Two-hour response time

We respond within two hours when you report:

  • fire, or imminent risk of fire or an explosion
  • gas leaks
  • any incident that presents an immediate danger to personal safety
  • substantial flood or leakage of water from plumbing or heating service not contained by local drains
  • loss of electrical supply to a building or a significant part of a building (more than one room)
  • lift breakdown with passengers inside
  • a problem affecting the external security of buildings, flats or individual student bedrooms

24-hour response time

We respond within 24 hours when you report:

  • blocked drains, blocked toilets or internal waste pipes
  • loss of heating on a building basis
  • loss of heating to residential rooms where temporary re‐location is not possible
  • loss of hot or cold water on a building basis
  • loss of hot or cold water to residential rooms where temporary re‐location is not possible
  • loss of electrical supply in an entire residential room or area
  • broken glass in a window or door (may involve boarding or application of a security film and returning to reglaze later)
  • unusable sanitary fittings where they are the only ones available for use (for example, in en‐suite rooms)
  • any incident giving rise to a serious safety risk (such as floor coverings, steps, paved areas)
  • lighting failure on a local basis* where no other light source exists and the Accommodation team are unable to provide temporary desk lamps
  • any emergency lighting failure
  • loss of other local services, such as ventilation and air conditioning
  • water leak not causing damage to the building, such as a tap that won't turn off
  • lift breakdown with no passengers inside
  • loss of all cooking facilities
  • loss of IT network (report to the Digital Data & Technology Group in the first instance)
  • emergency key cutting (when there is no other key available)
  • broken or missing window restrictors, when affecting security or health and safety

There may be circumstances when a '24 hour' response is not suitable, such as when an event is taking place. In these cases, a 'same day' response may be the target.

Three-day response time

We respond within three days when you report:

  • loss of cooking facility when other elements or appliances are available
  • lighting failure when other lighting exists in the room
  • water ingress into a room that is not causing immediate problems but could cause problems in the long term
  • damage to an internal door that could cause security problems
  • blocked external drains
  • key cutting (if the spare key is missing)
  • loss of water supply on a local basis* (other outlets available)
  • loss of electrical power on a local basis,* such as an individual socket circuit, when other outlets are available
  • broken or missing window restrictors (no security or health and safety issue)
  • faulty mail box (may be escalated to 24 hours if contents are of an urgent nature)

Seven-day response time

We respond within seven days when you request:

  • lost or missing floor tiles and paving where there is a minimal safety risk
  • replacement of cracked glass not giving rise to security or safety risk
  • replacement or repairs to sanitary ware fittings, such as plugs and seats
  • adjustment of door closures or floor springs
  • repairs to joinery items such as doors and windows, where there is no security risk
  • refix loose fixtures and fittings

Agreed response times

We will contact you with a specific response time when you request:

  • repairs or replacement furniture
  • repairs to furniture when the damage affects the functionality of the room (mostly covered by Handymen)
  • creation or replacement of nameplates for room occupants (mostly covered by Handymen)
  • painting (mostly covered by Handymen)
  • replacement of cracked sanitary ware when the damage has not prevented use or caused a health and safety risk
  • installation of standard telephone and data sockets
  • plaster repairs or redecoration
  • cutting of additional spare keys
  • any other task that has been rearranged

*'on a local basis' means the Helpdesk may ask further questions if they need more clarification to determine the scale and impact of the issue you are reporting.