Corona Student Tenant News – Edition No. 2

On Monday we emailed all of our tenants with the first of our Corona Virus updates (shown in Italics), which said the following:

We hope you are all well and would like to take this opportunity to inform you of our plans going forward with regards to the Corona Virus.

Firstly, we will be maintaining our service levels for maintenance and repairs, despite the Corona Virus.  As you know this situation has never happened before in our lifetimes, is fast moving and very fluid.  It will involve more and more virtual communication, as we get to grips with this unparalleled situation. .

Since then there have been a number of developments, the main one being that the University of Derby will close its doors as of Monday March 23^rd.

Internet

The knock-on effect of this is that as you will spend more time in your home, there will be an increased strain on your accommodation and you will depend more on the utilities, principally the internet.

1. This increase in individual usage will multiply demand almost geometrically, due to more downloading, more streaming and more browsing from people studying and people working from home.
2. The reported changes are large with the average daily demand increasing 50% from 5 Tetrabits to 7.5 Tetrabits and evening demand increasing from the average of 13-14 Tetrabits to nearer 17 Tetrabits.
3. This is putting huge strain on the internet system, which means that we will all have to deal with a slow internet with hanging and dropping for the foreseeable future. The best thing is to work when there are less people on the web early in the mornings before 9am and avoid peak times of 4pm to 10pm in the evening.
4. In preparation for this we have asked Virgin to increase all our property speeds to the next level up. We don’t know when or if this will be done and so we would like you to email us daily details with this information so we can check if Virgin is delivering the increase.

NOTE: The problem is that even as I write this letter, Virgin has just announced that they will only be dealing with calls from frail and vulnerable customers.

Note: There will be no increase in cost to you for this increase in speed:

1. Name and Room number
2. Time of day, as evenings after 5pm tend to show a decrease in speed due to everybody arriving home.
3. Check the download speed following Virgin’s process https://www.virginmedia.com/help/virgin-media-how-to-check-broadband-speed
4. Email us please with the speed.

Repairs

This is what we said on Monday and this is still the situation:

It is imperative that all repairs are reported on our Report-a-Repair link on our website and every repair must be accompanied by photos.  Finally, please be aware it is possible that repairs will take longer to achieve. For information on self-protection for your own individual circumstances from Covid 19 please refer to the Government and NHS websites.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advance/

1. Our contractors are still visiting properties carrying out repairs. They will continue to do so until their suppliers close their doors or the Government orders a country wide quarantine and closes the roads.
2. If any property becomes Self-Isolated, due to a tenant being infected and a repair is required, it will be necessary to still Report a Repair in the normal way. We will then ring the lead tenant to talk through the repair, what can be done and how it can be done.

NOTE:

1. 1. If any member of the household becomes infected then please email a photo or scanned copy of the written proof of the infected person. This is for insurance purposes.
   2. A form is attached to this email, which you will need to complete if someone becomes infected.
   3. Links for more information for HMO (Houses of Multiple Occupation)
      https://thebla.co.uk/hmo-bedsits-common-areas-coronavirus-infection-guide/
      https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
   4. It is probable that all properties will have to be fumigated at the end of the tenancy to ensure that there is absolutely no possibility of cross contamination between tenancies.

Office Visits

1. Due to the recent Government advice we have made the decision to close the office and only answer phone calls and reply to emails. We will remain open from afar 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

Rent Payments

Payment dates are still the same as the 23^rd of each month and the details remain the same as usual:

“We would like to draw your attention to clauses in your Tenancy Agreement with regards to your obligation to the payment of your rent until the end of your contact.  Please also note that we cannot accept cash or card payments in the office and can only accept BACS transfers.  The bank details are:
Natwest Bank:  Orange Door Ltd, trading as Blue I Properties
Sort code:  60 12 01
Account No:  25519468

Please ensure that you use your surname and property number in the reference, so that we can allocate your payment to the correct account.”

We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation in all matters during this uncertain time and if there are any queries regarding the above or anything else please do not hesitate to ring us on 01332 371661 or email us at admin@blueiproperties.co.uk

Best wishes,
Blue i Team