A 44-week tenancy and a 48-week course
Your tenancies come in a few set lengths. Courses do not. A nursing student starts placements in late August. A postgraduate finishes their dissertation in September, weeks after their tenancy ends. International students need to arrive before the start date to get over jet lag, open a bank account and attend induction. A sports scholar arrives early for pre-season training.
Each one emails asking whether they can arrive early or stay on. Each email is answered by someone checking the room, the summer plan and the price, then replying, then updating the booking, sometimes.
Why date requests are hard to handle well
The request is simple. The checks behind it touch everything else happening in the building: summer lets, turnaround work, the next occupant of the room and whether the building is staffed on those dates.
- Requests arrive by email with no standard information.
- Room availability for the extra nights is checked by hand against summer bookings and cleaning plans.
- Pricing for extra nights is worked out case by case.
- Approvals depend on who reads the email.
- The booking is not always updated, so the room is double-booked or the student is not expected.
What ad hoc handling costs
A room given to a summer guest while a student is still in it is a serious problem to fix on the day. So is a student turning up early to a room that is still being cleaned. Inconsistent pricing leads to complaints when students compare notes. And each request eats staff time in the weeks when the team has least of it.
How we build the date request route
- Students request early arrival or an extension through one form linked to their booking, with the dates, reason and any supporting detail your policy asks for.
- The request is checked against the room's next booking, summer lets and turnaround tasks for the extra nights.
- If the room is not available, alternatives in the same building are suggested, such as a short stay in another room.
- Extra nights are priced under your rules, for example a nightly rate or a pro-rata amount, with any reasons for a different rate recorded.
- A manager approves or declines with one click. Requests that meet your standard rules can be approved automatically if you choose.
- On approval, the booking dates and charges are updated in your booking system, the student gets confirmation, and the site team sees the change on their arrivals or departures list.
| Request | Checks | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Arrive a week early | Room clean finished, building staffed | Approved with extra nights charged |
| Stay two weeks longer | Room free, no summer guest | Approved, booking extended |
| Stay longer, room has a summer let | Alternative room found | Offered a move |
| No room available | None | Declined with a reason |
Your pricing and approval rules are your decisions. The route applies them and keeps the record.
What your team sees after
Date requests arrive in one place with the information needed to decide. Checks that used to take several screens happen automatically. Students get consistent answers, and the site team knows exactly who is arriving early and who is staying on, so rooms and staffing match.
Does this happen in your buildings?
- Students often ask to arrive early or stay beyond their tenancy.
- Each request is checked and priced by hand.
- Extra nights have clashed with summer lets or turnaround work.
- Students are charged different rates for similar requests.
- The site team is not always told about approved changes.