Thousands of students live in local communities across Sheffield. Whether through volunteering, supporting local businesses or organising and attending events, they are integral to the economic health and vibrancy of Sheffield's neighbourhoods.
Being a responsible member of their local community is a central plank of what both universities expect from their students. We provide students with guidelines and expectations of behaviour when living in private rented accommodation. An obligation not to disturb or annoy neighbours will usually also be found in tenancy agreements.Â
Students moving into private rented accomodation received a copy of the University's Guidelines for Noise through their landlords or letting agents.
A leaflet explaining various aspects of living in the community, including reinforcing noise guidelines, explaining Sheffield's bin system and promoting local shops and community groups, is also delivered to around 10,000 households in areas with high student populations in September.
All Sheffield Hallam students receive a copy of the University's expectations for living in private accommodation when the enroll to study. This can be found online here.
When and how we take action
The universities have no legal authority to compel students to reduce noise or manage their waste responsibly when living in private rented accommodation. However, we can take action through various means, including our respective disciplinary processes.
Each incident involving students in the community is unique and the universities take a flexible, case-by-case approach to becoming involved in issues. Sometimes a single event will be serious enough to warrant intervention from our student conduct teams, but repeat or frequent low-level annoyances can also trigger intervention.
Depending on the nature and seriousness of the incident, our interventions can include:
Contact via the property's landlord or letting agent
Contact from student support teams to remind students of their obligations
An official warning from student conduct teams
Formal disciplinary proceedings, which may include sanctions such as voluntary work and letters of apology
Reporting an issue
Visit our pages about reporting a noise or waste issue to find the best route for reporting issues relating to a private rented student property