Acis Students | Booking and cancellation policies

Acis Students booking and cancellation policies

Booking and cancellation policy – academic year 2023/2024

Introduction

This policy gives guidance on who is eligible to make a booking and the types of booking available through Acis Students. It also explains how a booking can be cancelled. If you have completed a booking directly with Acis Students, this policy is part of your tenancy agreement.

If you make a booking for Acis Students accommodation through your university, the university’s booking or allocations policy will apply, and it will take precedence over this policy.

Who can make a booking?

You can make a booking through Acis Students if:

You are a current or upcoming university student
You are not in breach of an existing tenancy agreement for any reason
There is a suitable room available that meets your requirements

Most of our tenants are aged over 18. If you will be under 18 at the start of your proposed tenancy, then before you book, you should make direct contact with the site where you would like to live. We can then discuss and agree any additional conditions and safeguards that may need to be put in place until you turn 18.

Acis Students cannot guarantee to meet applicants’ preferences – although we do try to where ever possible. If we cannot offer your preferred choice, we will contact you with an alternative room or ask if you would like to be placed on a waiting list for the room type of your choice.

Disability, equality and diversity

We will make every reasonable effort to meet the needs of students with disabilities or special needs. If you have a disability, medical condition or special need that affects your accommodation requirements, then please let us know in the additional notes section when you complete your application for accommodation. Applicants are encouraged to disclose any special requirements (for example, medical or religious) to enable us to provide a suitable room. Acis Students may not be able to meet all needs, but we will do what we reasonably can.

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities in the provision of accommodation, regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin, religious belief, age, gender, marital status or sexual orientation. However, our accommodation is not suitable for children under the age of 17.

Types of bookings

There are three types of bookings: Book Now, Create Application and University Bookings.

Book Now - Some of our bookings are made directly through Acis Students’ online system as this is the quickest and usually the simplest method. When you complete your application online via our Book Now option, Acis Students will automatically offer you a room depending on what your preferred choices are (this will be the nearest match if we cannot meet all of your preferences). This type of booking allows you to view your tenancy agreement and pay the booking fee instantly if you want to accept the offer. Your booking is confirmed, and your tenancy agreement is completed when you pay your booking fee, provide your guarantor details (if applicable) and accept the terms of the tenancy agreement.

Create an application – This option is used if you are looking to live with a group of friends or have a special requirement that you wish to tell us about. Once you have completed your application, our property teams will review your application. Subject to availability, we will offer you a room based on your preferences (or the closest match). The offer will remain open for three calendar days. If you want to accept the offer, you will need to pay your booking fee and accept our standard terms and conditions within that three-day period. If you miss the deadline, you will need to contact us as soon as possible.

University bookings – We have agreements with some universities that allow you to book through the university’s application process. If you book through your chosen university, the university will decide whether or not to make you an offer. Once the University has made you an offer, we will be in touch with you in order to complete your booking. If you want to accept the offer, you will need to pay your booking fee and accept our standard terms and conditions by the deadline we give you which will usually be three calendar days after the date of the offer. If you miss the deadline, you may need to re-apply.

Can I cancel my booking?

By law, a cooling-off period has to be given for many things ordered online – but a cooling-off period is not a legal requirement in contracts for residential accommodation.

Acis Students does allow bookings to be cancelled in certain circumstances, as set out below. Acis Students does not allow bookings to be cancelled by tenants or prospective tenants in any other circumstances.

Cancellations during the Initial Cancellation Period

You have a short period after accepting an offer of accommodation in which you may cancel your booking. In this policy, we refer to this period as the “Initial Cancellation Period”. The duration of the Initial Cancellation Period depends on when you accept the offer of accommodation.

If you accept the offer of accommodation on or before 12 August and that date is also before the start date of your tenancy, the Initial Cancellation Period is three working days, starting on the day that you accept the offer. Your cancellation request must reach us by no later than the end of the third working day after you accept the offer and before you move into your accommodation.

If you accept the tenancy agreement after 12 August, but it is before the date that your tenancy is due to start, then the Initial Cancellation Period is one working day, starting from the day that you accept the offer of accommodation. Your cancellation request must reach us by no later than the end of the next working day after you accept the offer, and before you move into your accommodation.

To cancel during the Initial Cancellation Period, you must give notice in writing to the site office of the property where you have booked to stay. The notice may be sent by post or email. The notice cannot be sent by SMS. The notice must clearly state that you are cancelling your booking (for example, an email saying that you are reconsidering whether university is right for you will not be treated as a cancellation notice). The notice must arrive at the site office within the Initial Cancellation Period.

Cancellations at other times

After expiry of the Initial Cancellation Period, there is no right to cancel, but Acis Students may agree (in our sole discretion) to accept a cancellation if any of the following circumstances apply:

You are a first-year or a prospective student and your offer at your first choice of University\Higher Education Institution has been withdrawn as a result of you not meeting entry requirements. In order for your request to cancel your accommodation to be considered you must:
- put your request in writing
- send us supporting evidence from the University or UCAS
- do this within three working days of receiving notification that your offer of a place on the course has been withdrawn.
Your UK Visa application has been refused. In order for your request to cancel your accommodation to be considered you must;
- put your request in writing
- send us supporting evidence
- do this within five working days of you receiving official confirmation that your application has been refused.
Mitigating circumstances such as ill health or family circumstances. If you request to cancel due to ill health, you must:
- make your request in writing
- produce a certificate from a recognised medical practitioner stating the medical grounds on which you are unable to live in, or continue living in, your accommodation.
- There is no deadline for making a cancellation request on these grounds.

Provided that the relevant criteria set out above has been received within the applicable deadline, then each request for cancellation will be considered on its own merits, taking into account the supporting evidence that you provide. If your cancellation request is granted, then you will receive written confirmation of the date your tenancy agreement was cancelled. Booking fees and pre-paid rent will be refunded (but if you have been living in the accommodation, we may make extra charges of rent for the period up to cancellation and move-out).

If your cancellation request is refused, you may still be able to cancel your accommodation if you can find a suitable replacement tenant who is acceptable to Acis Students and who is willing to enter into a legally binding contract for your accommodation. It is your responsibility to find a suitable replacement tenant. In most cases a prospective tenant will not be suitable if he/she is already renting a room from Acis Students or is bound into another contract. Acis Students will only assist you with finding a replacement tenant if all the other rooms on site are already let and we have applicants on a waiting list.

If Acis Students accepts the request for the cancellation of your tenancy, you will receive written notification and be provided with a release date (the date that your tenancy will end). In the case of tenants who need to find a replacement tenant, the release date will not be issued until the replacement tenant enters into a tenancy agreement with Acis Students. You will remain liable to pay the rent for the period before the release date or, if later, until you vacate your room and hand in your keys and any other access devices.

If your cancellation request is rejected, you will remain liable for all the obligations contained in your tenancy agreement, including payment of rent, whether you occupy the accommodation or not.

Cancellation fees

There is no fee to pay if you cancel within the applicable Initial Cancellation Period.

If you ask us to cancel your tenancy agreement after the Initial Cancellation Period, we may charge you a fee, but you will not be asked to pay more than:

(a) The loss suffered by the landlord as a result of ending the tenancy;

(b) The Landlord’s reasonable costs in respect of administering the cancellation request.

Usually this will be an administration fee of £50 for arranging the cancellation and any sums you owe under the tenancy agreement (such as rent arrears and damages).

There is no cancellation fee to pay if we do not agree to cancel.

Transfer fees

If you want to change your booking after accepting an offer, then you could cancel your existing booking within the Initial Cancellation Period and then re-apply. In this case, there will be no fee payable, but you may not be offered your choice of room when you re-apply.

If you want to change your booking after the Initial Cancellation Period, or you do not want to risk cancelling your booking, you can apply to change your tenancy. We will charge you an administration fee as follows:

(a) For transfer requests before the start of the tenancy period, a fee of £45 to cover our administration costs;

(b) For transfer requests during the tenancy period, a fee of £50 (to cover our administration costs and the additional room inspection required when you vacate).

There is no transfer fee to pay if we do not agree to a room transfer.

Booking and cancellation policy - academic year 2024/2025

Introduction

If you make a booking for Acis Students accommodation through your university, the university’s booking or allocations policy will apply, and it will take precedence over this policy.

Who can make a booking?

You can make a booking through Acis Students if:

You are a current student or have accepted a place at the university.
You have a right to rent in England.
You are not in breach of an existing tenancy agreement for any reason.
There is a suitable room available that meets your requirements.

Disability, equality and diversity

We will make every reasonable effort to meet the needs of students with disabilities or special needs. If you have a disability, medical condition or special need that affects your accommodation requirements, then please let us know when you complete your application for accommodation. Applicants are encouraged to disclose any special requirements (for example, medical or religious) to enable us to provide a suitable room. Acis Students may not be able to meet all needs, but we will do what we reasonably can.

Types of bookings

There are two types of bookings: Book Directly and University Bookings.

Book Directly - Bookings can be made directly through the Book Now option on the Acis Students website, which will take you to your Student Accommodation Manager (SAM), our online portal. When you complete your application via SAM, you will be offered a room depending on what your preferred choices are (this will be the nearest match if we cannot meet all of your preferences).

University bookings – We have agreements with some universities that allow you to book through their own application process. They will then decide whether or not to make you an offer. Once the University has made you an offer, we will be in touch with you in order to complete your booking.

Completing your booking

Both types of bookings will allow you to view and accept your tenancy agreement. Your booking is confirmed, and your tenancy agreement is completed when you pay your booking fee, provide your guarantor details (if applicable) and accept the terms of the tenancy agreement which is done by entering your username and password on SAM. You will also be required to provide a wet/electronic signature on your tenancy agreement. There is a deadline for accepting your offer of accommodation, if you miss the deadline then you may need to re-apply although the same accommodation cannot be guaranteed.

Can I cancel my booking?

By law, a cooling-off period has to be given for many things ordered online – but a cooling-off period is not a legal requirement in contracts for residential accommodation.

Acis Students will allow bookings to be cancelled only in certain circumstances, which are set out below. Acis Students does not allow bookings to be cancelled by tenants or prospective tenants in any other circumstances.

Cancellations during the Initial Cancellation Period

You have a short period after accepting an offer of accommodation in which you may cancel your booking. In this policy, we refer to this period as the “Initial Cancellation Period”.

If you accept your tenancy agreement and that date is before the start date of your tenancy, then the Initial Cancellation Period is one working day from when you accepted the offer for the accommodation. Your cancellation request must reach us before you move into your accommodation.

To cancel during the Initial Cancellation Period, you must give notice in writing to the site office of the property where you have booked to stay. The notice must be sent by either email to sam@acisstudents.co.uk or by hand delivering the notice to the reception desk for your accommodation . The notice cannot be sent by SMS. The notice must clearly state that you are wishing to cancel your booking for accommodation (for example, an email saying that you are reconsidering whether university is right for you will not be treated as a cancellation notice). The notice must be received within the Initial Cancellation Period.

Cancellations at other times

After expiry of the Initial Cancellation Period, there is no right to cancel, but Acis Students may agree (in our sole discretion) to accept a cancellation. Examples of when we may exercise our discretion are:

You are a prospective student and your offer at your first choice of University\Higher Education Institution has been withdrawn as a result of you not meeting entry requirements and you can provide evidence in support of that.
Your UK Visa application has been refused and you can supply evidence in support of that.

All requests for a cancellation must be made in writing to sam@acisstudents.co.uk and any evidence that you have to support your request must be provided at the time of making the cancellation request. Each request for cancellation will be considered on its own merits, taking into account the supporting evidence that you provide. If your cancellation request is granted, then you will receive written confirmation of the date that your tenancy agreement was cancelled with Acis Students. Booking fees and pre-paid rent will be refunded (but if you have been living in the accommodation, we may make extra charges of rent for the period up to cancellation and move-out).

If your cancellation request is refused, you may still be able to cancel your accommodation if you can find a suitable replacement tenant who is acceptable to Acis Students and who is willing to enter into a legally binding contract for your accommodation. It is your responsibility to find a suitable replacement tenant. In most cases a prospective tenant will not be suitable if they are already renting a room from Acis Students or is bound into another contract for accommodation. Acis Students will only assist you with finding a replacement tenant if all the other rooms on site are already let and we have applicants on a waiting list.

In the case of tenants who need to find a replacement tenant, the release date will not be issued until the replacement tenant completes the process with Acis Students. You will remain liable to pay the rent for the period before the release date or, if later, until you vacate your room and hand in your keys and any other access devices.