Community

We want you to have a great time living in Manchester – it’s a fantastic place to live, work and study!

Manchester has a large student population, but even in areas like Fallowfield and Withington university students only make up 40% of residents, and in other areas it’s even less. Living off campus in a mixed community comes with lots of benefits, but there are also different responsibilities to living in University halls of residence. 

The Good Neighbours Team at Manchester Student Homes are here to support you during your time living in the local community. Our off-campus management plan provides an overview of our targeted work for this academic year. You can find out more about our work in our latest Good Neighbours Team newsletter.

This page is being updated, but you can still access the previous site here.

Central and south Manchester are home to some of the most popular neighbourhoods for students to live whilst studying in the city. We’re developing our neighbourhood guides to help you get to know your area and settle in! Send us your recommendations of things to add to them.

If you are disturbed by a noise problem at any time, day or night, you can report it to Manchester City Council. At weekends or at night (between 6pm and 9am) you can report a noise issue to Manchester City Council on 0161 234 5004. Officers from the council can then visit the property. Your details will NOT be shared with those causing the problem. 

How to avoid receiving a noise complaint

• Keep doors and windows closed, and people indoors as much as possible
  Most noise complaints happen because there are people outside the property late at night and in the early hours. People talking outside and music leaking from open doors or windows can disturb your neighbours - even a few people smoking outside can make a lot of noise in the early hours.
• Notify your neighbours and give them a contact number
  Avoid noise complaints by notifying your neighbours about any parties you have planned and by giving them a way to get in touch with you. It’s better that they ask you to turn to music down, rather than complaining to the council about the noise. Be mindful of the properties that back onto to you, as well as your immediate neighbours.
• Avoid planning parties for weekdays and Sundays
  Most people, students included, are more tolerant of parties and noise at the weekends. So, when planning a party, avoid weekdays and Sundays. 
• Control the numbers
  Most parties that get complained about are ones that get out of hand. Keep your front door closed and locked, and only let people in that you actually know. Gatecrashers tend not to respect your house or your neighbours, and can be a safety risk to you and your friends.

What happens if someone complains?
Manchester Student Homes takes any complaints from the community very seriously. If a complaint is made about your property, it will be followed up with a visit from the Universities’ Off Campus Affairs Officer and a Manchester City Council officer from the noise team to investigate the matter. Your household is responsible for noise at your property, including from any guests.

If the complaints continue, you could be served a Noise Abatement Notice. Any noise-making appliances can be seized, it can result in an unlimited fine and serious offences could lead to prosecution. You could also be referred to your university’s Conduct and Discipline department, which may lead to formal disciplinary proceedings.

You can improve Manchester’s recycling rates and make your local area a nicer place to be by disposing of your waste correctly! Look out for information from Manchester City Council about waste and recycling in your property when you move in. Put this somewhere that everyone in your home can easily see – the fridge is a good spot!

Depending on where you live, you’ll either have communal waste and recycling bins on your street or individual wheelie bins. Bins that are overflowing or that have the wrong things in won’t get collected and this can quickly cause problems.

• If you’ve got communal bins find out where the nearest ones are and set up a space in your home for recycling.
• If you’ve got wheelie bins find out what day they get collected and sign up for email reminders. You’ll need to put the bins out for collection and bring them back in again. If your recycling bins are contaminated, you can request a reset. And you can pick up free bin numbers from our Pod, so your bins never go missing again!

You can easily donate your unwanted items to the British Heart Foundation, Manchester Central Foodbank and other local charities through the ‘Give It Don’t Bin It’ campaign. You'll also find details of charity shops where you can donate good-quality items and local recycling centres where you can recycle other items and dispose of excess waste. 

If you spot any fly tipping in your area, please report it to Manchester City Council.

Download the WalkSafe+ app, the UK's leading personal safety phone app. You can use it to share your journey with trusted contacts, access safety information and report concerns to help keep safe while moving around the city.

Download the SafeZone app, which you can use in areas of Fallowfield and Victoria Park, as well as The University of Manchester campus and Manchester Metropolitan University campus. You can use the SafeZone app to get assistance on any of these campuses — no matter which university you attend. 

If you’re a victim of crime, or witness a crime, you can report it to the police on 101, visit your local police station or report it online. If you’re in danger, or it’s an emergency, call 999. 

If you or someone you know has experienced or witnessed any form of bullying, harassment, discrimination, gender based violence, hate or micro-aggressions, or have a safeguarding concern, you can report it anonymously or get support from a trained advisor through Report + Support at The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. 

Reduce the risk of burglary by making sure your home is secure:

• Keep doors and windows locked
• Use your house alarm
• Add window alarms to your ground floor windows
• Use light timers to make it look like someone is at home when you’re away

This academic year, a team of Student Neighbourhood Ambassadors will be supporting students living off-campus in key areas of Fallowfield and Withington. As part of the Manchester Student Homes Good Neighbours Team they'll be engaging with student residents on waste and recycling and household safety campaigns, and can signpost you to staff for further advice and support.

Student Neighbourhood Ambassador engagement zones:

The transition between Halls to living off-campus is an exciting time, but can come with some challenges. The Good Neighbours Team are here to support you to have the best experience of living in the local community and to support you with any issues when you move into your new home. If you're living in University Halls, look out for information about moving into off-campus accommodation. 

If you've recently received a plant pot from us, here's what you need to do to grow your herbs:

1. Remove & tear Seedsticks
2. Add warm water to soil pellet
3. Push pointed Seedsticks into expanded soil
4. Water, find sunlight and watch it grow!