Symptoms of Covid-19

It is important that you remain vigilant to coronavirus symptoms during your stay with us. Key symptoms include:

• A high temperature/fever (37.8c or greater)
• A new, continuous cough
• The loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste

Should you have any of the above symptoms, it is imperative that you follow the instructions below:

Return home to Student Accommodation to self-isolate for 10 days - longer, if symptoms persist

When returning home to Student Accommodation, avoid public transport wherever possible

If returning on public transport you must wear a face covering

Send a request for a home test kit via the NHS website or, if you can't go online, call NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816 or 0300 303 2713. Don't wait to see if you feel better before booking a test.

Notify your Student Accommodation team via phone or email immediately to alert them to your situation so that they can support you and communicate to others who may also have to self-isolate.

More information

Please familiarise yourself with the Scottish Government's Ready Scotland support for individuals or households in isolation.

What we will do for you if you are self-isolating

If you are living with us in Edinburgh Napier Accommodation:

• We will support you with food and medicine deliveries
• We will call you daily to see if you how you are feeling and what we can do to help
• We will notify your flatmates as they will also have to self-isolate for 10 days
• We will notify the University so that they are aware of your situation

If you changed household over the winter break (e.g. returned to your family home or other address), you should not return to your term-time accommodation until in-person teaching for your course commences or for exceptional reasons, such as mental health or wellbeing purposes.

This applies to University owned and all other types of term time accommodation.

This will minimise the risk of transmission across the country, and in the student community, and make it easier for effective planning for everyone to get tested quickly when they do return to university.

Visit the Scottish Government's website for guidance on travel to and from student accommodation. You should, however, regularly check this site as guidance is subject to change.

We have a team of accommodation staff and resident assistants who are here to support you with what you need. Please check your kitchen noticeboard for details or visit our Accommodation Contact Us page.

The University's Student Wellbeing team can also provide you with services during this time, including drop-in phone sessions, counselling and workshops aimed at giving you the support and resources you need. For more information, visit our Wellbeing pages.

If you are planning to change the address that you live at during any period of your time at University - including the holidays and between trimesters - please arrange to have a PCR test before you travel.

Once you have had your test and after you have travelled to your new address, please then arrange to have a lateral flow test.

By having both tests, you will protect people before you leave on your journey, and you will be able to check that you have not contracted the disease during your journey.

Yes. Our guidance applies to all students changing household at the start of the new term.

Yes, this is encouraged where it is a practical option. You can travel in a private car to return to your term-time accommodation. You should not share a car with anyone outside your household, extended household or end of term household to minimise risks of transmission, unless there is no reasonable alternative.

Yes, as long as you don’t have any symptoms of Covid-19 or need to self-isolate because you have tested positive or are a close contact of someone who has tested positive. If you are using public transport, you should follow guidance on how to travel safely. This includes wearing a face covering unless you are exempt, planning your journey in advance to avoid busy times and routes, washing/sanitising your hands regularly, and keeping your distance while travelling where possible.

In some very limited circumstances, it may not be possible for you to remain at the household you changed to over the winter break. In these circumstances, students should contact their student accommodation provider to discuss the support available to them.

If your circumstances make a return to term-time accommodation essential, you should plan your return in advance with your accommodation provider to ensure this can be managed safely.

If you are living with us in Edinburgh Napier Student Accommodation, you should contact the team to let them know if you are planning to return by emailing accommodation@napier.ac.uk.

The Scottish Government has announced that as of Monday 26 April, travel throughout all of mainland Scotland from the rest of the UK is permitted. This allows University students living in Scotland, England and Wales to travel to collect any personal belongings left behind in student accommodation. Please note that current guidance in Northern Ireland states you should not travel in or out of Northern Ireland except where it is essential to do so.

We have set up a time slot process for collecting items. This is to ensure social distancing measures are maintained for the safety of individuals and staff on site. All residents must notify us of when they intend to arrive to collect items by booking a time slot via Eventbrite. Please note that only one slot is allowed per resident and failure to book a time slot may result in no access being provided. The time slot provided is for your arrival only - there is no time limit for how long you need to collect your belongings. We do ask that you collect everything on the allocated day and return the fob to reception or deposit the fob in the black key return box at Bainfield reception if it is after 5pm. We cannot permit students staying overnight.

Upon arrival at accommodation, all residents, including those from Orwell Terrace and Slateford Road, must report to Bainfield accommodation reception with photographic identification. You will then be issued with a temporary key fob for your room. Residents are responsible for making their way to their accommodation site and retrieving their belongings.

All key fobs other than those in possession of the accommodation staff will no longer work as they have now expired.

Any unwanted items or refuse must be removed from the bedroom and kitchen areas and disposed of in the bin store. Once items have been removed from accommodation, the key fob must be returned to accommodation staff or deposited in the black key return box located at Bainfield reception. You are not required to clean the kitchen or bedroom areas as we appreciate the challenges of collecting your belongings.

Please ensure you arrive on time for the slot you have booked. If you are no longer able to attend, you can cancel your slot by informing Student Accommodation. We want to make the process as safe and straightforward as possible for our students, and if you show up late this will impact others wishing also to collect their belongings.

How to get here

Edinburgh City Council offers pay and display street parking facilities at locations surrounding the accommodation sites.

Safety procedures while on site

All individuals must follow the following safety procedures when on site at accommodation:

• Each resident is permitted a maximum of one other individual to assist them with moving items. Any other family members or friends must not come on site.
• When collecting or depositing the key fob, only one individual is permitted inside the reception area at all times. If the reception is occupied, please wait outside the reception and maintain 2 metres social distancing from others.
• A face covering or mask must be worn on site at all times.
• When inside the flat, please be aware of others who are collecting items and maintain social distancing rules at all times.

Residents who are unable to collect belongings in person

If you are unable to collect belongings in person, then we can provide access to a friend or family member. To do this, please follow the procedure outlined above to book a time slot. You must then contact reslife@napier.ac.uk providing the name of the person who will be collecting the items on your behalf. Please also provide written consent confirming that you grant access to the named individual who will collect the items on your behalf.

If it is not possible to collect your belongings in person, or if it is not possible to arrange for a friend of family member to collect the belongings at this time, then we would recommend using one of the following companies in order for them to pack your belongings and have them shipped to you. We would recommend getting in touch with one of the following providers so they will be able to give you a quote on the cost of delivery.

• PingLocker
• Lovespace
• PACK & SEND
• Baggage Hub
• Inwood Logistics
• Sevenseas Worldwide
• Student Storage Box
• Kangaroo self storage
• Flexistore
• Lovespace
• Lenlothian

Please note that Edinburgh Napier University is not affiliated with any of the organisations above and take no responsibility or liability for any damaged or missing items.

If you decide to use a pack and send company, then you are not required to organise a booking slot, however you will be required to inform us of the date in which the company will be on site to collect your items. Failure to provide such information may result in the company being unable to access your flat. Please note that we will only be able to provide access during our operating times. Therefore all pack and send companies must report to the reception between 9.30am – 4pm Monday to Friday.

We kindly ask that your belongings are collected no later than Friday 28 May.

If you are not planning to return to accommodation please confirm by email providing us written confirmation you are happy for us to dispose of the items in your bedroom.

If you have any questions regarding the collection of your items, please email reslife@napier.ac.uk and a member of the accommodation team will be happy to help.

A reasonable excuse for returning to your term-time accommodation could include wellbeing reasons or employment purposes (the latter only for essential work that cannot be undertaken from home). What is reasonable will of course depend on the circumstances of each case.

Yes. If you are a student living in Wales, England or Northern Ireland you will still be able to return to university or college once your institution has advised you to do so.

Flats with shared cooking and bathroom facilities are considered a household.

• Face coverings must be worn in all communal areas within the residencies such as corridors, lifts and external common areas. This does not apply to the internals of your flats such as kitchen, hallway or bedrooms
• Physical distancing won't be required within your flats. However, please be respectful of use of kitchen space to avoid overcrowding
• Household members should follow hygiene protocols, hand washing, cleaning of kitchen surfaces and all shared spaces regularly

You should not meet anyone from outside your household socially indoors in your home or their home. This applies to all age groups.

Your flat is considered a household. As you have formed a new household within your student accommodation, this means that you cannot stay overnight at another household.

It is an offence not to comply with the restrictions on gathering.

Our Edinburgh Napier Student Accommodation Tenancy Agreement states that overnight guests are not permitted. The current version of our Student Accommodation Covid-19 Community Agreement, which is regularly updated to reflect current Scottish Government guidance and restrictions, states visitors from outside your own flat household are not permitted.

Scottish Government guidance states if two adults are in a relationship and they do not live together they, and any children they each live with, can agree to form an extended household. However, if someone in the extended household develops Covid-19 symptoms, all members of the extended household must isolate immediately if they met the symptomatic person 2 days before and up to 10 days after their symptoms started. If the symptomatic person tests positive, all members of their direct household must isolate for 10 days from the start of symptoms and other members of the extended household must isolate for 10 days from when the most recent contact took place.

Taking this into account, there are a number of reasons why these visits cannot occur within Edinburgh Napier University student accommodation:

• The person entering student accommodation may currently be placing themselves at a higher risk of contracting the virus.
• Other members of the individual's flat (up to 8 people) may not feel comfortable with someone outwith their household visiting the flat. This is completely understandable and could lead to flat dynamic issues.
• If one of the two people in the relationship becomes symptomatic and / or positive, then all members of the flat (up to 8 people) must self-isolate for 10 days. This is not a suitable arrangement nor fair on those students that live with the individual in the relationship.
• Student Accommodation has a duty of care for the welfare of those residents living within accommodation and must prioritise their welfare and wellbeing.

No. Within the setting of a current pandemic it is not considered appropriate that students are offered moves between flats due to increased risks. This decision has been taken in conjunction with the University Health and Safety team.

Yes. You may terminate your agreement at any point during Trimester 2. If you terminate your lease before Sunday 31 January, you will not be charged for the month of January. Also, we will waive the 28-day notice period throughout the remainder of Trimester 2, meaning you can terminate your agreement at any time with no ongoing liability.

To terminate your tenancy agreement, you must do so in writing by emailing the contacts below, stating your full name, matriculation number and full term-time address. You should also inform us of the date you wish your tenancy to end.

• Orwell Terrace: n.srebrzynska@napier.ac.uk
• Slateford Road: c.patton@napier.ac.uk
• Bainfield (Braid, Calton and Blackford Hill House): l.clarke@napier.ac.uk
• Bainfield (Craiglockhart, Arthur's Seat and Castle Rock): l.mangan@napier.ac.uk

We ask that you familiarise yourself with our Student Accommodation Covid-19 Community Agreement. This document outlines our commitment to you, and explains what your responsibilities are to keep yourself and your fellow students safe. It also contains useful information on what to do if you have Covid-19 symptoms.

Notice should be given in writing (this includes electronic communication where both parties agree to this) to your accommodation provider stating the day on which the tenancy will end (i.e. after the last day the minimum notice period applies). You should check your tenancy agreement to see what has been agreed about how to serve notice/communicate with landlords.

Students who have entered into a student residential tenancy before 27 May 2020 and have occupied the property before that date, can give 7 days' notice to their accommodation provider.

Students who have entered into a student residential tenancy agreement but have not yet occupied the property, can give 28 days' notice.

Students who enter into a student residential tenancy after 27 May 2020 can give 28 days' notice to their accommodation provider.

Students who enter into a student residential tenancy after 27 May 2020 can give 28 days' notice to their accommodation provider.

Students wishing to permanently end their tenancy should consider this carefully and should consult their institution before making a decision. Students should follow the Scottish Government guidance when considering moving home or travelling.

No. These changes will only apply until the end of March 2021. Scottish Ministers have the power to extend the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Act 2020 for a further six-month period (until 30 September 2021), but have not yet decided whether to do so.

The notice periods outlined in the legislation also apply to joint tenancies. Both parties will need to agree to give notice.