16 Jun Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Government & Business Update
Prime Student Living – Coronavirus Update
Our main priority is on the safety and wellbeing of our residents and the teams in our properties. We are working hard to make our properties as safe as possible, but as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to fall and restrictions are being lifted, it’s important we make sure we’re all following government guidance to reduce risk and control the virus.
What is the latest advice?
Please note the latest government guidance varies slightly depending on if you are in England, Scotland or Wales.
The most up to date guidance for your area can be found here:
England – https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Scotland – https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
Wales – https://gov.wales/coronavirus
What you can do?
Stay alert – we can all help control the virus if we all stay alert.
This means you must:
- Always observe social distancing
- Wash your hands regularly
- Always wear a facemask in public
As social distancing can be difficult in some communal areas, we ask that you always wear a mask in shared spaces such as hallways, lifts and common rooms.
Let’s stay considerate to each other and stay safe.
If you have any symptoms
If you or anyone you are sharing a flat with have any coronavirus symptoms, you must stay in your studio or room in your shared flat and contact your property team via phone or email to let us know you are unwell.
The symptoms are:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
As always if there’s anything you need support with or have any questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your Property Team or at hello@primestudentliving.com
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Government update – 16th June 2020
The government has recently changed the measures imposed but it is essential that we still follow their guidance.
Please note that the updates below refer to England and there are different measures in place for Scotland and Wales, please see this handy table from BBC below:
You can find more information from BBC on the different measures by country here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51506729
Stay alert
We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:
- stay at home as much as possible
- work from home if you can
- limit contact with other people
- keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
- wash your hands regularly
- Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.
From 13 June, you will be able to:
- Form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household if you live alone. All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household – meaning they can spend time together inside each other’s homes and do not need to stay 2 metres apart. Support bubbles should be exclusive – meaning you should not switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households
- Attend your place of worship for the purposes of individual prayer
From 15 June:
- You will be able to visit any type of shop and some additional outdoor attractions – drive-in cinemas, and animal attractions like zoos, farms and safari parks
- You will have to wear a face covering on public transport
These are available from many online retailers but you can also make your own, check out this BBC article for how to make your own face mask:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52609777 - You will still be able to meet outdoors with groups of up to six people from different households, provided social distancing is observed and you stay 2 metres away from anyone outside your household or support bubble.
As before, you cannot:
- visit friends and family inside their homes (unless you are in a support bubble from 13 June) or for other limited circumstances set out in law
- stay away from your home or your support bubble household overnight – including holidays – except for in a limited set of circumstances, such as for work purposes
- exercise in an indoor sports court, gym or leisure centre, or go swimming in a public pool
- use an outdoor gym or playground
- gather outdoors in a group of more than six (unless exclusively with members of your own household or support bubble or for one of the limited set of circumstances set out in the law)
For full advice and updates from the government please find information here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
And for the latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus please find information here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Business update
We’d like to publicly thank our teams who are working tirelessly to keep our buildings safe and secure for thousands of students who call them home. It’s not easy for anyone at the moment, but we want you to know we are doing everything we can to look after our residents and our teams. When it comes to students’ tenancy agreements, our understanding is that most students in our buildings continue to receive their student loans as normal, and therefore can honour their contracts until the end of their lease terms. For most UK residents, this is a suitable arrangement and aligns with current Government rules to avoid unnecessary travel, to stay at home and to only go outside when absolutely necessary. For international students, we are committed to complying with Government guidance that institutions operate a non‐eviction policy if students have no alternative residence, which is particularly important for international students who may not be able to leave the Prime Student Living property at the end of their current tenancy, due to Government travel restrictions.
Prime Student Living do not own any of the buildings we manage, and we operate buildings on behalf of landlords under the terms of a property management contract. With current global events, the level of dialog we are having with landlords has increased significantly. We are aware that despite the UK Government’s clear advice to stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel, some of our residents have decided to leave the Prime Student Living property before the end of their tenancy agreement. After consultation with our landlords across the portfolio, their decision at this time is that the tenancy agreements remain in force and students are obligated to continue to pay remaining rent falling due for the 2019/2020 academic year. Prime Student Living is contractually obliged to follow this decision from our landlords and our standard cancellation policy therefore continues to apply. As global events are constantly evolving, our landlords are continually reviewing the situation and should their decision change we will advise our residents accordingly.
Everyone at Prime Student Living understands that this is a very difficult time for students. We recognise the circumstances of our student residents are varied, including individual financial arrangements for the payment of rent and access to student loan finance. We are also mindful that some students and their families have been adversely affected by the impacts of the coronavirus. With this in mind we will make every reasonable effort to support residents who may be struggling to make rent payments due to recent financial hardship and will deal with these individual situations on a case by case basis to endeavor to find a reasonable solution depending on their specific and individual circumstances. If you believe you may be eligible for consideration, please get in touch with us via email at hello@primestudentliving.com.
In relation to the 2020/2021 academic year, our standard cancellation policy continues to apply.
If anyone has any questions then please don’t hesitate to contact our individual property teams by email, or you can reach us at hello@primestudentliving.com
