Leeds students urged to be mindful as chaotic weekend of moving out from Headingley expected

Students have been told to keep the noise to a minimum by the council with a huge weekend of movement ahead.

This time of year is usually very busy with many student tenancies coming to an end and council officers said they will be working closely with University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, landlords and their agents to ensure that the move out period is as smooth as possible.

As well as keeping noise to a minimum, students and landlords can help by disposing of waste properly and recycling or donating to charities where possible.

Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds fund a doorstep collection service for items that can be re-used to 7000 households throughout the changeover period.

Good to Give blue bags have been posted to each household for residents to fill with their donations, which are then redistributed free of charge to Leeds communities.

The council has also provided students with handy guides on the five things they can do to help make moving out as smooth as possible, from using bins properly to a map of bottle banks and donation sites.

Landlord's (and agents) have also been reminded of their responsibilities for the correct disposal of waste from their properties and that enforcement action may be taken where required.

In February, the council worked in partnership with the universities to launch a dedicated service in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour and noise issues in areas with a large student population.

Fully funded by the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, the dedicated service team carry out nightly patrols, seven days a week.

Since launching, calls to service have reduced by 27 per cent and call response times have reduced by 40 per cent from around 50 minutes to under 30 minutes.

The LASBT West Team (Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team) have provided evidence for six seizures and for 60 households receiving Section 80 noise abatement notices.

While the number of calls to the dedicated service line is down compared to previous years, the percentage of calls attended has increased by around 25 per cent.

Residents can be assured that nightly anti-social behaviour and noise patrols will continue throughout this next period and additional resources will be deployed to ensure any issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

On Thursday, First Bus announced significant delays.

They tweeted: “Services 19/19A/49/50/50A/56/91

“Headingley, Burley and Hyde Park - Annual mass exodus of students vacating properties in the area with reports of a high volume of traffic congestion including parking.

“We do apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

All the advice and guidance has been brought together at www.unipol.org.uk/movingout. The council will also be deploying additional resources during the month to keep the streets clean and the bins emptied in waste hotspots.

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member for resources with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said: “Universities and students in Leeds make a massive contribution to our culture and economy but we do recognise that in areas with a higher population of students, some anti-social behaviour issues can arise.

"This was initially why we worked with the universities to launch the dedicated service team and so far it has proved to be extremely successful in de-escalating issues in communities and reducing call out times. I would like to echo the message to students to be mindful of their neighbours and follow guidance on disposing of waste in the proper way.”

Leeds based estate agent, HOP manages a vast portfolio of high-quality student properties in the city.

Josh Buckley, lettings branch manager at HOP’s Leeds city centre office, said: “Student changeover is always a hectic time when tens of thousands of students move in and out of homes, in a two-day period. Plus, this is one of the busiest years for a long time, with the vast majority of the city’s student housing stock let, as the student population surges again following the pandemic.

“It’s likely that the areas around Kirkstall, Burley Park, Headingley, Woodhouse and Hyde Park will come to a total standstill with so many students on the move, and as estate agents, professional cleaners and landlords rush to inspect, clean and carry out essential maintenance work on thousands of properties.

“At HOP we ask for keys to be returned by 11am on Thursday 30th June and we then inspect hundreds of homes before the end of the day, which is no mean feat when the traffic is a lot worse than usual. If the keys are returned late, it makes the situation even more difficult and pushes everything back.

“We then have a team of more than 80 cleaners working all through the night to make sure the homes are ready to move into. Every property is then inspected again, before we hand over the keys to the new tenants, so they can move into their new homes on Friday 1st July.

“Having full 12-month tenancies creates a crazy situation for everyone involved including the cleaners, estate agents, people who live in the local areas and particularly the tenants. They often have to find alternative accommodation, between tenancies, on the 30th June and then might have to move into a property that has a list of maintenance requirements that will be done over the coming weeks. However, 12-month tenancies are entrenched in Leeds and to change this, and perhaps move to 50-week tenancies, which would offer more flexibility, would require the support of every estate agent and landlord in the city.”

Beth Eaton, wellbeing officer at Leeds University Union, added: “With over two tonnes of good stuff students no longer need already collected from across the city, and another few days to go before we close our collections for this summer, we’ve some great evidence of the positive impact students can have for their communities. These items will go to homes in Leeds that need them, free of charge over coming weeks, perhaps providing some much-needed help at this crucial time of rising living costs.

“If you find anything last minute remember you can still give right up until 1 July. Just pop your blue bag on your doorstep. You can still get blue bags at your students’ union up until 30 June. After that, use the drop off, bottle banks and other waste locations on the Good to Give maps.”

During the student changeover period between June 25 and July 10, Kirkstall’s weighbridge opening times will be extended to Saturday and Sunday from 8am-2pm over 2nd -3rd July and 9th-10th July 2022, it has been announced.

Temporarily during this period, up to 5 mattresses can be deposited, subject to site limits.

Lucy McDonald, welfare and community officer, Leeds Beckett University Students Union, said: "The vast majority of our students want to make a positive and sustainable contribution to their community. This includes leaving Leeds tidy as tenancies come to an end, donating goods to communities that need them, and of course marking the end of the year without disturbing their neighbours.

“We’re supporting Good to Give and helping get the council’s guidance out to students to make a busy week easier and less stressful for everyone.”