagnosed or has become significantly more disruptive since living in University accommodation
• Changes to treatment that require adjustment not accommodated by University accommodation - for example, admission to hospital for treatment
• Significant caring responsibilities within immediate family* that require the student to move home
• Recent bereavement or serious illness within immediate family*
• Student has been a victim of/witness to a crime that has significantly impacted on their physical or mental health
• Student has become pregnant
• Safeguarding concerns for the student
• Significant disruption to the financial circumstances of the student
The following scenarios are provided as examples of cases that would not be considered extenuating circumstances and would not, therefore, be considered for early departure. This list is not exhaustive:
• Minor ailments
• Personal disruptions or events that could have been anticipated - such as moving into private accommodation
• Finishing exams/studies and wishing to leave before the end of the contract period
• Terminal illness, caring responsibilities, or bereavement of non-immediate family members
• Where the University can provide reasonable adjustments or solutions such as a room move
• Undeclared, ongoing maintenance issues - such as kitchen hygiene, noise or local area construction
Approved supporting evidence
It is important that the appropriate supporting evidence is provided to ensure that the request can be properly evaluated. The list below provides examples, but is not exhaustive. If you wish to discuss the type of evidence you can provide, you can contact the Accommodation team for advice.
• Letter from the students registered General Practitioner or Specialist Doctor, confirming the long-term condition and clarification of the impact of the student remaining in University accommodation
• Hospital documentation dated within 28 days (treatment letter, specialist letter, admission letter)
• Letter from a Care Coordinator or member of the Students Community Mental Health team or social worker
• Supporting documentation from the Emergency Services (for example, a crime reference number)
• Supporting professional documentation for immediate family member* that demonstrates an urgent need for the student to be released from their accommodation agreement.
*Immediate family is considered a parent, guardian, sibling, child or spouse.