If you change your mind during the year and wish to move out of your accommodation, you will need to complete our Contract Cancellation Form. Please remember that when you accept and sign an accommodation contract, the terms are legal obligations. This means, in most cases, you are liable to pay the security deposit with your first rent instalment and other rent payments in accordance with the terms of your accommodation contract.

We recognise that some students may be affected by circumstances beyond their control this year. If you would like to move out of your halls room, please do contact us as soon as possible so we can discuss your options based on your individual situation. 

We will suspend your rent payments if you move out of your halls accommodation if the following situations occur and continue for a period of longer than 4 consecutive weeks:

• all face-to-face teaching at the University is suspended and all teaching is moved online; or
• all the facilities on the campus on which your course is taught are closed; or
• you are prevented from accessing or using your halls accommodation because of a measure implemented for the prevention or delay of the spread of coronavirus.

If you are unable to remove your belongings and fully vacate your accommodation in these circumstances (for example, because of a government ban on movement) then we will consider suspending rent payments on a case-by-case basis.

If you leave halls while face-to-face teaching is still taking place and campus facilities remain open, you would be liable to continue paying rent under the terms of your contract. Please see our website for further information.

Living as part of any community brings with it responsibilities.  This is particularly important in halls where you are living in close proximity to others.  It is important to be conscious of the needs and concerns of the people you live with.

There are some essential requirements that everyone must follow:

• Follow signs 
• Observe social distancing requirements in communal areas of the halls – for example in study and social spaces
• Students living in our Halls of Residence do not need to wear a face covering inside their house or flat, however it is expected that they are worn in all communal indoor areas inside Halls. 
• (except where you are exempt from doing so)
• Practice hand hygiene
• Take responsibility for keeping shared areas such as kitchens and bathrooms hygienic
• Do not permit anyone who does not live in your flat/household area to enter it except staff or emergency services
• If government guidance changes and/or the University issues updated instructions, you must follow these.

If you need to self-isolate, for any reason, you should stay at your current address and not travel elsewhere. If you are living in halls, you should self-isolate there and not travel to another location. 
There are some specific requirements everyone must follow if a member of the household shows COVID-19 symptoms. Please see our guidance on symptoms and testing and our self-isolation advice for residents. for more information.

We are making as many services as possible accessible remotely via the home at halls app and halls hotline service. Reception and parcel collection areas are equipped with Perspex screens, contactless collection and social distancing measures. Some communal areas may have a reduced maximum occupancy and different layouts to allow for social distancing. All routine cleaning services continue as long as it is safe for our staff. Any unstaffed spaces in halls are currently closed.

If we need to carry out maintenance to your room or communal area, we ask that you leave while we are working. We will sanitise the area once we have finished. 

 We understand that the current situation will affect people in different ways. You can contact the Student Welfare Team, Hall Wardens or Hall Welfare Assistants through your halls Reception, Halls Hotline, or home at halls app. The wardens and their assistants are here to help and support you in halls and are always open to a friendly chat. If you have any worries whilst living in halls, we have a wide range of support on our Essentials pages, and there is a whole team of professional student support staff across the University who are dedicated to helping you. Reading Student Union (RUSU) also have a confidential, independent advice service regarding matters of academic, financial, and housing.  

Make sure you check out the home at halls app for events and activities throughout the year – most are free and accessible even if you need to self-isolate.

For flat style accommodation, your flat is your household. 

For corridor style accommodation, there is a label on your door to tell you which household you belong to.  Labels also indicate which kitchens and bathrooms are assigned for use by your household – you must only use the facilities that have been assigned using the same label as your room door.   

The following study spaces are currently open between the hours of 9.30am – 9pm daily. 

Childs Hall 

Stenton Hall 

Mackinder Hall 

Wessex Hall – for Bridges and Wessex students 

St George’s Hall 

Wantage Hall 

St Patricks Hall 

You must follow government social distancing guidelines when using these facilities.

Please be aware of the maximum occupancy for each room. If the maximum number of people are already using the room, please do not enter. 

Face coverings are expected to be worn in all shared indoor spaces (or ‘common areas’). This includes when sat at a desk, even when two metres away from others, given the risks associated with different people moving around in the same space indoors.   
The furniture has been arranged to allow for satisfactory social distancing. Please do not move the furniture.