Guidance for moving out of halls

Find out everything you need to know about moving out of halls.

Key return

Place your keys or swipe card into an envelope or a bag and label this with your University ID number (UID). Hand your room/flat keys or swipe card into your local reception. There are drop boxes for out-of-hours key returns.

• You will be charged if your room/flat keys or swipe cards are not returned. You are responsible for handing them in; don't leave them in your room/flat or with a friend. If keys aren't returned, locks may need to be changed. If this happens, you will be charged
• Remember to remove any other keys before handing them in
• If you accidentally take your keys home, please return them to us immediately by registered mail in a padded envelope. Don't forget to include your UID number so we know who's sent them
• Remember to lock all doors as you leave

If you have any questions about key returns, please email us at accommodation@manchester.ac.uk.

Transporting your things

Once you’ve planned your living situation for next year and the contracts are signed, make a note of the end date of your current tenancy and the start date of your new one.

If the dates overlap, decide how you’ll transport your belongings between University halls and your new home, such as through a removal company or help from family and friends.

If there is a gap, you’ll need to organise the transport and storage of your belongings while you wait to start your new tenancy. Most storage companies can also pick up and drop off your items at an additional charge.

Packing tips

• Give yourself time to sort through your items and pack – don’t wait until the moving van arrives.
• Clothes are best packed in suitcases or bags.
• Pack valuables and delicate items carefully – place them in the middle of a cardboard box, using scrunched-up paper or towels as cushioning.
• Cardboard boxes can be salvaged from shops or supermarkets, ordered online or provided by moving/storage companies.
• Label your boxes with your contact information and where they belong in your new home, for example, the kitchen.
• If you know who you’re living with, talk to your soon-to-be housemates and check who’s planning to bring appliances and items, any spares can be donated.

Donating items

When moving out, make sure to donate your unwanted items or food. There are several charities that you can donate to, such as Manchester Central Foodbank, for donations of tins or packets (unopened and non-perishable). These can be given using donation bins located at the following reception areas:

• City campus: Whitworth Park (Grove House) and George Kenyon Hall reception.
• Victoria Park: Hulme Hall reception and Dalton Ellis reception.
• Fallowfield campus: main reception.

The British Heart Foundation accepts donations of clothes, shoes, books, handbags, DVDs, small electrical appliances, furniture, pots, pans, and crockery. The bins in our halls hold these donations.

Use Give It Don’t Bin It for donations of large furniture or pots/pans. Place any clean, unwanted items in the blue containers marked ‘Give It Don’t Bin It’ across campus from the end of May.

Changing your contact information

When you move home, you must update your personal information, such as:

• your registered GP
• banks you hold an account with
• insurance providers
• HM Revenue and Customs
• Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority
• the electoral roll and local authority
• TV Licencing
• Online accounts, such as Amazon.

We are unable to redirect or store your mail, which means all mail delivered after your Licence Agreement has finished will be returned to the sender.