Maintenance & Housekeeping

 If you have any questions about Maintenance or Housekeeping in Corpus, feel free to contact the JCR Catering, Accommodation and Facilities Officer.

You are also welcome to report unresolved maintenance issues to the JCR who can pursue this further here.

Maintenance

The maintenance request form can be found on the main College website, here. Please select the Maintenance and Maintenance Requests option from the drop-down menu.

Alternatively, you can collect paper copies of the form from the Porters’ Lodge or email Maintenance here (make sure to copy in Tutorial).

Requests for new light bulbs should be made using this form. Unfortunately, due to the huge number of different types of lightbulbs used around the main College site and in the external hostels, it is not possible to keep spares within the Porters’ Lodge. Requests for maintenance in student common areas, such as the JCR, Taylor Library and the Pelican Bar, should also be made using the maintenance request form.

Emergency maintenance requests

Please contact the Porters’ Lodge if you have an emergency maintenance request, such as a burst pipe or power failure. You can phone the porters on 01223 3(38000).

Maintenance queries

If you have any questions regarding maintenance, or think your request has gone unanswered, please contact the Clerk of Works. Alternatively, the Maintenance Office is located in Stable Yard and is open from 8am–4.30pm, Monday–Friday. Please note that the length of time it takes to respond to a job request will depend on the severity of the job and the current workload of the Maintenance team.

Response Times 

Target response times for repairs are as follows: 

  • Emergency during working hours: immediately out-of-hours: within two hours – Critical Failure e.g. Gas Leak, Complete Black Out, Water Leaks, No Water 

  • Urgent – Same Day e.g. No Heating, No Hot Water, No Power in a room 

  • Non-urgent within 28 days  

In instances where the response times cannot be met, the student will be informed.

Planned Maintenance

The College may undergo planned maintenance occasionally, however this is planned to minimise student inconveniences, and at least 24 hours notice is given to all occupants of an area. Scheduling during examination periods is also avoided.

Housekeeping

Cleaning of student rooms

Before you arrive at the beginning of each term, your room will have been thoroughly cleaned and your bed will be ready to make. Cleaning schedules will be circulated by housekeeping and is uploaded under the ‘Services’ section.

Cleaning includes:

  • the sink area,

  • emptying bins,

  • dusting,

  • vacuuming.

On this day, you need to make sure your floor is tidy to allow vacuuming to take place, otherwise your Bedder may be forced to leave your room dirty.

If you need/wish to clean your room during the fortnight, there is a dustpan & brush under the sink in every kitchen. Cloths and hoovers available for student use may be found in the following locations:

  • JCR common room

  • Benet kitchen (near room 9)

  • Botolph kitchen (near room 15)

  • Beldam laundry room

  • Newnham ground floor (near stairs)

  • T Street (TBC)

Although College does not provide cleaning chemicals, students are welcome to purchase their own.

If you want your bin to be emptied anytime throughout the week, just leave it outside your door!

Recycling bins are provided, but students may also throw recyclables (paper, glass & plastic bottles, cans) into a large bag or box which can be emptied into one of College’s main recycling bins when full. For full information on recycling at Corpus, please reference the Being Green page, as well as the Student Handbook.

When you leave your room at the end of the term, you should leave it in a tidy state with all personal belongings stored in your lockable cupboard (bring a padlock) and rubbish put into recycling bins or the room bin accordingly. Don’t forget to take your bed linen away with you.

Bed linen

You WILL be given:

  • a single duvet,

  • a pillow,

  • a mattress protector.

You will need to BRING:

  • sheet(s),

  • duvet cover(s),

  • pillowcase(s).

Disabled students who may require help with laundry and bed-making should in the first instance contact the College Nurse who will liaise with a ‘Buddy’ in your accommodation block, or otherwise the Head Housekeeper in order for arrangements to be put in place. You can also sign up to be a ‘Buddy’ here.

Accidents

If you have an accident, such as vomiting, a Body Fluids Pack can be obtained from the Porters’ Lodge to help you clear up any mess.

If you spill something solid and don’t want to wait until your next cleaning day to have it cleared up, or if you fancy helping out your Bedder for a change, there is a cupboard in JCR common room next to recycling bins which is in Old Court & Library Court.

Cleaning of communal areas

Communal areas (kitchens, toilets, bathrooms and staircases) will be cleaned by your Bedder daily, Monday–Friday. You need to make sure these areas are kept tidy so that cleaning can occur. This means you must do your own washing up and remove clean items from the drying areas as quickly as possible. Your Bedder will not do your washing up for you!

More public communal areas such as the Pelican Bar, JCR, Computer Room, Post Room and Taylor Library will also be cleaned daily, Monday–Friday. Again, you need to keep these places tidy so that they can be cleaned. You should:

  • put your rubbish & recycling into the bins provided,

  • leave empty glasses at the glass collection point in the JCR,

  • leave all communal areas in a respectable state i.e. in the way that other students, fellows, staff and guests would wish to find them.

It’s not that difficult. Please keep College tidy! Otherwise sanctions may be imposed upon us all…

One last thing: plates and cutlery should not be removed from Hall, but if it is necessary to do so, please return them as soon as possible. The same goes for removing glasses from the bar, since we kept running out last year; so if you would like to drink out of classy glass pint glasses etc. when in the bar, rather than the much less classy plastic equivalents, please return them when you’re done! You should also not remove irons etc. from the laundry rooms as they are there for use by all of us.

Housekeeping queries

If you have any questions about Housekeeping, or have any problems with the services provided, please email the Head of Housekeeping. Alternatively, the Housekeeping Office is located in U–staircase and is open 8am–4pm, Monday–Friday. The Housekeeping Office is closed for lunch 12.30-1pm. You can also contact the Head of Housekeeping on 01223 7(66697).

Last updated: March 2025