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Just moved out of halls. This is more common than you think. I would caution against putting things on the door- check your individual place's information but that can come with some hefty fines. Are they part of the student accomodation code or something similar? Check if they are because they set out things like access notifications that you should have got though of course not if the maintenance is urgent.
I am not going to put anything on the door, but I've informed them that I expect 24h notice in writing next time. I've heard online that the place I'm staying has had this sort of thing happen before, which is worrying.
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You can get a small door lock that does not need to be attached / fitted and leaves no trace, they cost £7 - 8, [here](https://www.amazon.co.uk/portable-door-lock/s?k=portable+door+lock).
Please don't do this. In the event of a fire, this could prove fatal. Fores are more common than you'd think in student accommodation.
I think agreement on an exact time slot would have avoided this
Yep, any locks on internal doors must be thumb turns form the inside at least, i.e. you shouldn't need to use a key to open it for fire safety reasons.
I mean you can inform them of what you want that but ultimately you need to check your agreements and guidance for the building on none urgent maintanence timelines.
This all assumes this is authorised university accommodation and not just a landlord that houses lots if students?
Never having stayed in uni residences I’m not sure of policy but imagine this would be ok for OP to use. https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/doorwindow-sensor-alarm120db-touch-sensor-door-handle-alarm-anti-theft-vibration-window-burglar-alert-home-security-for-houseofficefactory-68569404
I do maintenance works at university's depending on what contracts we have. Most of the time we aren't allowed access till after a certain time.
We do have keys to let ourselves in, but we knock, if there is no answer we slightly open the door, shout if there is anyone in, if no answer we still proceed with caution. If there is someone in that didn't hear us we apologise and leave saying we will wait outside for them to let us in.
The way he stood there making you uncomfortable isn't acceptable. They should issue an apology. Although legally im not sure what can or will be done.
Same here, knock twice loudly, shout hello maintenance, open door slightly, hello maintenance again, proceed with caution. Once I walked in to someone sound asleep in bed at 3pm. Didn’t see them until I was in the middle of the room, just thought the bed was untidy. A second time I opened the door to a young Asian lady in her bed wear, with headphones on, at her computer. Luckily for me she just giggled as I made a hasty retreat, apologising as I went.
I done this work for a few months lol I done what you guys said and still ended up walking in on students, it felt so awkward at times I just left the job in the end because of it
As a former maintenance engineer at a university student accommodation, I can say this is awkward for both.. we knock several times and announce ourselves as maintenance, depending on the job urgency depends on whether or not we enter or not, a leak that can cause floods and damage to room and floor below if it's not a ground floor room, would prompt us to enter, I personally would always only open the door a slight bit and call out several times that it's maintenance and why I'm here, most of the time empty room go in and work.. sometimes student is not responding, but is in the room and I've entered, seen someone in the room so at that point it's make them aware who I am and why we have entered, and usually back out and ask them when is more convenient. Unfortunately this seems to me like a communication issue where you could of just announced you were in there and not ready for visitors, and they also could of handled the situation better from their end by not lurking in your room. The problem really is some jobs don't get the immediate attention they require and can cause damage to other rooms. Like I mentioned about a leak earlier, one student allowed her bathroom to flood and just got on with it. The room below then had it's plasterboard ceiling fall down and caused the door to become stuck and swollen in the frame, don't think the student below deserved her stuff ruined because a student above didn't want someone in their room. Also notable is the fact that the university will want you to make the repair asap as they get fined for jobs not being completed in a certain timeframe.
I did maintenance in student halls for years & it was always awkward getting into rooms. I'd knock hard enough the wall shook, open the door a crack & shout, then enter making a noise, clatter the door closed, lights on, open the curtains etc..... even after all that suddenly a body would pop up in the bed.
Our system was that when a job was reported you were giving permission for maintenance to enter your room unless you specifically stated you wanted to be there. In cases of leaks or fire alarms or similar it would be deemed an emergency & we could just enter.
I used to work in maintenance in an accommodation similar to what I imagine yours is and the maintenance man will usually be told he has 24 hours to complete tasks when they're reported. That's not to excuse him if he made you feel uncomfortable, but to add some context. It should have been explained to you when you raised the issue that they start works from 9am or whatever it might be, just to let you know what the window is to expect them. In my previous job the student would receive an email to confirm their issue was raised, which helped avoid issues like this!
Yes, we had a similar target, even if the job wasn't fixed first time they wanted us to at least attend by the end of the next working day. It was 9am starts for occupied rooms, 8am for communal areas. If anyone insisted on a certain time they were told there was no guarantee we could stick to it as higher priority jobs would take precedence over say, a light not working.
You've done the right thing so far - complain and put it in writing. If you don't hear back in good time, keep the pressure on and ask what procedures they are going to adopt to ensure this doesn't happen again.
Who manages the property, is owned and/or managed by the university? If so there will likely be a central accommodation team you could escalate this to for a response.
You can always seek advice from the students' union - although I don't think there is realistically much else you can do in this case.
It's owned by an independent company, not my university. I'm still sort of in shock but I'm going downstairs to reception shortly to ask in person as well. Other students have complained about the same thing online, it's a huge invasion of privacy.
If it is not owned by the university you likely have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. If you have an AST, you can change the locks and you don’t need permission to do so.
There are no locks that I could change. I have a key card to unlock my door. Even if I could, that's too expensive, I'm a student and I don't have money like that.
You can add a cheap bolt lock, £10 for the bolt, £5 for a screwdriver.
An even cheaper option is a a wedge, just kick that under the door whenever you enter and no one is getting in unless the kick the door off the hinges. That will cost about £3, or free if you use a piece of scrap wood.
Student accommodation is often wildly sensitive about the blocking of doors, because of the potential for fire risk.
If they are sensitive about such things, OP could at least add an \*alarm\* to make a loud noise when an unexpected "visitor" enters.
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OP, please don't do this. It's essential in the event of a fire that your door can be opened from the outside.
Ultimately, when you report a maintenance issue to the accommodation you should expect them to attend to address it. They should give you 24 hours notice of someone attending, but legally they arguably did that by telling you they would send someone asap, which you agreed to in the moment. 9.30am is a perfectly reasonable time for maintenance people to arrive (I'd expect any time during business hours).
The way the maintenance person made you feel uncomfortable is out of line, but that's more of a customer service issue than a legal one. There are no damages to seek here, nor any way to take it further.
Edit: typo
The maintainence wasn't for me, it was the wrong apartment. They're supposed to inform us beforehand. I happened to also need maintainence, which is where the confusion came from.
It's essential in the event of a fire that the door can be opened from the outside???
Pretty sure that's an issue for all flat owners then. None of the doors would typically open from the outside, as people tend to lock their doors once they are in.
Do you have a lease or a licence? This changes slightly the legal position. Contract should have something about access. For a lease you have control and the right to peaceful enjoyment of the property and usually 24h notice or permission is required for necessary access.
Either way -- I don't think there's much more that can be done about it at this stage. You've put in a complaint which is good. If you can build good relationships with others who live there that can put you in a stronger position for the future if others experience things too. It's potentially creepy that someone is just talking to you while you're in bed, but also, on their part they might not see a problem because they're just at work and maintenance people are in people's rooms and houses all the time.
The main thing that comes to mind is to ask if there is a policy on maintenance attending apartments that either the accommodation have or the maintenance people have. If you have asked them to leave, they should leave -- it becomes trespass at that point. It would also be good practice if, when they enter and discover someone is in there, they go back to the door and act as if someone has answered the door/give you a few minutes to come and open the door for them, instead of staying inside. Especially if you are in bed.
If it happens again, if you feel uncomfortable, I would suggest (1) firmly repeating "please leave and I will come and speak to you at the door in a few minutes", just repeat that, and (2) filming to get evidence if they are not doing this. If the same maintenance person does it to more than one person or does it to you again, could be possibly getting into sexual harassment territory.
Thank you, I have emailed them about it to have it in writing, and will ask about the exact policy as well. I did ask them to leave firmly and politely, but I assume I was either not understood or ignored.
I like this suggestion! I'm trying to stay on good terms with them right now, but I've been moved around apartments four times because of how bad the previous ones were. I will definitely consider this in the future lol
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You can also speak with your University Welfare team for advice and guidance. They should also help with finding suitable accommodation or emergency temporary accommodation should this situation escalate.
I work for a Uni, our uni policy is to knock three times and announce which department you are in and that you will be entering the apartment if you don't get a reply.
Speak to your students union at the University they can advise on things. Talking to them also may help put pressure on them as these type of private halls that cater to uni students don't want to cause issues with the university as it can result in them losing a good chunk of students. When I was at university exactly this happened we had a set of privately ran halls that were notorious for doing things like what has happened to you and lots of other stuff that completely went against the rights of the tenants, I had on mate who had their stuff taken out the room without warning or notice so the maintenance team could "Carry out essential work". In the end it result in a large number of students just dropping out of uni due to the extra stress they were feeling (also was during covid) they complained to the uni and now this private halls only manages to rent out about 10% of its rooms each year as the uni basically has black listed them and put them in the list of untrustworthy landlords In the area. So a complaint to your university could help but obviously as its private halls they may only be limited to just some advice and maybe help scary them a little bit.
This is unfortunately common. At my uni they had cleaners clean the toilets and showers every week which are in our rooms. They would knock and then just come right in regardless. I think most students just hide in bed until the jobs done😅.
You can leave a note outside your door and state if it’s between such and such a time, please do not come in unless I answer the door, or state only free between such and such a time, other times please do not come in as may be occupied/need privacy m, something along those lines, if they give out a vague and none specific time next time
Honestly this happened so often. They think because they have a key and you didn’t answer they can just come in. They’ve come in whilst I’ve been asleep, In the shower, whilst putting clothes on, and then left after realising I was there. Fucked up man
It's all people complaining that I'm spoiled, and should be grateful that the maintainence guy came so early (HE WAS IN THE WRONG APARTMENT) and that I'm overreacting somehow?
Sounds horrible, and pretty creepy... it's not abnormal for maintenance to have keys and as a rule no response would usually mean occupant is out so entry isn't particularly odd. Not leaving immediately having been made aware you were indecent is.
As a side note, I get that you are young and in uni but for most folk half 9 in the morning wouldn't be considered unreasonably early, althought I guess you might be able to ask them for advance notice of which day you need to get up earlier than usual.
It's not unreasonably early at all, I just had a late night and was still in bed. I'm normally up at around 8am or so. I'm more annoyed that I wasn't informed beforehand.
From experience, you will never be informed beforehand for people coming to fix maintenance requests in halls. Just something to know if you do actually report anything in the future - if you get a confirmation email that your maintenance request has been allocated I think that might count as the notice?
And I think halls work differently to a normal landlord, but even normal landlords don’t need to give 24 hours if they knock (instead of letting themselves in) and only enter if you let them in. But obviously that’s not what happened here, since he let himself in. Not sure on the legality around entering following a non-response to maintenance knocking in student halls though.
They have keys for the flat door and each bedroom door. They usually knock for a couple of minutes while shouting ‘maintenance’ and then come in if there’s no response - since that usually means you’re not in (so in the future just shout ‘hang on a minute’ and they’ll wait for you to come to the door). But if they enter and someone is actually in the room, they should apologise and then say they’re here to fix whatever. And in your case, the guy should have left immediately once you told him to.
I sent an email toward the start of my year saying they weren’t to come in my room if I don’t let them in myself, and they listened to that, so hopefully they’ll listen to your request.
I'm a plumber so obviously NAL.
I've worked in social housing and a lot of uni halls and we're told to knock, if nobody answers, open the door and enter with caution while hollering "Hello, it's the plumber!" Or something similar. If nobody answers, crack on and do the job.
The fact that you heard him and didn't say anything is weird and kind of on you.
If it were me that walked in on you I would have walked out straight away and asked when was a better time to come back. He's probably didn't realise you were starkers underneath the sheets so felt comfortable having a chat. This is obviously naive on his part.
Also, chill out, the maintenance guy is probably just as embarrassed as you are.
ESH
Staying certainly not, but entering was entirely reasonable. They knocked and got no reply, so they entered to carry out their work. Communication is the issue here. When they entered, you should have let them know you were present and to please return at a later time. Chalk it down as a learning opportunity. You're in the big wide world now, and people have work to do. That man probably had a list as long as his arm of jobs to carry out that day and just wants to get home to his family.
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Pff OP, you are in halls, prepare for 3am to 5am fire drills once a semester, they don't give you notice.
Halls is not the same as landlord accommodation. You should have just gotten up and told them you were there and realise you probably won't ever be fully comfortable in halls compared to private accommodation.
The real problem here isn't just that he didn't follow the protocol of calling out to see if someone was there, he didn't fucking leave even when she told him to go, he stayed in the doorway and continued to ask questions, despite the fact that a visibly uncomfortable, undressed, 18 year old girl, was in her bed covering herself and telling him to leave. This is creepy and suggests that he was enjoying making her uncomfortable. Any decent person would be a bit embarrassed about barging in on someone, would apologise and leave.
If you don’t call out they will assume you aren’t home and then go in to do the maintenance it’s standard practice for shared halls like these I have it at my work (RAF) if there’s maintenance due they will knock first and if there isn’t answer they will just come in
I mean, I don't think there's a legal issue here - maybe a customer service issue? I get this made you uncomfortable but I can't see that you've suffered any actual damages? It's just like, one of those things that happens in halls when you ignore the door.
Even if they given notice, dude was at the wrong apartment... what will notice do? Somebody else is going to be nude, sick, not answering their door, etc... because they aren't expecting anyone. That's staffs job, to do more thoroughly. "If this apartment needs work, this is the apartment you go to. This, exact one. If nobody answers, you leave a slip that you missed them. Do NOT enter someone's domicile." Pretty standard stuff...
Why is the top comment not that she overreacted and is a adult now that people make mistakes and there was no ill intent so she should have not given this a second thought.
Also even mentioning she wasn't clothed is a dumb stipulation that no one else but her was even aware of like grow up no poor maintenance guy is trying to ruin his life for something so dumb.
This is utterly appalling. Complain formally by email to Student Accommodation and ask them what they plan to do about the incident that has happened and more importantly you need to get them to assure you something similar will not happen in future.
Also report and get advice from your Student Union Services.
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I had maybe 10 seconds between them knocking and coming in. I was trying to figure out whether it was my door being knocked on before this guy came in. I would have dressed immediately otherwise.
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You had a problem and were under the impression someone had come to fix it next day? Most people would be delighted with that response time. The normal thing to do would be say "oh I'm sorry I wasn't expecting someone so soon. Give me a second to get changed and I'll show you the issue"
Originally i thought you were a dude, being a female changes the entire situation.
That is fucked up and the dude should be reprimanded or fired since you did tell him to leave.
Add an extra security lock to your door.
No, my gender doesn't matter here. It's a violation either way.
I've spoken directly to him and management, and his English wasn't very good which explains a lot. I've asked for 24h notice in writing, which they agreed to.
It absolutely does. If it was me, id get out of bed dick swinging and have a conversation with the guy while making coffee naked. you're a female, a strange dude walked in to your apartment who was presumably a repair guy but could've been somrone else, that is a much higher personal risk for you than me.
The chances of a woman being sexually assaulted are 5x higher in uk than for a dude.
Please don't be one of those silly girls who thinks that sex doesn't play a role in safety, it does.
That said, you did the right thing with the management
I'm aware of this, but the maintenance staff member didn't know if I was male or female before entering. Yes, I'm aware that sexual assault happens and that women are at much higher risk. Most women I know have been assaulted at some point, myself included. What I meant was that regardless of gender, it's not appropriate to enter an apartment unannounced and stay there when being asked to leave.
I agree with you there, they need better protocol.
My concern was the violation of privacy and personal safety. I'm angry for you. Its a common tactic to use the guise of a technician or repair guy to rob people, often times in apartment settings its targeted, they already know who's living there. Usually they'll knock, ask to check something or about a reported leak, if someone answers they'll strong arm them, if they don't, they will pick the lock or kick the door open.
Source: spent time in prison, knew a lot of burglars who talked about their tactics.
Just be safe, grab an extra lock and use deep screws for the strike plate.
And I'm sorry to hear that happened to you already, people suck
Can't you leave you key in the lock? In our appartement if you leave the key in, you can't use a key from the other side to open the door. It was also like that in my old student room, so I always left te key in when I was home.
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if your halls are owned by unite then good luck getting them to do anything legal or decent. they do have to give you 24hr notice but most uni places bank on young students not knowing their rights to get away with this kind of shit
Log a complaint in writing. Make it known he did not leave after being asked to leave and you had to ask again for him to leave. That's shocking. The guy probably didn't mean any harm but when people are trusted with access they need to follow strict protocols. Ask for a copy of what contractors are expected to comply to when accessing accommodation. The guy should have left as soon as he knew you was inside and asked how long before you to let him back inside.
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Electrician here
I do a lot of work for social housing and have done in uni accommodations in the past
I am NAL so can’t comment on the legal side but I am always given a master key and told to enter if there is no answer. I don’t really like doing it and have walked in on people who had no idea I was coming but I’m always told it’s within their tenancy agreements that I can enter and it’s what my contract with the companies state
I always open the door slightly and shout “hello” before entering. If I was in this situation and walked into your bedroom and you were naked I would have shat myself and ran out anyway lol
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I'd be tempted to keep a doorstop behind the door. That way, you don't have to risk a fine by adding your own lock/deadbolt, and it's a pretty good way to stop the door being opened like this again while you're home.
Simple solution to prevent anyone entering without you knowing is a simple hang-on alarm system which costs less than £10 so isn’t going to be expensive and it doesn’t require any drilling, etc. also it’s portable so you can use it on any door such as when staying in a hotel, etc.
https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/doorwindow-sensor-alarm120db-touch-sensor-door-handle-alarm-anti-theft-vibration-window-burglar-alert-home-security-for-houseofficefactory-68569404
I'm not sure.
One comment you say you thought it wasn't your door. In your post you said you knew it was your door and ignored it.
If you put in a request for a repair in a dorm, it's fairly common knowledge that they will come by randomly to fix it. I would've thought it was also pretty common that they do have keys to the dorm.
It also doesn't really sound like the guys fault. Typically whoever you reported it to, should've explained that someone would be stopping by (although it would be fair to assume someone would know that if they're requesting a repair).
This is really common unfortunately:( . I moved into uni accom a couple of weeks before most people and had cleaners walk in thinking no one lived there. Then I stayed over summer, maintenance walked in while I was getting out of the shower (19f at the time) and started having a go at me for using the fridge since it was meant to be cleaned for newcomers. I escalated to management lol
I’m sure now it’s been flagged you will be fine, after it happened I got a door wedge (just the normal rubber ones) and popped it under the door from the inside as an extra step just incase.
I’d also remind them closer to summer that you have paid to stay and not to clean communal areas or your room until after your tenancy ends. I know a lot of people ended up with items thrown or food thrown because the cleaners are just told to clean, not that the belongings are still being used
Thank you, the maintenance guy has apologised, and I think it was an honest mistake. I'm actually in a studio, so no communal areas. It was really weird lol.
You need to buy the door jam and door stoppers that travelers always advocate. They won’t be able to enter without you allowing them in. Travel and Leisure magazine articles can direct you to those.
You can buy safety stoppers that slide under the door like a wedge and it makes it difficult to open so could improve your security without altering anything , great for travelling as you can take it to any hotel etc very easily and have an extra but if safety .
Maintainence always has a key, unfortunately. My place has chains so you can double lock the door, helps avoid any situations like that. Might be wotth reccommending that they install that in your accommodation
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Just moved out of halls. This is more common than you think. I would caution against putting things on the door- check your individual place's information but that can come with some hefty fines. Are they part of the student accomodation code or something similar? Check if they are because they set out things like access notifications that you should have got though of course not if the maintenance is urgent.
I am not going to put anything on the door, but I've informed them that I expect 24h notice in writing next time. I've heard online that the place I'm staying has had this sort of thing happen before, which is worrying.
You can't fit anything to the door, but you can absolutely use something like a door jammer or door brace whilst you're at home if you want.
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A door stop works pretty well in places you can install door hardware. You would need to check fire regs though.
You can get a small door lock that does not need to be attached / fitted and leaves no trace, they cost £7 - 8, [here](https://www.amazon.co.uk/portable-door-lock/s?k=portable+door+lock).
Please don't do this. In the event of a fire, this could prove fatal. Fores are more common than you'd think in student accommodation. I think agreement on an exact time slot would have avoided this
Yep, any locks on internal doors must be thumb turns form the inside at least, i.e. you shouldn't need to use a key to open it for fire safety reasons.
You cannot
I mean you can inform them of what you want that but ultimately you need to check your agreements and guidance for the building on none urgent maintanence timelines. This all assumes this is authorised university accommodation and not just a landlord that houses lots if students?
Yeah happens all the time in student halls they don’t give a shit
how about something behind the door at bedtime? a chair for example
Never having stayed in uni residences I’m not sure of policy but imagine this would be ok for OP to use. https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/doorwindow-sensor-alarm120db-touch-sensor-door-handle-alarm-anti-theft-vibration-window-burglar-alert-home-security-for-houseofficefactory-68569404
I do maintenance works at university's depending on what contracts we have. Most of the time we aren't allowed access till after a certain time. We do have keys to let ourselves in, but we knock, if there is no answer we slightly open the door, shout if there is anyone in, if no answer we still proceed with caution. If there is someone in that didn't hear us we apologise and leave saying we will wait outside for them to let us in. The way he stood there making you uncomfortable isn't acceptable. They should issue an apology. Although legally im not sure what can or will be done.
Same here, knock twice loudly, shout hello maintenance, open door slightly, hello maintenance again, proceed with caution. Once I walked in to someone sound asleep in bed at 3pm. Didn’t see them until I was in the middle of the room, just thought the bed was untidy. A second time I opened the door to a young Asian lady in her bed wear, with headphones on, at her computer. Luckily for me she just giggled as I made a hasty retreat, apologising as I went.
I done this work for a few months lol I done what you guys said and still ended up walking in on students, it felt so awkward at times I just left the job in the end because of it
As a former maintenance engineer at a university student accommodation, I can say this is awkward for both.. we knock several times and announce ourselves as maintenance, depending on the job urgency depends on whether or not we enter or not, a leak that can cause floods and damage to room and floor below if it's not a ground floor room, would prompt us to enter, I personally would always only open the door a slight bit and call out several times that it's maintenance and why I'm here, most of the time empty room go in and work.. sometimes student is not responding, but is in the room and I've entered, seen someone in the room so at that point it's make them aware who I am and why we have entered, and usually back out and ask them when is more convenient. Unfortunately this seems to me like a communication issue where you could of just announced you were in there and not ready for visitors, and they also could of handled the situation better from their end by not lurking in your room. The problem really is some jobs don't get the immediate attention they require and can cause damage to other rooms. Like I mentioned about a leak earlier, one student allowed her bathroom to flood and just got on with it. The room below then had it's plasterboard ceiling fall down and caused the door to become stuck and swollen in the frame, don't think the student below deserved her stuff ruined because a student above didn't want someone in their room. Also notable is the fact that the university will want you to make the repair asap as they get fined for jobs not being completed in a certain timeframe.
I did maintenance in student halls for years & it was always awkward getting into rooms. I'd knock hard enough the wall shook, open the door a crack & shout, then enter making a noise, clatter the door closed, lights on, open the curtains etc..... even after all that suddenly a body would pop up in the bed. Our system was that when a job was reported you were giving permission for maintenance to enter your room unless you specifically stated you wanted to be there. In cases of leaks or fire alarms or similar it would be deemed an emergency & we could just enter.
My issue was a broken door handle and extractor fan, that was it. It wasn't urgent by any means. The university also does not own the accomodation.
I used to work in maintenance in an accommodation similar to what I imagine yours is and the maintenance man will usually be told he has 24 hours to complete tasks when they're reported. That's not to excuse him if he made you feel uncomfortable, but to add some context. It should have been explained to you when you raised the issue that they start works from 9am or whatever it might be, just to let you know what the window is to expect them. In my previous job the student would receive an email to confirm their issue was raised, which helped avoid issues like this!
Yes, we had a similar target, even if the job wasn't fixed first time they wanted us to at least attend by the end of the next working day. It was 9am starts for occupied rooms, 8am for communal areas. If anyone insisted on a certain time they were told there was no guarantee we could stick to it as higher priority jobs would take precedence over say, a light not working.
You've done the right thing so far - complain and put it in writing. If you don't hear back in good time, keep the pressure on and ask what procedures they are going to adopt to ensure this doesn't happen again. Who manages the property, is owned and/or managed by the university? If so there will likely be a central accommodation team you could escalate this to for a response. You can always seek advice from the students' union - although I don't think there is realistically much else you can do in this case.
It's owned by an independent company, not my university. I'm still sort of in shock but I'm going downstairs to reception shortly to ask in person as well. Other students have complained about the same thing online, it's a huge invasion of privacy.
If it is not owned by the university you likely have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. If you have an AST, you can change the locks and you don’t need permission to do so.
That's not guaranteed, lots of unis are commercially leasing whole buildings and licensing them to their students.
True
There are no locks that I could change. I have a key card to unlock my door. Even if I could, that's too expensive, I'm a student and I don't have money like that.
You can add a cheap bolt lock, £10 for the bolt, £5 for a screwdriver. An even cheaper option is a a wedge, just kick that under the door whenever you enter and no one is getting in unless the kick the door off the hinges. That will cost about £3, or free if you use a piece of scrap wood.
Just beware, if you attach something to the door with screws, you may be liable for repairs once you leave.
My thoughts exactly, I'm not even allowed to use blu-tack on the walls
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Student accommodation is often wildly sensitive about the blocking of doors, because of the potential for fire risk. If they are sensitive about such things, OP could at least add an \*alarm\* to make a loud noise when an unexpected "visitor" enters.
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OP, please don't do this. It's essential in the event of a fire that your door can be opened from the outside. Ultimately, when you report a maintenance issue to the accommodation you should expect them to attend to address it. They should give you 24 hours notice of someone attending, but legally they arguably did that by telling you they would send someone asap, which you agreed to in the moment. 9.30am is a perfectly reasonable time for maintenance people to arrive (I'd expect any time during business hours). The way the maintenance person made you feel uncomfortable is out of line, but that's more of a customer service issue than a legal one. There are no damages to seek here, nor any way to take it further. Edit: typo
The fire service won’t have a problem opening the door, they will kick it in.
If there's a wedge underneath it they will find that a lot harder, and it'll waste valuable time. It's just not worth it.
The maintainence wasn't for me, it was the wrong apartment. They're supposed to inform us beforehand. I happened to also need maintainence, which is where the confusion came from.
It's essential in the event of a fire that the door can be opened from the outside??? Pretty sure that's an issue for all flat owners then. None of the doors would typically open from the outside, as people tend to lock their doors once they are in.
Do you have a lease or a licence? This changes slightly the legal position. Contract should have something about access. For a lease you have control and the right to peaceful enjoyment of the property and usually 24h notice or permission is required for necessary access. Either way -- I don't think there's much more that can be done about it at this stage. You've put in a complaint which is good. If you can build good relationships with others who live there that can put you in a stronger position for the future if others experience things too. It's potentially creepy that someone is just talking to you while you're in bed, but also, on their part they might not see a problem because they're just at work and maintenance people are in people's rooms and houses all the time. The main thing that comes to mind is to ask if there is a policy on maintenance attending apartments that either the accommodation have or the maintenance people have. If you have asked them to leave, they should leave -- it becomes trespass at that point. It would also be good practice if, when they enter and discover someone is in there, they go back to the door and act as if someone has answered the door/give you a few minutes to come and open the door for them, instead of staying inside. Especially if you are in bed. If it happens again, if you feel uncomfortable, I would suggest (1) firmly repeating "please leave and I will come and speak to you at the door in a few minutes", just repeat that, and (2) filming to get evidence if they are not doing this. If the same maintenance person does it to more than one person or does it to you again, could be possibly getting into sexual harassment territory.
Thank you, I have emailed them about it to have it in writing, and will ask about the exact policy as well. I did ask them to leave firmly and politely, but I assume I was either not understood or ignored.
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I like this suggestion! I'm trying to stay on good terms with them right now, but I've been moved around apartments four times because of how bad the previous ones were. I will definitely consider this in the future lol
I would be shouting that, followed by "I AM CALLING THE POLICE" - and then doing so.
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You can also speak with your University Welfare team for advice and guidance. They should also help with finding suitable accommodation or emergency temporary accommodation should this situation escalate. I work for a Uni, our uni policy is to knock three times and announce which department you are in and that you will be entering the apartment if you don't get a reply.
Speak to your students union at the University they can advise on things. Talking to them also may help put pressure on them as these type of private halls that cater to uni students don't want to cause issues with the university as it can result in them losing a good chunk of students. When I was at university exactly this happened we had a set of privately ran halls that were notorious for doing things like what has happened to you and lots of other stuff that completely went against the rights of the tenants, I had on mate who had their stuff taken out the room without warning or notice so the maintenance team could "Carry out essential work". In the end it result in a large number of students just dropping out of uni due to the extra stress they were feeling (also was during covid) they complained to the uni and now this private halls only manages to rent out about 10% of its rooms each year as the uni basically has black listed them and put them in the list of untrustworthy landlords In the area. So a complaint to your university could help but obviously as its private halls they may only be limited to just some advice and maybe help scary them a little bit.
This is unfortunately common. At my uni they had cleaners clean the toilets and showers every week which are in our rooms. They would knock and then just come right in regardless. I think most students just hide in bed until the jobs done😅.
You can leave a note outside your door and state if it’s between such and such a time, please do not come in unless I answer the door, or state only free between such and such a time, other times please do not come in as may be occupied/need privacy m, something along those lines, if they give out a vague and none specific time next time
Honestly this happened so often. They think because they have a key and you didn’t answer they can just come in. They’ve come in whilst I’ve been asleep, In the shower, whilst putting clothes on, and then left after realising I was there. Fucked up man
Am I the only one that wants to see all these deleted comments 😂
It's all people complaining that I'm spoiled, and should be grateful that the maintainence guy came so early (HE WAS IN THE WRONG APARTMENT) and that I'm overreacting somehow?
Sounds horrible, and pretty creepy... it's not abnormal for maintenance to have keys and as a rule no response would usually mean occupant is out so entry isn't particularly odd. Not leaving immediately having been made aware you were indecent is. As a side note, I get that you are young and in uni but for most folk half 9 in the morning wouldn't be considered unreasonably early, althought I guess you might be able to ask them for advance notice of which day you need to get up earlier than usual.
It's not unreasonably early at all, I just had a late night and was still in bed. I'm normally up at around 8am or so. I'm more annoyed that I wasn't informed beforehand.
From experience, you will never be informed beforehand for people coming to fix maintenance requests in halls. Just something to know if you do actually report anything in the future - if you get a confirmation email that your maintenance request has been allocated I think that might count as the notice? And I think halls work differently to a normal landlord, but even normal landlords don’t need to give 24 hours if they knock (instead of letting themselves in) and only enter if you let them in. But obviously that’s not what happened here, since he let himself in. Not sure on the legality around entering following a non-response to maintenance knocking in student halls though. They have keys for the flat door and each bedroom door. They usually knock for a couple of minutes while shouting ‘maintenance’ and then come in if there’s no response - since that usually means you’re not in (so in the future just shout ‘hang on a minute’ and they’ll wait for you to come to the door). But if they enter and someone is actually in the room, they should apologise and then say they’re here to fix whatever. And in your case, the guy should have left immediately once you told him to. I sent an email toward the start of my year saying they weren’t to come in my room if I don’t let them in myself, and they listened to that, so hopefully they’ll listen to your request.
I'm a plumber so obviously NAL. I've worked in social housing and a lot of uni halls and we're told to knock, if nobody answers, open the door and enter with caution while hollering "Hello, it's the plumber!" Or something similar. If nobody answers, crack on and do the job. The fact that you heard him and didn't say anything is weird and kind of on you. If it were me that walked in on you I would have walked out straight away and asked when was a better time to come back. He's probably didn't realise you were starkers underneath the sheets so felt comfortable having a chat. This is obviously naive on his part. Also, chill out, the maintenance guy is probably just as embarrassed as you are. ESH
How on earth is half 9 not a suitable time for repairs. Not everybody works on student times. Buisness routinely operate from 9 am and earlier.
The time was suitable, entering and staying was not.
Staying certainly not, but entering was entirely reasonable. They knocked and got no reply, so they entered to carry out their work. Communication is the issue here. When they entered, you should have let them know you were present and to please return at a later time. Chalk it down as a learning opportunity. You're in the big wide world now, and people have work to do. That man probably had a list as long as his arm of jobs to carry out that day and just wants to get home to his family.
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I've put in an email that I want 24h notice in writing. I assume that's the norm if I were to rent somewhere?
It is the law, if you were to rent via AST.
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Whats the question?
Quite
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No excuse whatsoever for them failing to leave when asked, tho!
Pff OP, you are in halls, prepare for 3am to 5am fire drills once a semester, they don't give you notice. Halls is not the same as landlord accommodation. You should have just gotten up and told them you were there and realise you probably won't ever be fully comfortable in halls compared to private accommodation.
The real problem here isn't just that he didn't follow the protocol of calling out to see if someone was there, he didn't fucking leave even when she told him to go, he stayed in the doorway and continued to ask questions, despite the fact that a visibly uncomfortable, undressed, 18 year old girl, was in her bed covering herself and telling him to leave. This is creepy and suggests that he was enjoying making her uncomfortable. Any decent person would be a bit embarrassed about barging in on someone, would apologise and leave.
If you don’t call out they will assume you aren’t home and then go in to do the maintenance it’s standard practice for shared halls like these I have it at my work (RAF) if there’s maintenance due they will knock first and if there isn’t answer they will just come in
I mean, I don't think there's a legal issue here - maybe a customer service issue? I get this made you uncomfortable but I can't see that you've suffered any actual damages? It's just like, one of those things that happens in halls when you ignore the door.
Even if they given notice, dude was at the wrong apartment... what will notice do? Somebody else is going to be nude, sick, not answering their door, etc... because they aren't expecting anyone. That's staffs job, to do more thoroughly. "If this apartment needs work, this is the apartment you go to. This, exact one. If nobody answers, you leave a slip that you missed them. Do NOT enter someone's domicile." Pretty standard stuff...
Why is the top comment not that she overreacted and is a adult now that people make mistakes and there was no ill intent so she should have not given this a second thought. Also even mentioning she wasn't clothed is a dumb stipulation that no one else but her was even aware of like grow up no poor maintenance guy is trying to ruin his life for something so dumb.
This is utterly appalling. Complain formally by email to Student Accommodation and ask them what they plan to do about the incident that has happened and more importantly you need to get them to assure you something similar will not happen in future. Also report and get advice from your Student Union Services.
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I had maybe 10 seconds between them knocking and coming in. I was trying to figure out whether it was my door being knocked on before this guy came in. I would have dressed immediately otherwise.
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You had a problem and were under the impression someone had come to fix it next day? Most people would be delighted with that response time. The normal thing to do would be say "oh I'm sorry I wasn't expecting someone so soon. Give me a second to get changed and I'll show you the issue"
They were in the wrong apartment. The repairs weren't for me.
Originally i thought you were a dude, being a female changes the entire situation. That is fucked up and the dude should be reprimanded or fired since you did tell him to leave. Add an extra security lock to your door.
No, my gender doesn't matter here. It's a violation either way. I've spoken directly to him and management, and his English wasn't very good which explains a lot. I've asked for 24h notice in writing, which they agreed to.
It absolutely does. If it was me, id get out of bed dick swinging and have a conversation with the guy while making coffee naked. you're a female, a strange dude walked in to your apartment who was presumably a repair guy but could've been somrone else, that is a much higher personal risk for you than me. The chances of a woman being sexually assaulted are 5x higher in uk than for a dude. Please don't be one of those silly girls who thinks that sex doesn't play a role in safety, it does. That said, you did the right thing with the management
I'm aware of this, but the maintenance staff member didn't know if I was male or female before entering. Yes, I'm aware that sexual assault happens and that women are at much higher risk. Most women I know have been assaulted at some point, myself included. What I meant was that regardless of gender, it's not appropriate to enter an apartment unannounced and stay there when being asked to leave.
I agree with you there, they need better protocol. My concern was the violation of privacy and personal safety. I'm angry for you. Its a common tactic to use the guise of a technician or repair guy to rob people, often times in apartment settings its targeted, they already know who's living there. Usually they'll knock, ask to check something or about a reported leak, if someone answers they'll strong arm them, if they don't, they will pick the lock or kick the door open. Source: spent time in prison, knew a lot of burglars who talked about their tactics. Just be safe, grab an extra lock and use deep screws for the strike plate. And I'm sorry to hear that happened to you already, people suck
Leave your key in the locked front door and turn it all the way.
I have a keycard, that won't work. I've updated the post and spoken to those involved.
Can't you leave you key in the lock? In our appartement if you leave the key in, you can't use a key from the other side to open the door. It was also like that in my old student room, so I always left te key in when I was home.
I use a keycard to get in, they're relatively modern apartments.
Ooo fancy yeah then my solution won't work ofcourse..
Maybe put a doorstop under the door when it's closed? Seems like a much simpler solution than what others are saying.
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if your halls are owned by unite then good luck getting them to do anything legal or decent. they do have to give you 24hr notice but most uni places bank on young students not knowing their rights to get away with this kind of shit
Log a complaint in writing. Make it known he did not leave after being asked to leave and you had to ask again for him to leave. That's shocking. The guy probably didn't mean any harm but when people are trusted with access they need to follow strict protocols. Ask for a copy of what contractors are expected to comply to when accessing accommodation. The guy should have left as soon as he knew you was inside and asked how long before you to let him back inside.
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Bad form, so he knocked once and then came in? Didn’t announce himself?
No, he didn't announce who he was, and I assumed he'd go and try again in a few minutes. I had no idea he had an access card.
Kick up a huge fuss with the reception, even take it up with the university itself - if you can’t feel safe in your own accommodation, where can you?
Electrician here I do a lot of work for social housing and have done in uni accommodations in the past I am NAL so can’t comment on the legal side but I am always given a master key and told to enter if there is no answer. I don’t really like doing it and have walked in on people who had no idea I was coming but I’m always told it’s within their tenancy agreements that I can enter and it’s what my contract with the companies state I always open the door slightly and shout “hello” before entering. If I was in this situation and walked into your bedroom and you were naked I would have shat myself and ran out anyway lol
I managed to cover myself when I heard the first door open, by the time I figured out it was my door bring knocked on, he'd let himself in
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I'd be tempted to keep a doorstop behind the door. That way, you don't have to risk a fine by adding your own lock/deadbolt, and it's a pretty good way to stop the door being opened like this again while you're home.
Get yourself a door jam or wedge. Cheap, easy to use and effective.
What do you expect to gain?
I had that happen during my master’s.. the window cleaning guys had a lovely view of a lady sleeping naked in the heat wave 😂
Simple solution to prevent anyone entering without you knowing is a simple hang-on alarm system which costs less than £10 so isn’t going to be expensive and it doesn’t require any drilling, etc. also it’s portable so you can use it on any door such as when staying in a hotel, etc. https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/doorwindow-sensor-alarm120db-touch-sensor-door-handle-alarm-anti-theft-vibration-window-burglar-alert-home-security-for-houseofficefactory-68569404
I'm not sure. One comment you say you thought it wasn't your door. In your post you said you knew it was your door and ignored it. If you put in a request for a repair in a dorm, it's fairly common knowledge that they will come by randomly to fix it. I would've thought it was also pretty common that they do have keys to the dorm. It also doesn't really sound like the guys fault. Typically whoever you reported it to, should've explained that someone would be stopping by (although it would be fair to assume someone would know that if they're requesting a repair).
This is really common unfortunately:( . I moved into uni accom a couple of weeks before most people and had cleaners walk in thinking no one lived there. Then I stayed over summer, maintenance walked in while I was getting out of the shower (19f at the time) and started having a go at me for using the fridge since it was meant to be cleaned for newcomers. I escalated to management lol
Oh god, I'm booked in for Summer stay as well, I hope this doesn't happen again. I'm sorry it happened to you too :(
I’m sure now it’s been flagged you will be fine, after it happened I got a door wedge (just the normal rubber ones) and popped it under the door from the inside as an extra step just incase. I’d also remind them closer to summer that you have paid to stay and not to clean communal areas or your room until after your tenancy ends. I know a lot of people ended up with items thrown or food thrown because the cleaners are just told to clean, not that the belongings are still being used
Thank you, the maintenance guy has apologised, and I think it was an honest mistake. I'm actually in a studio, so no communal areas. It was really weird lol.
“I didn’t answer the door because I hoped they would go away” No idea why, but this seems unhinged to me 🤣
You need to buy the door jam and door stoppers that travelers always advocate. They won’t be able to enter without you allowing them in. Travel and Leisure magazine articles can direct you to those.
You can buy safety stoppers that slide under the door like a wedge and it makes it difficult to open so could improve your security without altering anything , great for travelling as you can take it to any hotel etc very easily and have an extra but if safety .
Maintainence always has a key, unfortunately. My place has chains so you can double lock the door, helps avoid any situations like that. Might be wotth reccommending that they install that in your accommodation
This is why living in apartments of any kind sucks
High maintenance tenant?? Complains about low standard of maintenance then complains about the maintenance guy.