30th June 2022
2020 saw the outbreak of a global pandemic we now know as COVID-19, this changed our world in more ways than anyone could imagine. At Abodus we worked through the pandemic to support our students and keep them safe. Your safety, health and wellbeing are our top priority, and we have produced this dedicated page in response, pointing you to all of the precautionary measures we have implemented to ensure your safety.
We are now registered and approved by The British Safety Council in response to the Audits recently carried out on-site. This means our protocols and associated control arrangements were considered to be in accordance with current UK government and sector specific guidelines at the time of the review and arrangements for continual monitoring of their effectiveness were in place.
We are here to help and support you on your journey to success. The Abodus team are trained to help and support you with any concerns or issues. We offer a range of self-help resources in our blogs and guides which are free to access.
Dear Students,
Many restrictions eased in England from Monday 19th July. In order to keep everyone as safe as possible we will continue with the majority of our COVID safe working practices to ensure we are playing our part in reducing the spread of the virus. Our sites teams will continue to wear face coverings in social areas and when entering your flat, sanitisation stations will remain around the buildings and entrances, heightened cleaning schedules will continue.
Our primary concern has always been the safety of our staff, students, and visitors. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the COVID safe measures we have in place, please contact your site team.
We would like to thank you for your support during this pandemic, these have been challenging times for everyone and we are delighted that a return to normal ways of working is getting closer each day.
Keep safe
Abodus Team
If you or a member of your current household is unwell, we ask that you do not travel to check-in, contact your Abodus team for guidance on check-in when you are well enough to travel.
Abodus are ready to welcome you to your new home, the world is a little different now, once you have checked in you will be able to meet your new housemates.
It is an exciting time meeting new people and facing the new challenge of University. It is critical everyone follows the up-to-date government guidance:
Government guidance changed on the 19th July 2021, you are able to see family and friends without restrictions. We are continuing with our heightened cleaning schedule throughout out buildings and social areas. We ask you respect other and follow any government guidance on social distancing and wearing face coverings in crowded areas.
Our social areas will be open, we have provided sanitising wipes and hand sanitiser for you to use, some areas have a booking system in place, contact your site team for further information
New travel restrictions are in place for red, amber, and green countries up to date details on which countries on the list is available here.
People travelling from countries that are not on the green list must quarantine for 10 days once they arrive in the UK (day or arrival is day 0). They are required to compete a passenger locator form (PLF) before travelling to the UK, listing the address of the nominated place of self-isolation.
If you need to use public transport to transfer to the nominated accommodation, you may be required to wear a face covering and socially distance from others. Anyone requiring to self-isolate should not leave their identified accommodation for any reason until after the 10 days is complete. Self-isolation is a is a personal responsibility – failure to comply is an offence that can be punished with a fine, payable by the student. You will be required to complete two COVID tests during your isolation period, more information on booking this can be found here.
If you require to self-isolate or quarantine on arrival, we ask that you contact your on-site team so that we able to support you during this period with additional protection measures and services.
You are able to book a COVID test with or without symptoms details on how to book your test is available here.
You must be registered with the NHS to obtain a COVID Vaccination in the UK, you are able to register with a GP here.
It is anticipated the guidance in the UK is set to change 16th August, where fully vaccinated adults will no longer be required to isolate if they have come in to contact with a person with a positive COVID test. If you are 18 and over you can book your vaccination appointment here.
The usual cancellation terms and conditions apply for all requests that are not EXPLICITLY related to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak.
Our Cancellation and Leavers Policy and all cancellation related documents can be found here.
Contact your site team as soon as possible, and prior to your check in date.
We have a Mental Health Support Team who are here to support students with any mental health difficulties, provide information on specialist services available in your university or area.
The onsite teams can help to support with more practical issues which may be impacting your studies. This may be with other students, your accommodation, support to link you to the local health services and much more. We are here for you, even if you just want a chat.
We want you to feel safe in your new home and support you in being the best version of yourself. Sometimes you may feel vulnerable and have concerns about how you have been treated verbally and physically by others. We all have a responsibility to report inappropriate behaviour and we are committed to helping you stay safe.
You may need to register or find NHS services while you are at University you can do this by following the links below:
Non-emergency medical information https://111.nhs.uk/ or call 111
Non-Emergency Police information https://www.police.uk/forces/ or call 101
Abodus is committed to providing and maintaining a healthy and safe working environment for all its employees, students and any other people who may be affected by its activities.
Abodus Health & Safety Teams role is to assist the onsite teams implement the Health and Safety Policy and to provide expert advice. Our Health & Safety Team have scientific and technical expertise provided by professionally qualified advisers.
The team works closely with our University partners, for Occupational Health, and with external agencies to ensure the support is available for all our students.
Your time as a student should be among the happiest of your life, don’t let a fire change that.
Every year, 17-24-year olds are involved in accidental house fires. It is common for fires to start in the kitchen. Almost half of accidental house fires are caused by cooking.
Smoke alarms save lives! Smoke alarms are fitted throughout the building and within your flat. The onsite teams test them weekly to ensure we maintain a high standard of fire safety. Do not tamper or cover any equipment that has been provided for your safety.
REMEMBER: If a fire starts get out, stay out and dial 999
We are now registered and approved by The British Safety Council in response to the Audits recently carried out on-site. This means our protocols and associated control arrangements were considered to be in accordance with current UK government and sector specific guidelines at the time of the review and arrangements for continual monitoring of their effectiveness were in place.
It is important to remember that a person aged 18 or over, is an adult in the eyes of the law. As such, their privacy is protected by data protection legislation. Our students provide us with information about themselves as part of becoming a new resident in the Abodus property portfolio.
Some of the details provided are fairly routine, whereas, depending on the reason for the provision of personal data, we may take more sensitive information. We are heavily constrained in all our discussions that we have with you in regards to your son / daughter and all staff are carefully briefed about their data protection responsibilities in law. For this reason, we may require you to complete data checks to qualify speaking with you on all matters related to your son or daughter as it makes no difference in the eyes of the law related to data protection that you are their parent.
There may be occasions when you feel that you would like to discuss matters relating to your son / daughter with accommodation providers. To be clear, we have no responsibility or obligation to disclose to you any personal information relating to your son / daughter or any other relatives, even if you are the one paying the rental obligation.
To ensure we are operating within the law, your son / daughter must provide written consent for them to speak to you about their personal affairs. The letter must be sent and signed by your son / daughter and must state clearly which information they are requesting the third party to disclose to you and why.
If you have been unable to contact your son / daughter for a period of time and you are concerned, we are happy to contact them on your behalf and ask them to contact you. We cannot call you back to share information but will focus on asking your son / daughter to get in touch with you directly. If your son / daughter has not contacted you within 5 days, it is permissible for you to contact us again to advise us that you have had no contact from your son / daughter. We will be able to confirm that the message has been passed on, your son / daughter has been seen, and he/she is aware you are waiting to hear from them.
You may be concerned about your son / daughter’s health or well-being, or even concerned about their behaviour or the behaviour of other people around them. Remember, we will not be able to discuss any details relating to your son / daughter without your son / daughter’s written permission beforehand. If you are deeply concerned, there may be other agencies more suitable such as the Police.
Sometimes, young adults are deliberately fleeing a difficult situation, so please understand why we cannot inform you of their personal data or sensitive details (such as their address, contact numbers or lifestyle choices). It is however more often the case that they are having such a good time with friends that they have completely forgotten about worried parents at home.
We are now registered and approved by The British Safety Council in response to the Audits recently carried out on-site. This means our protocols and associated control arrangements were considered to be in accordance with current UK government and sector specific guidelines at the time of the review and arrangements for continual monitoring of their effectiveness were in place.
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