Somerset Court

COVID-19

We know there has been lots of questions and enquiries regarding cancellation policies for students looking to book for next year.For clarity we have agreed the following in addition to the normal policy:

·No Visa No Pay: if a student’s visa application is rejected or if the UK university application is rejected, the student needs to send the rejection letter to Unite, within 7 days of receiving it, and before the tenancy start date. The letter must include a date and the student’s name. On production of this the student will be released from their tenancy. The T&Cs for these policies can be found on Unite Students website.

Visa processing delay: If a student cannot get a visa on time to come to the UK and wishes to cancel their booking with Unite, but is unable to provide a proof that the visa cannot be issued: the student must contact Unite Students, or the agency who helped process the booking. Unite Students will support the students on a case by case basis.

University / School intake delayed: if the start date of a course has been postponed to a later date, the student can provide evidence showing the new start date, then Unite will delay the tenancy start date to suit the new start date of the course. The student will only be liable for the rent from this new start date.

Travel Ban: if there is a travel ban either in the student’s country of origin, or in the UK, preventing students from traveling as planned: students affected by the ban can contact Unite Students or the agency who helped with the booking. Unite Students will delay the tenancy start date until the end of the travel ban. The student will only be liable for the rent from this new start date.

Early leave request: We are also aware that some students may want to leave the UK and return to China / to their home country over the coming weeks.

If a student decides to leave early then just to confirm that our early leave policy will be enforced.

That means they will be liable to pay the remainder of their tenancy unless they can find someone to take it over for the remainder of the term.

Standard Policy

For UK Students

Unless you have already collected the keys to the accommodation, you may cancel your booking by writing or sending an e-mail to us at cancellations@unitestudents.com, at any time during the 7 days after we send you an e-mail confirming your booking is complete (the “7 Day Cooling-Off Period”). If you do that, we will make no charge and will return your any deposit or any payment of advance rent to you.

1. Provided the 7 Day Cooling-Off-Period has expired, you will have to pay all amounts due under your Tenancy Agreement unless a replacement Tenant is found for your Room or you enter into a new Tenancy. If a replacement Tenant is found for your Room before your start date, we will release you from your Tenancy Agreement on the date seven days after the new Tenant’s Tenancy Agreement is signed. If a replacement Tenant is found for your Room after your start date, we will release you from your Tenancy Agreement from the start date of the replacement Tenant's new Tenancy Agreement. If you have occupied the Room prior to this, you will be charged £50.00 to cover our costs of preparing the Room for the replacement Tenant.
2. No Place No Pay – applicable to 1st year students only. If you are a prospective first year undergraduate student and your offer of a place at your preferred University/Higher Education Institution is withdrawn by the University/Higher Education Institution as a result of you not achieving their required entry grades, you may be eligible to be released from this agreement. You may also be eligible to be released from this agreement if you are a prospective first year undergraduate student and you choose to go to a different University because you have exceeded your expected grades. To apply to be released from this agreement in the circumstances referred to above, you will need to supply us with a copy of:
   1. a written rejection letter from your chosen university/college or UCAS or a screen shot of your UCAS status which confirms that the required results were not achieved; or
   2. a copy of the proof of acceptance of your new university by UCAS adjustment.
3. These document(s) must be received by us within 7 calendar days from the date your results are published. Please email the documentation to cancellations@unitestudents.com. On receipt of the required documentation it will be verified and, provided we are satisfied, we will cancel your agreement and refund any deposit or advance rent paid in full.

For International Students

Passed these 7 days, the student remains liable for the rent for the whole length of the tenancy unless they want to cancel with one of these 3 conditions:

No Place No Pay: if the student fails their exams or is rejected by the UK University, the student needs to send us the university rejection letter, or proof that the exam results don’t meet the requirements of the university, and we will cancel the booking and refund the money to the student. The student must send us the proof documents within 7 days of receiving them. This policy is valid until the 31st August.

No Visa No Pay: if the student doesn’t get his visa to come and study in the UK, the student must send us the visa application rejection letter within 7 days of receiving it and we will cancel the booking and refund the money to the student. This policy is valid until the 31st August.

The cancellation requests along with the proof documents must be sent by the student.

Replacement tenant found: if the student finds a replacement tenant to take over his room with the same tenancy length and same weekly rate, we can process the booking for the new student, and once the offer has been accepted by the new student and his guarantor, and that they have paid the £250 (if applicable), we will release the original student from their contract.

Passed the 31st August, the No Place No Pay and No Visa No Pay do not apply.

The student remains liable for the rent unless they find a replacement.