Students living in on-campus accommodation in Dublin City University paid approximately €13,000 in fines in the first semester of the current academic year according to Campus Residences’ General Manager, John Gaffery.
The majority of fines issued by Campus Residences from September through December 2016, were issued for breaches of the terms and conditions that were given to students prior to their occupancy.
Some of the fines outlined by these terms and conditions include, smoking within the complex, drying clothes within the apartment, hosting parties in the apartment or complex and exposing bottles, containers or other articles in the windows of the apartment units.
Adding to this, students can be subject to additional fines if their apartment unit does not meet the housekeeping standards set out by Campus Residences.
Housekeeping fines are issued to students during housekeeping inspections which are conducted approximately every six weeks by Campus Residences staff and are deducted directly from the occupier’s security deposit.
They include fines for posters on the walls, unclean bathroom facilities, unclean bedroom areas and unclean kitchen appliances.
A notice of inspection dates is sent out to each student by email and also in hard copy form which is sent to each bedroom, giving students advance notice of each inspection.
A full list of fines set out by Campus Residences is made available to students in an Accommodation Welcome Pack which is issued to each occupier on arrival to their apartment.
The fines begin at €5.00 per item deemed to be below housekeeping standards and can reach up to €100 for other incidences including hosting parties, damaging or defacing property and acting in an anti-social behaviour.
The total sum of fines issued for the first semester is a cumulative figure spread across the three DCU residence locations; DCU Glasnevin, DCU All Hallows and DCU St. Patrick’s campuses which house approximately 1,450 DCU students collectively.
“While it would be the goal of Campus Residences to keep the issuing of fines to a minimum they are a necessary part of a pro-active approach in keeping the residences clean, safe and secure,” said Gaffery.
“Any fines that are imposed are used to enhance, protects and maintain the residences,” he said and “all of the profits of the company are reinvested in the operation, maintenance, refurbishment and development of the residences.”
Lauren Ennis
Image Credit: Clara Hickey