Contract Takeovers

The person taking over your contract must meet certain criteria before the Accommodation team can agree to the switch. The proposed student must:

• Be a University of Exeter student who is currently registered with the University  
• Have a course end date which is after the end of the contract period  
• Not already be contracted to another room in University accommodation
• Match the “type” of student allocated to that flat/block (as appropriate), e.g. undergraduate or postgraduate
• Be of the same gender if moving into a single-gender flat (note – if the flat is mixed gender but the proposed student would cause a significant imbalance in the gender mix then we may require you to seek an alternative replacement)  
• Be prepared to accept and respect any additional preferences made by the existing flatmates, such as being ‘quiet’ or ‘alcohol free’

While these are the main points which you need to consider, there may be other factors which mean that the proposed student is not a suitable replacement. In this situation, you would then need to seek an alternative student.

You are responsible for finding a student to replace you. However, the Accommodation team can make a note of your details so that if they become aware of someone looking for accommodation, they can put that student in touch with you. Please log an Accommodation enquiry via SID Online if you wish for us to take down your contact details, giving your name, email address and contact telephone number that we can share these with interested students. 

Most students advertise the room online as being a room available and this can be done via Studentpad Messageboard. You can also look at students ‘wanting’ accommodation on Studentpad to actively seek a replacement. 

If you have someone who is willing to takeover your contract, you should log an Accommodation enquiry via SID Online to confirm the full name and Exeter student ID number of this person so the Accommodation team can confirm whether the new person is deemed a suitable replacement. The replacement student should also log an enquiry via SID Online confirming to us that they are looking to take over your contract.

You should also include the date that you both agree for the proposed contract exchange – this must be on a weekday and we must have at least 10 working days’ notice.

If they are suitable, the team will take the replacement student through the contract process and advise you when this is confirmed.

If you plan to move out before the exchange date, please advise when you will vacate the accommodation. Please note that moving out of the accommodation early does not mean that you are no longer liable for the remaining accommodation fees.

You should not ask the new resident for any money relating to accommodation fees due.

Once the Accommodation team have the details for the student, they will validate the request and confirm if the person is a suitable replacement.

If the person is not suitable, you will be advised and you will need to continue to look for a replacement.

Within your contract dates, you can arrange for someone to take over your obligations however, we do need to clean and inspect the room between occupants and so the changeover must take place on a working day (NOT weekends).

Your responsibility will end once the new resident has agreed to the contract and 6 working days have passed since they are issued with a Contract Formation email or they have moved into the accommodation (whichever is sooner) and you move out of the accommodation by the agreed date.

On the agreed date, you must vacate the accommodation by 10:00am on the date of exchange, and the new resident will be able to move in from 4:00pm. This is to allow cleaning to take place.

Please note that the contract takeover must happen on one day, so whilst you may move out earlier you will pay rent until the date that the new resident agrees to take over the contract. There can be no gap between the contract periods for either resident.

There will be £50.00 contract variation fee to be paid by the student leaving the accommodation. This is added to your account and is due at the contract end date.

If you are the outgoing student (who originally held the contract) then we can only end your contract and update your statement once the new resident has agreed to the contract and 6 working days have passed since they are issued with a Contract Formation email or they have moved into the accommodation (whichever is sooner) and you move out of the accommodation by the agreed date. Your student statement will then be updated by no later than the following working day and show credits for the remaining part of the contract period.

If you are the incoming student (who is taking over the contract) then an invoice for your fees will be generated at the time you accept the room offer and receive the contract formation email. The fees will then be due for payment within 8 days of your contract start date.

If you have followed the above process and made all the arrangements formally through the Accommodation Office, then any overpayment of rent due will be credited to your student statement once the new resident has agreed to the contract and 6 working days have passed since they are issued with a Contract Formation email or they have moved into the accommodation (whichever is sooner) and you move out of the accommodation by the agreed date. If your student statement then shows that you have a credit balance on your account then you can apply for a refund by logging an enquiry with the Student Fees team via SID Online.

No, as you will deemed to be sub-letting your accommodation which is not permitted under your Terms and Conditions. You will remain responsible for paying the rent due and for any damage caused so you should always ensure that you formally end your contract by following the stated process.

Please return your keys to the Residence Reception by 10:00am on your departure date/contract end date, or leave them in the Out Of Hours key drop-off box. Details of where this is located can be found on the Residence Reception webpage. You must not pass the keys directly to the new resident. If you do not return your keys you may be charged for a replacement set.

You will need to submit an accommodation application via our accommodation portal. Please follow the “First Visit? Please register an account” link if you have not applied for accommodation with us before. Please add in the notes section that you are taking over the contract of (student name) and (student number).

You should also log an enquiry via SID Online to confirm that you are looking to take over a contract, and you will need to confirm the full name and Exeter student number of the person whose contract you are looking to takeover and the date you will take over responsibility for the contract.

If you plan to move in after the exchange date, please advise us of your intended arrival date at the accommodation so that we can make the residence reception team aware. However, you should be aware that you will be liable for the fees from the agreed date of exchange, whether you have arrived to the accommodation or not.

Please note you CANNOT already have a contract with the University for any of the period you are looking to takeover the contract for.

If you already have a contract in place with any provider of accommodation, we would recommend that you contact the Student Guild Advice team for support.

Please DO NOT pay any money to the current resident. Once the process is approved, you will be asked to sign a contract and payment will need to be made to the University.