Damage, vandalism and maintenance issues

Whenever lots of people live together, things will occasionally get broken. when you're living in residences, there are different ways of thinking about damage. This affects what happens afterwards, and whether there's any need for you to pay a charge for a repair.

Accidental damage is just what it sounds like, an accident. This includes any damage that you couldn’t reasonably have avoided, or that wasn’t really anyone’s fault. This might be something like a drawer handle coming loose, or an oven dial falling off. Accidental damage in your flat may just be counted as 'normal wear and tear,' which means it's expected to happen sooner or later, as things wear out over time. You won’t usually be expected to pay for damage like this, if something has clearly just worn out from normal use. Even if you do have to pay for it, there usually won’t be any disciplinary consequences for the behaviour, if it was clearly an accident.

Negligent or reckless damage is caused when you don’t take reasonable care of something. This includes any damage that you could reasonably have avoided, or should have predicted. This might be something like damaging a door frame by slamming the door too hard, or cracking a freezer drawer by trying to force it closed when ice has built up around it. Damage caused by misuse of the accommodation would also come under this category. So, for example, this includes things like scratching the floor by using inappropriate footwear or moving furniture around, or damaging worktops by not taking sensible precautions with knives or hot pans. Negligent and reckless damage is your responsibility and you'll have to pay the costs of repairing it, including materials and labour. It’s quite likely that there will also be a disciplinary investigation when any suspected negligent or reckless damage is found.

Vandalism is deliberate damage. This can also include any damage that was caused as a joke or prank. Vandalism includes things like writing on fridges and cupboards, removing signs, and smashing ceiling tiles. Vandalism within your flat is contractually considered your shared responsibility and, as a flat, you and your flatmates will usually have to pay the costs of repairing it. Even if the damage was caused by your guests, you'll still be considered responsible for this kind of damage. You should also expect disciplinary consequences, both for the damage itself, and for not controlling any guests who were involved in causing it.

Whenever you become aware of damage and maintenance issues, you have a contractual responsibility to report them to ACS Customer Services, or your local reception desk if you live in Allen Court or St Vincent's Place. Reporting an issue is in your best interests, especially if there’s likely to be a disciplinary investigation into how the damage was caused. It also means that the damage can be addressed promptly, which often stops it getting worse. If, for example, you have a dripping tap, or a faulty oven dial, it's definitely best to report it as soon as you notice, rather than letting it become a flood or a fire risk.

If you’re aware of a problem and you don’t report it, you’re technically in breach of your residence contract. Sometimes this can leave you in a bad situation. If, for example, your flat door is broken, it will be assumed that everyone in the flat is aware of it, so each person has a responsibility to report it. If nobody does, and intruders then enter the unlocked flat and cause damage, you would all share responsibility for this, because nobody took any action to report the broken door and get it repaired. For this reason, it’s always best to report things yourself, rather than leaving it for someone else to. If the situation is really complicated, and you’re not sure what to do, you can always seek some advice from your Residence Life Mentor.

It’s worth knowing that under the terms of your contract, you must pay for any damage you’re responsible for. This includes any damage caused by your guests, or anyone you let into your accommodation.

Any damage charges are handled by the Contracts team. If you need to pay a damage charge, you’ll be contacted directly by them. They’ll explain what the charge is for. If you don’t think you’re responsible for it, you can explain why. You can also ask any questions you want to, or tell them who you think should be charged instead, or as well. The charge will be for your share of the whole cost of repair or replacement, to put things back to how they were before the damage happened. This will include the materials and the labour charge for the contractors to do the job. It will be split between everyone the Contracts team believes shares responsibility. Sometimes this might be everyone in a flat, or everyone who was present during the incident when the damage was caused.

The ACS disciplinary process deals with the behaviour itself, why it happened, and whether it breaches the Regulations relating to the Discipline of Students, or the terms of your residence contract. Our series of articles has lots more information about the disciplinary process, extra support with navigating it, and help to understand the Regulations and your residence contract. If you become the subject of an investigation, either as an individual, or along with the rest of your flat, just co-operate as best you can, and explain honestly what happened. There’s lots of support available, and if you’re worried, your Mentor can always help you talk things through.