Moving Out
Whether you’re moving between rooms or moving out at the end of your contract, here are some key things you’ll need to do when the time comes.
- Cleaning your room and communal areas
- Room inspection
- Returning your keys
- Donating unwanted items
- Left property
Also see:
You'll find lots of useful information, tips and hacks in our handy Move Out Guide, including how to pack, travelling internationally, cleaning hacks and a move-out checklist.
Cleaning your room and communal areas
Before you go, please make sure you:
- Clear your room of all belongings, including anything out of the safe.
- Strip your bed of all bedding and linen. Please leave the mattress protector folded neatly on your bed.
- Clean the shelves, surfaces, drawers and your en-suite bathroom (if you have one).
- Vacuum the carpet and remove drawing pins from the noticeboard.
- Take all rubbish and recycling to the outside bins provided.
- Turn off all electrics (except fridges and freezers), including electric radiators, heated towel rails, sockets, and light switches.
- Empty and clean your fridge and freezer but keep them on.
- Turn off taps in the sink and shower.
- Remove your belongings from the kitchen/utility room and ensure it is clean.
- Shut all windows and lock doors.
- Take your bike home.
Room inspection
If there are any repairs needed or maintenance issues within your room, please tell reception.
After your departure, housekeeping staff will check your room is clean, tidy, and secure and there isn’t any damage.
We will contact you within 3-4 weeks after you leave if there are issues or we find items left in your accommodation. Please keep an eye on your emails during vacation.
Returning keys
Return your keys/fob to your residence reception by 10:00am on the day you leave or your contract end date. If your reception is closed, keys can be returned via the key drop boxes in one of the locations listed on our Residence Reception page. If you are unsure about where to leave them, please ask your reception before your departure day.
Do not leave your keys in your room or with a friend; you may be charged for additional nights if they are not returned to reception on time. If your keys are not returned on the correct date of departure, you may also incur additional night charges and a lost key charge.
Don't forget to redirect your post
Cancel any regular deliveries, including food boxes, and update your delivery address for things like bank statements, Deliveroo, or Amazon, so you don't accidentally have things sent to your old address. Any post received after you have left is returned to sender as we can't keep it at the Residence Receptions.
Christmas and Easter vacation periods
All students living in catered residences need to move out during vacations by the first Saturday at the end of each term, 10am, and return keys to reception. The dates are:
- Saturday 14 December 2024 (returning Sunday 5 January 2025)
- Saturday 29 March 2025 (returning Sunday 27 April 2025)
- Saturday 14 June 2025
If you have any issues with your travel arrangements at the end or beginning of each term then we may be able to agree that you can stay later or arrive back earlier to your accommodation. Please speak to your residence reception about this. If we are able to facilitate an extension then additional nights charges will be applicable.
Students in self-catered residences do not need to move out over vacation. If you’re staying in your accommodation over the Christmas vacation, let us know via the link in the end of term newsletter, so we can plan for essential repair work and Campus Security know where you are in case of an emergency.
You don’t need to advise us if you are remaining in your accommodation over the Easter vacation.
If you’re going home for vacation, please clean your room and communal areas, take out all rubbish and recycling, turn off electrics and taps, shut windows and lock doors. If you keep a bike in one of the bike sheds, check it is locked securely. You do not need to return your key if you’re coming back after vacation.
Any mail or parcels will be kept for your return from the Christmas and Easter vacation only.
REMEMBER: For security reasons, courier services are not allowed to enter residences. Instead, please meet the courier service outside your building.
Christmas postal arrangements: There will be no Royal Mail postal service* to Residence Receptions over Christmas and most courier and delivery companies will have a reduced service during the Christmas period.
*some receptions may remain open and if this is the case, there will be limited Royal Mail postal services on some dates.
Easter postal arrangements: There will be no Royal Mail postal deliveries to Residence receptions on Good Friday or Easter Monday but deliveries will continue as normal outside of these dates.
Maintenance
Maintenance will still be carried out in your accommodation during the vacation periods. Please ensure personal belongings are securely stored. You will be notified if anyone is entering your room.
Christmas vacation
If you need emergency or urgent assistance for things like faults or maintenance, key or fob issues, welfare concerns or snow and ice conditions, please contact Estate Patrol on 01392 723999.
They will be working 24/7 during the Christmas period and will be able to contact the relevant support team such as Estate Services, the Residence Duty Manager or the Residence Life Team.
For other, less urgent queries, please contact your reception.
Easter vacation
Our campuses will still be open during the Easter vacation, although some University services may be running on reduced opening hours.
Most services and Residence Receptions will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday but if you need emergency or urgent assistance then please contact Estate Patrol on 01392 723999. They will be working 24/7, including the Bank Holidays.
For all other, less urgent queries please contact your reception.
Donating unwanted items
When you move out, you need to take all of your belongings out of your accommodation. There are schemes available to help you get rid of your things easily and to help reduce waste and items being left in accommodation.
Please do not leave anything that you wish to be donated in your room, and any soiled, unusable items and all unused cleaning products need to be disposed of.
What better way to get rid of the things you no longer need than to pass them on to a fellow student? The Gift it, Reuse it scheme allows you to do just that.
Simply take your unwanted items during December to a donation point and we'll make them available for free to other students either already here or moving into the University from January or September. Not only will this help others, but it will reduce unnecessary waste.
Items need to be clean/washed and in good condition (we can't accept anything that is broken). Any electrical goods must have a UK CE plug.
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What to donate |
Please do not donate |
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Donating couldn't be easier - check the list above to make sure it's something that can be accepted, make sure it's working and clean, then take to one of the donation points below*:
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Donation Point |
Opening Times |
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James Owen Court Reception |
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Clydesdale House |
Friday 6th December – 9.30am – 12.30pm Friday 6th December – 1pm – 4pm Monday 9th December – 1pm – 4pm Tuesday 10th December – 9.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 11th December - 1pm – 4pm Thursday 12th December – 9.30am – 12.30pm Monday 16th December – 9.30am – 12.30pm |
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Spreytonway |
TBC |
As part of the Moving On project, there are British Heart Foundation donation points across campus, which is where you can hand over your items. In previous years, the University of Exeter has donated over 25 tonnes of items with an estimated worth of £40,000 and equating to over 2,896 bags of donations.
Please do not leave anything that you wish to be donated in your room, and any soiled, unusable items and all unused cleaning products need to be disposed of.
| What to donate | Please do not donate |
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Donation points
Tie your items in a clean bag and deposit your donation in one of the red British Heart Foundation points.
| Permanent donation points: | Temporary collection points (April to September): |
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Black bags are available from reception to put your bedding in to take home.
If you have any in-date, unopened and non-perishable food, bring it to one of the food donation points at your reception, available at:
- Birks Grange Central Block
- Birks Grange Ross House
- East Park Reception
- Holland Hall Reception
- James Owen Court Laundry
- Lafrowda Bridestowe House
- Lopes Hall Reception
- Rowancroft Laundry
- St David's - Reception, Birks Grange Central Block
If you can't find the answer you are looking for please contact the Accommodation team on 0300 555 0444 or log an enquiry via SID Online.
Left property
It is worth doing a final check of your room once you think you've packed up your belongings and moved it all out. Don't forget to check under your bed, in the back of drawers and inside cupboards.
If you do leave something behind such as a wallet/purse, mobile/laptop or important documents like a passport then we will contact you. However, there are many items we will dispose of immediately (or recycled/donated if suitable) if we find they have been left in your room or communal areas. Examples of things we will get rid of without advising you are: bedding/linen, clothing, coat hangers, cosmetics/toiletries, cleaning products, cushions, books, papers, pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, utensils, glassware and anything that is dirty or soiled or perishable.
