Cancellation Policy:
Can I cancel my booking?
By law, a cooling-off period has to be given for many things ordered online – but a cooling-off period is not a legal requirement in contracts for residential accommodation.
Acis Students does allow bookings to be canceled in certain circumstances, as set out below. Acis Students does not allow bookings to be canceled by tenants or prospective tenants in any other circumstances.
Cancellations during the Initial Cancellation Period
You have a short period after accepting an offer of accommodation in which you may cancel your booking. In this policy, we refer to this period as the “Initial Cancellation Period”. The duration of the Initial Cancellation Period depends on when you accept the offer of accommodation.
If you accept the offer of accommodation on or before 12 August and that date is also before the start date of your tenancy, the Initial Cancellation Period is three working days, starting on the day that you accept the offer. Your cancellation request must reach us by no later than the end of the third working day after you accept the offer and before you move into your accommodation.
If you accept the tenancy agreement after 12 August, but it is before the date that your tenancy is due to start, then the Initial Cancellation Period is one working day, starting from the day that you accept the offer of accommodation. Your cancellation request must reach us by no later than the end of the next working day after you accept the offer, and before you move into your accommodation.
To cancel during the Initial Cancellation Period, you must give notice in writing to the site office of the property where you have booked to stay. The notice may be sent by post or email. The notice cannot be sent by SMS. The notice must clearly state that you are canceling your booking (for example, an email saying that you are reconsidering whether university is right for you will not be treated as a cancellation notice). The notice must arrive at the site office within the Initial Cancellation Period.
Cancellations at other times
After the expiry of the Initial Cancellation Period, there is no right to cancel, but Acis Students may agree (in our sole discretion) to accept a cancellation if any of the following circumstances apply:
1. You are a first-year or a prospective student and your offer at your first choice of university education Institution has been withdrawn as a result of you not meeting entry requirements. For your request to cancel your accommodation to be considered you must:
put your request in writing
send us supporting evidence from the University or UCAS
do this within three working days of receiving notification that your offer of a place on the course has been withdrawn.
2. Your UK Visa application has been refused. For your request to cancel your accommodation to be considered you must;
put your request in writing
send us supporting evidence
do this within five working days of your receiving official confirmation that your application has been refused.
3. Mitigating circumstances such as ill health or family circumstances. If you request to cancel due to ill health, you must:
make your request in writing
produce a certificate from a recognised medical practitioner stating the medical grounds on which you cannot live in, or continue living in your accommodation.
There is no deadline for making a cancellation request on these grounds.
Provided that the relevant criteria set out above have been received within the applicable deadline, then each cancellation request will be considered on its own merits, taking into account the supporting evidence that you provide. If your cancellation request is granted, then you will receive written confirmation of the date your tenancy agreement was canceled. Booking fees and pre-paid rent will be refunded (but if you have been living in the accommodation, we may make extra charges of rent for the period up to cancellation and move-out).
If your cancellation request is refused, you may still be able to cancel your accommodation if you can find a suitable replacement tenant who is acceptable to Acis Students and who is willing to enter into a legally binding contract for your accommodation. It is your responsibility to find a suitable replacement tenant. In most cases, a prospective tenant will not be suitable if he/she is already renting a room from Acis Students or is bound into another contract. Acis Students will only assist you with finding a replacement tenant if all the other rooms on site are already let and we have applicants on a waiting list.
Suppose Acis Students accepts the request for the cancellation of your tenancy. In that case, you will receive written notification and be provided with a release date (the date that your tenancy will end). In the case of tenants who need to find a replacement tenant, the release date will not be issued until the replacement tenant enters into a tenancy agreement with Acis Students. You will remain liable to pay the rent for the period before the release date or, if later, until you vacate your room and hand in your keys and any other access devices.
If your cancellation request is rejected, you will remain liable for all the obligations contained in your tenancy agreement, including payment of rent, whether you occupy the accommodation or not.
Cancellation fees
There is no fee to pay if you cancel within the applicable Initial Cancellation Period.
If you ask us to cancel your tenancy agreement after the Initial Cancellation Period, we may charge you a fee, but you will not be asked to pay more than:
(a) The loss suffered by the landlord as a result of ending the tenancy;
(b) The Landlord’s reasonable costs in respect of administering the cancellation request.
Usually, this will be an administration fee of £50 for arranging the cancellation and any sums you owe under the tenancy agreement (such as rent arrears and damages).
There is no cancellation fee to pay if we do not agree to cancel.
Transfer fees
If you want to change your booking after accepting an offer, then you could cancel your existing booking within the Initial Cancellation Period and then re-apply. In this case, no fee will be payable, but you may not be offered your choice of room when you re-apply.
If you want to change your booking after the Initial Cancellation Period, or you do not want to risk canceling your booking, you can apply to change your tenancy. We will charge you an administration fee as follows:
(a) For transfer requests before the start of the tenancy period, a fee of £45 to cover our administration costs;
(b) For transfer requests during the tenancy period, a fee of £50 (to cover our administration costs and the additional room inspection required when you vacate).
There is no transfer fee to pay if we do not agree to a room transfer.