Tenant Welfare
The development has been designed with the demanding requirements of overseas students in mind. International students lack the safety net of nearby family, cultural and linguistic integration that ordinary students take for granted and, consequently, tenant welfare is of paramount importance to the success of the development. Several key factors have been incorporated into the design in order to ensure that the development meets the additional needs of international students:
- tenancies to be offered for 51 weeks, rather than the usual 42, to reflect the needs of students without a base in the United Kingdom. UK based students return home for the summer break, whereas overseas students require accommodation for longer
- a buddy scheme will be operated within the building, ensuring residents new to the country will be paired with a more experienced resident who can introduce them to local amenities and customs
- Urban Start will make contact with tenants via social media prior to their arrival in the UK to help them make domestic travel arrangements
- Urban Start to send tenancy agreements electronically, so applicants can easily sign from overseas
- Urban Start website to provide translation of key information into appropriate languages
- Urban Start to provide building use and safety information in appropriate languages
