Despite the ongoing disruption within the education sector caused by the pandemic, last year UCAS reported a higher level of university applications than ever before[1], with a record number of students due to start college or university this autumn.

Universities across the UK have worked hard to blend online learning technology with traditional lectures, with some universities even moving all their lectures online. But understandably many students want - and need - the full university experience, with access to tutors and fellow students both online and in person.

Temporary accommodation is in demand, for students studying through the summer or starting university in September.



But when it comes to the end of the summer or academic year, and time for students to leave, student accommodation providers need to be sure their properties can be cleaned quickly and thoroughly, in time for the next tenant. As Covid infection rates continue to rise, the need for effective cleaning and sanitisation is more important than ever. Anna Psztyk, Contract/Project Manager at AQS, who looks after all our student housing projects, explains in more detail what this involves:

“When it comes to student accommodation cleaning, there’s a lot of planning involved! For most of our clients there is a fast turnaround, so we work with them to agree timescales and a scope of work that’s tailored to suit their requirements.

“For example, one of our clients in Cardiff rents their rooms to English Language students over the summer months, for which we provide a regular scheduled cleaning service - a member of our team visits each flat once a week to clean the kitchen, bathrooms, and wipe and sanitise everything including the hallways and staircases.

“When the English language students leave in September, we have around ten days to clean and prepare the rooms before the University students arrive. In the case of our client in Cardiff, that can mean cleaning up to 176 flats… or 1,056 rooms! It’s a busy time, with between eight to ten people in our cleaning team, and each member taking on one flat per day.”

As has been the case for many sectors, the Cleaning and Hygiene industry has been affected by labour shortages caused by Brexit and the pandemic, so recruitment can be challenging. But the way we work at the Tudor Group means that we can be sure to attract the right cleaning operatives: Anna and our other Contract Managers personally meet with every client to ensure a full and detailed understanding of the specific requirements of the site before recruiting their teams.

Commenting on how she attracts and manages these teams, Anna says:“We take pride in the relationships that we’ve built up with our clients over the years, and only want to deploy teams that share our work ethic and who we know will deliver the high standards that we’ve come to be known for.

“Student accommodation cleaning can be tough – sometimes rooms won’t have been cleaned for almost a year – so I use a ‘lottery’ system to make sure the flats are allocated fairly amongst the team. We pay by the room, rather than the hour, which works as an incentive for the team and as a result means that some team members earn much more than the Real Living Wage.

“We also allow our operatives some flexibility in their working hours, so they can start earlier or later depending on what suits them. I’m their first point of contact and want to make sure that everyone in the team is happy. I’m very hands-on, training the teams - often working alongside too - providing them with products and equipment, and will personally check their work when they’ve finished. Our standards are very high, and each site has completely different requirements, so we check absolutely everything, which is why our projects are successful and our clients are happy with our work.”

Our dedicated student accommodation Contract/Project Managers provide a personal level of service for our clients, giving them the peace of mind that their property is in capable hands and their requirements will not only be met, but exceeded. With over 90 years of experience within the cleaning and facilities management industry, there’s nothing that our teams haven’t dealt with!

Find out more about how we work and the services we can provide to ensure a safe, brighter, and healthier building, improving the student experience and ultimately, your reputation.

If you’re making plans for your student accommodation cleaning and would like to have a chat about our approach, get in touch on 01443 217000 or complete our online form for a free quote.

  [1] https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/more-students-ready-take-next-step-despite-pandemic