International Agent Conference
8 May 2013
Housing
Dean Spears
Housing Services Manager
Nicer pic of
the
welcome
banners
from 50th
anniversary
Live & study with US on campus
Investment in the Housing Service:
- a caring, fresh, student focused approach
•Dean Spears
•Luke Taylor
Housing Services Manager
Housing Negotiator - Private Sector Strategy
•Jennifer Shires
•Jason Lucy
Housing Officer - Specialist Groups & Undergraduate
Housing Officer - Families & Postgraduate
•Paul Nann
•Mark Woolford
Housing Officer - Headlease Residences
Housing Officer - StudentPad, Private Sector Advice
•Michelle Smith
•Helen Moss
Team Secretary (Support: all areas)
Team Secretary (Support: all areas)
•4 Summer Housing Office Assistants – to help, advise, and support new residents.
Forthcoming new posts:
•Housing Assistant - Headleased Residences
•Senior Housing Officer - Communications & Marketing
The Housing Service – strategy
3: Enhancing the student experience:
•Increase the percentage of student satisfaction
from 68% to 79% in student surveys (National
Student Survey and International Student
Barometer)
•Year-on-year improvement in the functional
suitability of the teaching and learning
infrastructure
•Improve catering turnover and levels of
profitability to ensure self-sustaining activity.
Increase participation in sports by 10%
•Accommodate 40% of students in University
housing
•Remain competitive: provide wide range of rents, continue to horizon scan
•Tailor our housing offer to changing student needs: renew, update and replace
•Work collaboratively and strategically with others (e.g., Brighton Strategic Housing Partnership)
•Help to progress areas of the Campus Master-Plan
Developing housing expertise
– Global network
Provide an efficient allocation process:
•Installed StarRez (March 2012) – high performing housing application and allocation software.
•Increased speed of communication – All housing applicants waiting for ‘A’ levels received their housing
offer 48 hours after ‘A’ Level results by email.
•Regarded as the optimum software of its kind in Europe, North America and Australia.
•Allows US to make better use of our resources.
•Sussex is now part of a global housing allocation network:
Impact: 95% of all housing applicants receive one of their top three housing application preference.
.
guarantee
Open Staff Forum
2 November 2009
Housing guarantee
Undergraduates:
 Submit an application
 Firmly accept an offer of a place
 Return the Housing Application Form by the 1st August
Postgraduates:
 All eligible first year full time postgraduates coming for a full academic year
 And who are studying for a research degree
 Or are from outside the EU and studying a taught masters programme
 And £250 prepayment by the 1st August
Flexible waiting list from August for non-guaranteed – last year 400 allocated.
Six large in-takes annually: Sep, Jan, March, April, June, July, August
Making your housing preference
Selected areas in each residence:
•All female
•Quiet
•Mature
•All self-catering
Fair tenancy lengths:
•39 weeks (Sep – June) – UGs
•50 weeks (Sep – Aug) – PGs
Wide range of rents, all-inclusive:
Flexible and supportive:
•600 residents swap annually.
•£59 per week shared room.
•£81 - £116 single room.
•£129 en-suite.
•£137 Studio apartment
Housing Video Tour
- Compare our residences
The Housing Service
– International residents
Who lived in with US on 15 September 2012?
3,136 Undergraduates:
235 Visitor & Exchange
•1,946 UK
•204 Hong Kong
•199 China
•48 Greece
•99 USA
•21 Spain
•14 France
•19 Japan
•At least 20 other countries
•35 France
•32 Canada
•At least 70 other countries, including:
•5 Ghana, 8 Nigeria, 25 Turkey, 36 Pakistan
•45 Malaysia, 8 Kenya, 13 Dubai, 20 Thailand
883 Postgraduates:
•410 China (3 Hong Kong)
•48 England
•43 India
•35 Taiwan
•33 Japan
•25 USA
•At least 30 other countries
www.facebook.com/sussexunihousing
Facebook Page for Applicants,
Agents, Parents, Former Residents:
• facebook/sussexunihousing
•1,656 members.
Facebook Groups for residences
• www.sussex.ac.uk/residentialservices
•3,500 members
/SussexUni
Student Room:
•www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/University
_of_Sussex:_Accommodation
www.sussex.ac.uk/residentialservices
Open Staff Forum
2 November 2009
Supporting our residents
100 Residential Advisors (RAs)
•Senior students live in our residences.
•RAs – trained mediators, first point of call, sign-post.
•Work with partners to manage community relations.
•Welcome, help and advise.
•Broader support services: Student Life Centre, Counselling, Student Support
Unit, Students’ Union and more.
Provide information, advice and support
to our students:
•
- Deliver Housing Talks to all students.
•
•
•
•
- Help to resolve issues in private sector.
- Housing Office reception
- 24 hour reception
- Workshops, events and link in with the Students’
Students’ Union.
Campus Master-Plan
Northfield:
•957 en-suite bed-spaces open.
•148 additional ‘approved’ (2013/14).
•Self-financing (new development paid
for by rental income).
•Well-used social space
Open Staff Forum
2 November 2009
Key developments at Sussex (4)
Eastslope:
London Terrace (September 2014):
•Early days
•Discussion re City Plan
•Potential phased approach
•Intensive & sensitive use of space
•351 bed-spaces
•Plans retain 1930s façade
•Sussex looks after our students
•Private company manages operations
Headlease residences:
•Provides flexibility
•96 bedspaces 2011/12
•303 bed-spaces 2013/14
•Well liked, affordable city living
•All inclusive, no Guarantor
Arrival day, 15 September 2012
http://spectrecom.wistia.com/medias/hio6cl4dx2
Thank you
Housing Reception - Bramber House
housing@sussex.ac.uk
www.facebook.com/sussexunihousing
www.sussex.ac.uk/residentialservices
+44 (0)1273 678220