Living at UCD

If you have a maintenance issue in your apartment you should log a maintenance request on SIS Web.

For emergency and out of office calls, contact our main reception on (01) 7161008 or drop in to your local office.

Priority Requests

Anything in your living space that you feel is:

• Hazardous to you or others
• Could cause damage to personal belongings or the living unit.

Please report it immediately and it will be handled as soon as it is called in.

How you can help

We would also like you to call in any alarms, smell of smoke or natural gas and flooding as soon as you notice them. 

The response to all other repair requests should be logged at your convenience and will be handled at our earliest opportunity.

WiFi and TV Services

Maintenance does not provide services for television or computer support.

Wifi is maintained by UCD IT Services, therefore, if there is an issue our maintenance team will check the router is functioning. If this does not resolve the issue the IT Helpdesk should be contacted: ithelpdesk@ucd.ie 

Be prepared with the following information:

• Campus name
• Building location
• Suite or apartment number
• Room number
• Mobile number
• Last name
• Description of fault

Please respect social distancing guidelines when in all laundry spaces.

There are five self-service launderettes which service all of residences. All launderettes are operated using your bank card.

Launderette Locations

1. Ashfield
2. Belgrove
3. Blackrock
4. Glenomena
5. Roebuck (Accessible via gym access door-and to the left)
6. Village Block E (Ground Floor)

Costs

Laundry washing facilities cost €3 and dryer facilities cost €1.50 per load.

Please do not overload the machines as it will impact the quality of your drying. 

Opening Hours

All Laundry facilities are open for use 24 hours.

In the event of a problem with a machine in the laundry please log a maintenance request via SISWeb to inform us.

If you believe that you are eligible for a refund due to a malfunctioning machine, please contact residences@ucd.ie with your student number and details pertainging to the issue. 

Small postal deliveries, such as envelopes, will be delivered to your apartment Monday to Friday from 18:30 to 19:30. Please note there are no deliveries of post at the weekend or bank holidays.

It is most important that you include the correct name and address on your delivery. Names should be written as per your student name on your student card - no variations.

Address

Large Packages

An email will be sent to your UCD Connect account alerting you of the delivery of a large package. You can collect it from the Merville Mailroom. This Mailroom is open 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-21:00 from Monday to Friday. Bring your student card to the office for collection purposes. Proby and Blackrock residents will receive an email informing them of a package to collect from the Proby Reception.

Courier Packages

Due to the large volume of post received in our offices, we are unable to sign for/accept packages delivered by couriers. Please ensure you have included a phone number for the courier to call when they are on campus. You will need to arrange a meeting point to collect your package directly from the courier.  

Before purchasing goods online please check the delivery options available to you. If the company only deliver goods by courier you can avail of a service like An Post’s AddressPal or Nightline courier’s Parcel Motel service for more convenient delivery/collection options on the UCD Campus. Subscription to these services is required in advance of online orders. 

AddressPal is a service from An Post that allows users ordering online from retailers based in the UK to avail of the UK delivery rates offered by the retailer. When using this service customers can have items delivered to their nominated Irish Post Office (campus Post Office located in the Gerald Manley Hopkins Centre). For more information and service rates visit the AddressPal website.

Parcel Motel is a service offered by Nightline couriers that allows users ordering online from retailers based internationally to avail of local delivery rates. When using this service customers can have items delivered to their nominated drop-off point (UCD- Building 77). Parcels will be delivered to the Parcel Motel locker terminal for collection, and users will receive a text message containing a unique and secure PIN number to use to release your parcel. For more information and service rates visit the Parcel Motel website.

How do these services work?

1. Register- You must register your details/create an account with the service provider.

2. Shop- Enter the delivery address provided by the service provider at the Checkout.

3. Notification- Service provider will notify you that parcel is ready for collection by email or SMS.

4. Collection- Follow the instructions provided by the service provider.

We understand that living with people that you do not know can be difficult at times and it becomes hard to set boundaries that everyone can take comfort in. We want our residents to get along and to also enjoy their time here at UCD.

In order to resolve issues, communication is key. The first step is to organise a house meeting to highlight issues and set ground rules that everyone is comfortable working towards. You need to give your roommates the opportunity to amend differences by highlighting the issues you are trying to overcome. If you find, after a trial period, that your flatmates are failing in their effort to stick to the agreed terms, we can organise an RA meeting in your apartment with all residents present. Given that you will be living together for the full academic year, it is important to give your flatmates the opportunity to amend their ways. 

Hygiene Issues: In addition to communication as suggested above we advise you to use the sample rota provided to organise cleaning in your apartment.

Sample Cleaning Rota

Noise Issues: Our UCD Village Welcome Desk is open 24/7. If you are disturbed by noise at night please call us on 01 716 7000 and they will deal with the residents who are making a disturbance. Please note that emails and text messages may not be received immediately so it is best to ring the office should an issue arise. Our Proby Reception is also contactable 24/7 so please do no hesitate to call if you wish to report a disturbance.

Please see the Overnight Guest policy here.

UCD Village Welcome Desk

Our UCD Village Welcome Desk is open 24 hours. 

Proby Reception

The Blackrock Proby Reception is open 9am-6pm (Monday to Friday).

Residential Assistants are on duty in all locations from 18:00-00:00 from Sunday - Friday. RAs are also on-call on weekends and bank holidays.

Catered Accommodation

Roebuck Castle Catered accommodation comprises lunch and evening meal, Monday to Friday, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Meals are served in the Eat AT UCD Cafe on the Ground floor of Roebuck Castle residence. Lunch entitlement on weekdays can also be claimed in other Eat at UCD Cafes including PULSE Cafe and Earls Deli across the Belfield campus.

The residents of Roebuck Castle must participate in the meal plan which is designed to give the maximum flexibility to campus living and student lifestyle yet ensuring ample opportunity to enjoy meals with friends and other residents.

Meals

When you pay rent in catered accommodation, you are paying for your accommodation and a set number of meals in advance and you will get 12 meals per week for the term period. Most meals are served cafeteria style, which means that mealtimes last between one and half to two hours, and you can go at any point during that period and pick your meal from the counter.

Roebuck Meal Times

Monday to Friday

Brunch/Lunch: 11am to 3pm*

Dinner: 5pm to 7pm*

Saturday and Sunday

Brunch: 11am to 3pm*

*Times correct when published but are subject to change.

Benefits

Catered Accommodation allows residents to pay a set price for a fixed number of meals. Including catering in your accommodation fees is cost efficient compared with campus outlets.  It allows residents to dine together and is generally ideal for undergraduate students who are living away from home for the first time or international students arriving to an unfamiliar country. The resident is guaranteed a minimum number of nutritious meals without the fuss of cash and cooking.

Menu choice

There are usually two or three options to choose from including a wide variety of healthy and nutritious food, including soups, salad bar items, main meals, puddings and snacks.

There’s at least one vegetarian option at each meal and when beef or pork are on the menu an alternative is always made available.

During Ramadan we can provide food for you to eat after sunset.

If you have special dietary requirements (e.g. diabetes) or a food allergy, we will try to help. If you are very specific about the kind of food you like to eat, you may be better suited to self-catering accommodation.

Formal Meals

Our catered residences have a number of “formal” meals each year.

At these meals, you have to wear formal clothes – for men a suit, or jacket and trousers, with a shirt and tie and for women a dress, skirt or smart trousers and blouse. Or you can wear smart national or religious dress if this is more appropriate for you.

There’s no extra cost for formal dinners and you don’t have to attend if you don’t want to, but they’re usually fun events!

Each Residence has a dedicated team of Residential Assistants who live in RA apartments and work together with the Residence Service Team to provide a high quality service for the residents.

The RAs are current UCD students who live on campus and are on duty outside of office hours and at the weekend. The RA assists in a range of matters from delivering post to dealing with unauthorised gatherings and emergency issues. They are a security measure but also a bridge between the students and management in charge of residences. RAs deal with unauthorized gatherings on occasions as a necessary feature to ensure harmonious living expected by all living on residences. The job of the RA is a challenging but rewarding experience. Lastly an RA is there as a person, approachable, friendly and giving a 24-hour service to everyone who wishes to avail.

Please feel free to call in to meet your RA’s. They are students too and are happy to help with any problems big or small.

There is an on-site gym located in the UCD Village Building that is available to all residents free of charge.

In the event of an emergency, please call the UCD Village Welcome Desk at 01 716 1031 or Campus Services UNICARE Emergency line 01 716 7999. It is essential that calls to emergency services be made via UCD so that all emergency responders can be escorted to the correct location in an efficient manner.

Wireless access to the UCD network is available campus wide in all Residences.

In order to connect to UCD Wireless:

• Make sure Wi-Fi is enabled on your laptop
• Select the UCD Wireless network from the list of available networks
• Open a web browser to test the connection.

Eduroam is a secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. The service provides extended access to logged-in UCD staff, students and visitors from other institutions.

For more information on how to connect to both eduroam and UCD Wireless, please visit UCD IT Services

All residences on the Belfield campus have security who are on hand conducting patrols during the night. If you require assistance you can find security patrolling your residence or in the Residence Office. Residents and registered guests may be asked to produce ID as they enter the residence or if any issues arise while they are on campus. UCD students are obliged to show their UCARD when requested to do so by a member of staff.

UCD Residences is committed to recycling initiatives and has introduced a new recycling scheme to help residents minimise waste. As you are responsible for the segregation and disposal of your waste streams you play a vital role in the success of the scheme. With your help the recycling and recovery rates can be much greater.

Be a champion of change and help your Residence Complex increases recycling rates. Remember our recycling programme consists of Dry Mixed Recyclables, Glass and Compost. The Refuse / General Waste bin should be a last resort.

There are four waste streams each of which has a bin or crate, and where possible we have tried to colour code it for you.

• MIXED DRY RECYCLABLES
• GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS OF ALL COLOURS
• COMPOST AND FOOD WASTE
• GENERAL NON RECYCLABLE WASTE

Your Green Recycling Bin takes any paper, light cardboard, aluminium drink cans, washed food tins, plastic bottles, plastic packaging, cartons (milk, juice, tetra pak). Use the green labelled bin in your apartment to transfer it to the Green wheelie bin in your recycling centre. Please make sure items are clean, dry and placed loosely in the bin (no bin bags).

Your Red Recycling Bin takes glass bottles and glass jars of all colours. Use the red labelled bin in your apartment to transfer it to the Red wheelie bin in your recycling centre.

Your Brown Compost Bin takes all food waste, fruit, vegetables, tea bags, coffee grinds, paper napkins and towels, plants, flowers, egg and dairy products. Use your Brown Compost Caddy in your apartment to transfer it to the Brown Compost wheelie bin in your recycling centre.

Your Refuse/General Bin takes contaminated food wrappers, polystyrene, sanitary hygiene waste etc. Use the black labelled bin in your apartment to transfer it to the Black wheelie bins in your recycling centre.

Follow the guide above and you will be able to achieve great results. Segregate at source in your apartment and dispose of each type in the correct bin to avoid contamination of recyclables.

Some locations have access control on the bin stores - to enter please present your UCARD to the card reader as you do to the front door of your building.

If you are locked out between 18:00 and 00:00, please call into your local RA Office to gain access to your apartment. 

If you are locked out outside of these hours, please call to the UCD Village Welcome Desk and you will be issued with a temporary card. This temporary card will need to be returned after 3 days and your original UCard will need to be recoded.

Fire Safety- Basic Guidelines

• It is not permitted to smoking inside or directly in front of the residence buildings.
• Candles and incense are a fire hazard and are not permitted in the residence halls or apartments. 
• Do not overload sockets- Use only one plug per socket.
• Do not use chip pans.
• Never leave cooking unattended.
• Report electrical problems to the Residence Office.
• Keep all exit routes and doors clear from obstruction.
• Report any faulty fire equipment to the Central Customer Care Office at Merville.

Emergency/Evacuation Plan

• Always take note of your nearest emergency exit route/stairwell.
• If you discover a fire RAISE THE ALARM IMMEDIATELY by pressing the nearest Break Glass Unit.
• Fight the fire only if safe to do so.

On Hearing the Fire Alarm Sound

• Exit the building immediately and calmly via nearest escape route.
•  Do not attempt to use the lift. Use the stairwell.
• Go to the Assembly Point.
• Authorised UCD personnel will instruct the evacuees when to re-enter the buildings.

Always treat any fire alarm as genuine. Calmly and swiftly exit the building.

Your UCD student card (UCARD) is both your access card for your Residence and your official identification card for the duration of your programme in UCD. Please note that it is not permitted to give your card to another person.

You will be provided with your UCARD upon check-in. Blackrock Halls residents will be given a set of physical keys that must be returned at the end of your stay.

As well as being the single most important piece of identification that you possess during your time here, your UCARD also gives you access to a range of university facilities such as printing, photocopying, library & gym access.

Housing Audits take place across UCD Residences each semester to ensure all residents live in a safe, hygienic environment and to prevent unnecessary damage and neglect of UCD Residences property. Please note that any maintenance issues that are reported during this process will be followed up by our on-site maintenance team. 

For further information on the audits please click on the pdf below which outlines the process, reasons why an apartment may not pass and some tips and tricks.

 Housing audit information