Freshers Week is all about those first steps towards the rest of your life; an introduction to your time at University and a chance to meet new people, embarrass yourself, and stay lifelong friends with the people who are still speaking to you in the morning.
Unfortunately staying safe is becoming an issue in campus cities all over the UK, and people are now taking crime into consideration when picking their future homes. According to the ‘Complete University Guide’ the city of Nottingham ranks at the least safe with an 0.3% chance of burglary, robbery or a violent attack, and York (0.11%) – home to two large Universities – is the fourth-safest University town on the league. Lancaster (0.106%), Canterbury (0.095%) and Bath (0.091%) are statistically the safest Universities according to both 2011 and 2012 rankings.
The University of York has taken measures to increase Campus Security over the last five years, including extensive CCTV across campus and patrols taking place regularly 24 hours a day. You can phone YUSU any-time during the day or night for a security chaperone, and the 24H Porter service will pay for your taxi and bill you later if you require aid getting home from town.
If you can bear the pain of staying sober one night then take it in turns to be the ‘responsible adult’ in your group – keep everyone together, and if you’re all in the same flat then you could only take one key out with you to minimise damage from loss.If you’re already in town then the usual ‘keep your wits about you’ rules apply: don’t drink more than you can handle, don’t wander off on your own and don’t lose your phone or keys. YUSU sponsors a ‘night bus’ that runs on our main student nights and can take you home for less than a taxi, however if you’re travelling home later than the last bus then make sure you ring a licenced firm and travel with a group – just because you can trust the taxi, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed safety on the journey to your front door.
If you’re moving into private accommodation this year then it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a safe house either. It isn’t rude or demanding to request a working burgular alarm from your landlord, and they shouldn’t have any problems providing you with one. You may not want to set it every time you leave the house, but if you’re all headed home for the weekend then it’s an added bonus.
Don’t display your valuables; close blinds and windows every time you leave, keep lights on at night (it doesn’t use much more energy) and keep your bikes locked securely even if you’re storing them in a shed or utility room. It’s easy to spot the student houses on streets – sign-posts, student cars, bicycles and club posters on the windows – so it’s important to make sure yours doesn’t look to enticing for passing criminals. A student house with a non-functional alarm, a ground-floor bedroom displaying the latest Macbook and your new PS3, a bike shed and an empty driveway is asking for trouble.
If you do suffer a break-in, make sure your goods are insured and that you call the police and your landlord/estate agent immediately to prevent further financial problems with your deposit and tenancy – you should not be charged for any damage made by an intruder. Student agent Sinclair offers insurance from Endsleigh for your personal items as standard, and if you’re going private then the University has it’s own list of reputable landlords to help you in choosing the best house for your safety and security.
I heard Sinclair puts their microwaves in the laundry room. :/
Adam Bennett is the worst letting agent on campus. And Mr Ghali, landlord of a few houses on Canham Grove is the worst landlord. He would come into the bedrooms of female housemates at 5am in the morning saying he wanted to check the radiator…
Thanks for the heads-up Lucy!
After a bad experience with Adam Bennett myself, I would have to agree they don’t have strong-enough requirements from their land lords. I was set up in a property with hidden stains and burn marks under furniture, rugs nailed to the floor and later had my entire deposit deducted (without my knowledge) and verbal abuse from my landlord.
Safe to say I sought legal aid – you should too! There are always steps you can take with the Citizen’s Advice, University or York Council.