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Housing Checklist – Tips and Advice
Checklist:
- Read and understand the choices, policies, fees and deadlines.
- Send Housing Request Form and Housing Placement Fee as early as possible, and before the final deadline.
- Complete the Arrival Information Form advising the Housing Office of your exact arrival date and time.
- Pay for remainder of the basic Housing Costs by the deadline (single bedroom option and close-in apartment fees will be billed after move-in).
- Read the Roman Housing Booklet including the sample Housing Contract.
- Two weeks prior to arrival, check your email for the “Welcome to JCU Housing” letter. If you have not received it contact us immediately.
- Print and bring with you a copy of the Arrival Survival Kit document.
- Bring key deposit money and a clear copy of your passport to give to Housing Staff upon check-in.
- Attend Mandatory Housing Workshop during an established time slot during Orientation Week.
- Check the status of your personal property insurance.
Tips and Advice:
Space tips: Don’t bring everything you own. Less may not be more, but it’s all that will fit comfortably into your Roman abode. Closet and storage space is notoriously cramped even in the biggest apartments in Rome... which these are not. Visit this website for some good packing tips.
You will be carrying your own luggage and most apartments do not have elevators, so keep that in mind when you are packing.
Things you will need to provide yourself: You are expected to provide your own cleaning supplies, paper goods and soap. You must also replace your light bulbs when they burn out (except when they are completely out of reach).
Electrical hints: Don’t expect to be able to dry your hair while your roommate irons her blouse. Average wiring in Rome can handle only one heat-drawing appliance at a time. Take turns using appliances and avoid power shortages! And in the meantime, learn where the fusebox is located in your apartment.
Heating and Air Conditioning: Heating is controlled centrally for the whole building. By city ordinances, heating systems are turned on around November 15th and turned off around March 15 every year. The heater in the apartments generally runs from 6-9 a.m. and then again in the evening from 6-10 p.m. This means that the hours in between are what you could call “Roman room temperature”, which is slightly warmer than the temperature outside. Except for the Traditional Residence, JCU Housing does not have air conditioning. Apartments are furnished with fans to help during the really hot months.
Hot Water: Do not expect to take 30-minute hot showers. Apartments usually have a hot water tank located in the bathroom or balcony. All of the hot water in the tank must be shared between all tenants. So be considerate of the person taking a shower after you and limit your shower to about 10 minutes. It takes about two hours for the water in the tank to reheat.
Washing Machines: You will notice right away that Italian washing machines may seem quite different, as they are smaller and take longer to wash a load of clothes. On the other hand, they're built to last! Specific directions for using the washing machine are posted in each apartment. And no, there are no clothes dryers. The image of clothes hanging out to dry on racks on the balconies is not just from the movies.
Emergencies: JCU Emergency Phone
The JCU staff member answering the Emergency Phone will make every possible effort to assist you or refer you to the proper persona, agency or service. The JCU Emergency Phone is not an "emergency response team" and in emergency situations (serious illness, fire, theft, etc.) students should first call Italian emergency services listed on the JCU Emergency Card given to you during Orientation.
All non-emergency medical issues should be brought to the attention of Student Services staff during normal business hours (generally 9-5).
The Emergency Phone should only be called in a true emergency. Students are expected to exercise discretion to distinguish between an inconvenience that can be remedied by themselves and a real emergency requiring immediate assistance. Misuse of the Emergency Phone can result in fines charged to your student account in addition to charges incurred by JCU in responding to any ‘false alarm’.
Keys: Your keys are your responsibility. If you lose your keys, you will need to come to the Housing Maintenance Desk to ask for a copy. If you are locked out of your apartment you will be charged for the call to have someone let you in. If you are locked in you will be charged for the call to let you out of your apartment.
Being a good neighbor: Please be considerate of those living with and around you. Even though your walls may seem thick, you can still hear most of what your neighbor is doing or saying, and vice versa. Most of your neighbors are average Italian citizens with families and full-time jobs and they actually need 7-8 hours of sleep every night. By law, silence is required between 11 pm and 7 am and again between 1:30 pm and 4 pm. Please respect this law by keeping noise to a minimum. Because most floors are made of marble or ceramic and hence do not buffer the sounds coming from your apartment, wear slippers or soft-soled shoes rather than hard soles or high heels. Also, most elevator doors in Italy are not electronic and have to be closed manually. Please remember to close them carefully every time you use the elevator; when you forget to do so, it can impact other residents for whom elevator unavailability is more than a mere inconvenience. For your own safety as well as that of others be sure to respect the weight limits posted in the elevators (1 kilo is 2.2 pounds).
Group living: You probably already have some experience in this area. Now it may be expanded to include apartment-mates of a different culture and language background. This is an invaluable opportunity and you should make the most of it by being as tolerant of their way of doing things as you wish them to be of yours. You will want to respect the privacy of your roommates and suitemates just as you expect them to respect yours. Remember that overnight guests are NOT permitted and that loud parties, noises or music after 11:00 p.m. is against Italian law.
Click here for information on paying housing fees.
JCU reserves the right to adjust the US dollar prices for housing if the currency exchange rate exceeds 1.40 USD/Euro
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