Being a good neighbour

You are living alongside members of the local community that include families with young children, the elderly, and people who work and study at all times of the day and night. Please take this into consideration at all times.

• Introduce yourself to your neighbours, e.g. drop them a quick note to say “hi, we’ve just moved in!” You will be living side by side with them for the next year – so getting off to a good start is always a good thing to do!
• Considering giving your neighbours some contact details for you and your housemates. This way, they'll be able to inform you if there's a problem whilst you are away from the house – and also let you know if there are issues going on in the house (such as noise, music, etc.) that are causing a problem – without feeling that they have to report this officially.
• Please be respectful of your neighbours. If you are planning to hold a party, do so at the weekend and let your neighbours know beforehand. Make sure you don’t play music too loudly or too late.
• If you have been out to the Union or into town for a night out, please remember to come home quietly.

By getting to know the people that reside in the community with you, it will help you, and others, to feel safe and secure – and you may be able to help each other out from time to time.

• When living in private accommodation in the local area, it is your responsibility to deal with your waste. Each area has a different collection day for waste – and it is important to know when this is and what you need to do.
• To understand what your responsibilities are, you could always speak to your neighbours and ask their advice. They will then know that you are committed to keeping the area clean and tidy.
• Alternatively, you can look up the collection services for your local council by visiting their web pages:

Newcastle Borough Council

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Cheshire East Council

The community in which you are going to live may have parking restrictions in force, especially if you are living in a terraced housing area, and where on-street parking is the only option. If this is the case, there will usually be signs in the street warning of this. If you do have to purchase a parking permit, you will be able to do so by visiting the web pages of your local council:

Newcastle Borough Council

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Cheshire East Council

The Students’ Union have a range of amazing ways that help you to get involved in the community. From community clean-up events to fundraising for local charities, there are plenty of ways to give back to the community. If you're interested in getting involved in any pre-arranged events or volunteering activities, or if you have ideas of an event or activity that you would like to organise, please get in touch with the SU volunteering team.

Even though you are living off-campus, we are still invested in making sure that you are as safe as possible:

• Keep yourself and your property safe. Lock doors and windows at all times and report any suspicious behaviour to the police.
• Mark all of your property with identifiable details (such as with a UV pen) and photograph any valuable items that you may have.
• KeeleSU operates a Safety Bus scheme on nights where there are late events in their premises. This means that you are able to get a lift home with them – so you don’t have to walk! Take advantage of this and don’t put yourself in a vulnerable situation.
• The KeeleSU Safety Bus runs from 9pm until half an hour after the building closes. Any student can use it but we prioritise those in a vulnerable situation. 
• Get the SafeZone app - In just one tap on the app, you can alert University security if you're ever in an emergency or need first aid. It also enables the Uni to send you important information about the campus, meaning round-the-clock safety reassurance on your phone and/or computer!