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ACCOMMODATION

The routine allocation of College accommodation is carried out by the Head of Accommodation, within the guidelines laid down by the College Council. Members are requested to consult the Head of Accommodation directly on all matters relating to this aspect of the College's affairs.

Rooms in College. There is accommodation for 109 members in the main body of the College. Some of the rooms on site have river views. The remaining rooms either overlook Queens' Meadow with Silver Street intervening, or the garden. Many of the rooms have their own hand basins and telephone points. The rooms in Newnham Grange, the Rayne Building and the Old Granary have IT connections. The College also operates a wireless network system to enable other areas of the accommodation to access the network with appropriate equipment.

Residents need to have some crockery and cooking utensils, etc. for their own use, as breakfast is not provided in College, nor any meals on Sundays. Each group of rooms has an ironing board. Linen is NOT provided by the College.

College Hostels and Flats. A further 148 graduates can be housed in the main College hostels offsite; most hostels have IT connections. There are 13 self-contained flats for married couples, in nearby accommodation owned or leased by the College. A small number may be available for families with a single child. Linen is NOT provided in hostels or flats, nor are china, cutlery and cooking utensils.

Tenancy Terms and Conditions. Rent charges for College properties are payable quarterly in advance. Under some limited circumstances, it may be possible to arrange alternative schedules of payment (eg: instalments) within each quarter; this concession must be negotiated personally and individually with the College Accountant, and is entirely at the discretion of the College. Late payment can result in the termination of your tenancy licence, interest charges, and ultimately disciplinary action. Tenancies are never normally licensed beyond the 14th of September following the date of occupation. The minimum occupation and payment period for a college member seeking a college room or flat is 6 months from the date of occupation. To terminate the licensed tenancy of a study/bedroom: 4 weeks' notice is required, and for a flat: 3 months' notice. The 6-month minimum occupancy may be reduced if another, previously unaccommodated, member is willing to take on the remaining period of license, and thus no loss of room rental is suffered by the College.

Rents of Rooms and Flats. Rents in College and Hostel rooms include utilities and use of common facilities and range between:

Main College Site		£70.75 - £89.50 per week
College Hostels		£72.50 - £103.75 per week

Rents in Flats do not include gas or electricity charges and range from £122.50 to £137.25 per week.

(Above rates last updated for 2009-10).

The Provision of Accommodation

The College aims to offer all newly arriving students the chance of living in College accommodation during their first year. All members undertaking a course that continues beyond one year (e.g., PhD) have a chance of being allocated college accommodation, by ballot, for a further year. Normally, the maximum time any member may plan to occupy College accommodation is one year, with limited opportunities for a second year.

Members who have completed an MPhil and who then continue to a PhD - - where the MPhil counts towards that PhD - - will always have their MPhil year counted as part of the entitlement to apply for up to two years in college accommodation. The Head of Accommodation, at the discretion of the College, may make other arrangements for members on courses which do not fall exactly within these definitions.

The allocation of particular rooms, types of rooms, and locations is determined by the Head of Accommodation. Wherever possible this will take into account any personal preferences that members have expressed; however, the overriding consideration is to offer some form of college accommodation to the maximum number of members.

Accommodation on the main college site is normally allocated for one year only to give as many members as possible a chance to benefit from living for a period on or near the Domus. It is unlikely that students will be eligible to apply for the ballot in their second year at Darwin, if they have not had their change from MPhil status to PhD status confirmed (without qualifications) by The Board of Graduate Studies before 1 May of that year. Of course, they would retain entitlement to enter the ballot in subsequent years.

Accommodation cannot be provided for members "over-running" at the end of the academic year. Members must go out of residence on or before 14 Sepember of their accommodation year to enable the College to carry out a short period of maintenance and cleaning before rooms are re-occupied at the beginning of the next academic year by new arrivals. It is emphasized that all tenancy licences terminate on 14 September at the latest. Members must make their academic and personal arrangements with this limitation in mind.

Ballot procedure for accommodation in the succeeding academic years. During the Lent term, each member with further entitlement is invited to apply for College accommodation for the following year. Wherever possible, members will be allocated rooms in areas of their choice, but inevitably some areas will be over-subscribed. The ballot process usually takes place during April/May. A member expecting to be away during that period (eg: on fieldwork) should contact the Head of Accommodation before leaving, to make appropriate arrangements for inclusion in the ballot. It should be noted that flats are not included in the ballot.

Changes of accommodation during the year. Accommodation needs may be discussed with the Head of Accommodation at any time and the College will take into account extenuating circumstances (medical disability etc.) whenever possible. Nevertheless, requests for a change of room during the year will not normally be granted because of the generally limited room availability and the substantial administrative work involved.

Notice of termination of a tenancy licence. Members wishing to vacate their college accommodation between the expiry of the minimum-occupation period of 6 months and the termination of the licence on 14 September are required to give the Head of Accommodation at least one month’s notice of their intention to vacate a room and 3 months’ notice of vacation of a flat.

Alternative advice for members. There is a DCSA Welfare Officer who can advise and assist members and who regularly liaises with the Head of Accommodation and the Bursar.

Council Tax. Students living in hostels, flats or private accommodation may receive demands from the City Council for the payment of Council Tax. However, students are exempt from payment and if demands are received, the Deanery will provide affected students with a certificate confirming their student status. It should be noted that non-student spouses or partners sharing a student’s accommodation may be liable for payment and students in this situation should seek advice from the Deanery or Head of Accommodation.

Short-term accommodation. Short-term accommodation is usually available during the summer - from about 1 July through to mid-September. This accommodation is allocated by the Head of Accommodation entirely at the College's discretion.

Security. The security of property belonging to all persons resident in College property is the responsibility of the resident. The College does not accept liability for loss or damage to such property.

Petty theft is common in all Cambridge Colleges, mainly because it is difficult to establish whether all visitors are bona fide or not. Therefore it is essential that rooms and windows are always locked when left unoccupied, and valuables should never be left unattended in public rooms. Insurance is a personal responsibility.

Graduate members should be on their guard at all times against intruders in College Premises. Doors should be kept locked and admission permitted only to known persons. Intruders should be reported to the Porters' Lodge. Personal Alarms are provided free by the DCSA to all members who request them. Security breaches should be reported to the Porters' Lodge and details entered in the Incident Log.

Members should avoid walking or cycling in poorly-lit parts of the City after dark. Where possible they should not travel alone, particularly off the main roads, late at night.

Pets. Keeping of pets in College accommodation is not permitted.

University Accommodation Service. Further Information on accommodation can be obtained from the University Accommodation Service, Kellet Lodge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QJ (Tel: 01223 338099). There are also various estate agencies in the City and further information is frequently published in the local newspaper The Cambridge Evening News - about accommodation.

Guest Rooms. Anyone wishing to reserve a Guest Room should apply personally or in writing to the Bursar's Secretary (e-mail: bursars.sec@dar.cam.ac.uk) giving as much notice as possible, stating also whether breakfast is required. Guest Rooms may not normally be reserved for more than five consecutive nights without special permission from the Bursar. It is not possible to provide breakfast on Sunday mornings. The charge for Guest Rooms begins at £25.00 per person per night. Larger en-suite guest rooms in The Malting House cost £35.00 for the first night and £25.00 per person for subsequent nights. A Continental style breakfast is available at a daily charge of £3.15 per person.

NOTE: All bookings will incur a booking fee of £10.00 which is non-returnable if less than seven days notice is given for cancellation.

Maintenance Book. Please use the book in the Porters' Lodge to report damage or other matters concerning property repairs.

Room Damage. Whenever a room is taken over, the new occupant is required to sign a form recording the state of the room and its contents. Damages or losses occurring during the occupancy may be charged for.

Room and Gyp Room Keys. These keys should be collected from the Porters' Lodge. Individual room keys in the Rayne Building will also operate the front door of the College. ALL ROOMS, INCLUDING GYP ROOMS, SHOULD BE LOCKED FOR SECURITY REASONS AND YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY.