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GUIDELINES FOR

ACCREDITING PRIVATE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS and

PAYMENTS TO ACCREDITED PROVIDERS

16 August 2021

1 Purpose of the guidelines

The purpose of the guideline is to provide clarity, equal opportunity and consistent treatment, of all the service providers of privately owned accommodation facilities across all three campuses of the North-West University and to ensure that the university addresses the critical areas of risk associated with the provision of accommodation.

This guideline should be read in conjunction with the Policy on the Minimum Norms and Standards for Student Housing at Public Universities (Government Gazette 39238, dated 29 September 2015) and the Higher Education Act of 1997 (as amended).

This guideline does not replace or release any service providers of privately owned accommodation from any local, provincial and national legislation, which applies to any aspect of housing and students housing accommodation.

1.1 Accreditation Process

Payment of

accreditation fee

Submission of

application documents

via the Online Link

No Yes

No Yes

No Yes

No Yes

Accreditation Committee

evaluates all documents

submitted

Documents complete

and acceptable

Accreditation awarded

Accreditation application

declined

NWU effect payments for all students directly to the accredited

landlord in four instalments

Students submit required details and

lease agreements to NWU via Online

Link

Landlords submit details of

students residing with them

for payments to be prepared

Accreditation and Payment Process 2022

Application checked for correctness

and completeness.

Attend to matters as

requested by NWU

accreditation committee

NWU accreditation committee to

contact landlord to make

arrangements for an accreditation

evaluation.

NWU accreditation committee

inspection of site

Compliance to accreditation

requirements

Info complete

Physical inspection requiredDesk Top Evaluation

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1.1.1 Application Form

The Application form for accreditation for 2022 will be available online and ALL applications must be submitted through this link.

The application form and the required supporting documents (as stipulated in par 1.2.1) must be completed and submitted by 30 September 2021 for the accreditation of the facilities for 2022.

a) Only applications that have been completed in full will be considered.

b) An application form must be completed and submitted online in respect of each physical address for which accreditation is required.

c) All applications for the accreditation of student accommodation must be submitted before the closing date.

d) No late applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicants to familiarize themselves with the closing date and relevant application procedures.

e) Please note that the submission of the application form or any other document/s does not grant an automatic accreditation. Your accreditation status of 2021 does not automatically transfer to 2022 and new applications MUST be submitted. A committee appointed by the Director of Business Enterprise and Development or his or her delegate will process the application form. The Chairperson of the Accreditation committee will issue feedback to all applicants to inform them of the decision made by the committee within a reasonable time, upon which a site visit will be scheduled

1.1.2 Application Fee

a) An application fee equal to 1% of the total capacity revenue generated by the applicant’s accredited facility, up to a maximum of R10 000 is payable with the application. Example : 25 beds in total in the facility at R31 600 = R790,000 X 1% = R7,900 up to a maximum of R10,000

b) The application fee is non-refundable even in the case of non-accreditation. c) The application fee is payable when the application is made. d) Proof of the deposit should be added to the documents submitted with the application

for accreditation. Your application will not be considered without the proof of payment of the application fee.

e) The application fee should be paid into the following bank account of NWU: ABSA Bank Account Name: NWU Diverse Account Number: 067 064 2313 Branch Number: 632005 Reference: “ACC” followed by the ID Number of individual OR Registration number of the entity.

1.2 Criteria

1.2.1 Documents to be provided

a) Required Documents (For the application to be evaluated)

Please ensure that the following documents are ready for uploading when you prepare to submit your application online.

o An example of a Lease Agreement with the student, confirming the

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accommodation fee and facilities offered.

o Proof of ownership of the building.

o Latest municipal account.

o Copies of owners/Directors IDs.

o Tax Clearance certificate of owner/entity.

o Receipt of accreditation fee.

o Proof of banking details.

o Proof for installation of Wi-Fi sufficient for all students in the facility.

o Signed Covid19 Compliance Certificate – Annex C of this communication.

Your online application submission will be recorded even if you submit it without ALL these documents. However, the application will NOT be considered until ALL these documents have been presented to the Accreditation Office through the Online platform.

b) Optional Documents (For the application to be evaluated)

o Zoning certificate or proof of application.

o Proof of a generator to assist all students being accommodated in the facility with emergency electricity supply.

o Gas installation certificate where applicable.

o Proof that emergency water supply is available on the site.

o Fire equipment installation and inspection certificates.

o Insurance certificate for Public liability.

1.2.2 Desk Top Accreditation Process

This process refers to applications which, due to the number of beds, may not justify a physical inspection. The accreditation committee may in its own discretion decide to fully rely on documents submitted by the applicant to award an accreditation number or to deny the award on the basis of the submitted documents. The issuing of a desk top accreditation number does not exempt the applicant from a physical inspection at any time after such award has been made.

A desk top accreditation is valid for the full year and has the same value as an accreditation number where a physical inspection took place. Inspection visits to facilities may at any time during the year be conducted under leadership of the Accreditation Committee.

1.2.3 Inspections

a) Scheduled inspections will be conducted as per date sent to the applicant. On inspection date either the owner or an authorized person must be available to accompany the Accreditation Committee for the inspection.

b) All areas (kitchen/bathrooms/bedrooms/laundry/study area/warden flat) MUST be

accessible for the Committee to complete the inspection.

c) No construction sites will be accredited until the buildings on the site have been completed and declared safe. This rule also applies to minimum required facilities that are not yet completed.

d) Please note due to various inspections conducted on the scheduled date, delays may

be experienced. In these cases sufficient notification will be provided. The owner/authorized person of the facility to be inspected, must be available on the date scheduled and contact numbers must be provided in order to communicate the date.

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e) The committee does not inspect a show room; they inspect the entire residence - that

requires the complete residence to be ready for occupation when you apply for accreditation.

f) Unannounced spot check visits may be conducted from time to time.

1.2.4 Safety and Security Requirements

a) Residence rules for the students should address all safety matters related to the provision of accommodation to students, but will, as a minimum, have the following:

o No alcohol allowed on the accommodation premises unless in an environment dedicated for the supply of alcohol, such as a bar with a barman and under a controlled environment.

o No drugs or a substance which has a narcotic effect allowed on the accommodation premises

o No visitors after certain hours during the week and over the weekends

o No sleeping over of friends in rooms where students shared accommodation

o Proper Access control

1.2.5 Accreditation outcomes

The possible outcome of the accreditation process:

TYPE OF ACCREDITATION

DESCRIPTION DURATION

Full Accreditation

Exceed the minimum requirements and support extra curricula activities.

Valid for 3 years

Accreditation Meet the minimum requirements. Valid for 1year

Conditional Accreditation

Partially meets the requirements and has shown great improvement after receiving the preliminary inspection list of deviances but has not met or corrected all the deviances raised by the committee.

Valid for 1year pending finalisation of outstanding deviances

No Accreditation Service provider who after the preliminary inspection result was released did not correct or effect the recommendation of the committee.

-----

Blacklisted Service provider that has supplied the university with fraudulent documentation or engaged in fraudulent /corrupt activities when conducting business with the university

May only apply after (2-5 year) depending on severity of the conduct.

Please note that full accreditation is valid for 36 months (three years) and all applicants must pay the accreditation fee each year to activate the following year’s accreditation and submit the following updated documents:

Tax clearance

Recent Municipal Account

Lease agreement template with amount to be paid by student/NSFAS

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Receipt of accreditation application fee

Insurance for Public liability

Fire Equipment inspection certificates

A valid Accreditation Certificate will be issued by the Chairperson of the Accreditation Committee to all the successful applicants.

1.2.6 Appeals process

a) An applicant whose application for accreditation has been denied may appeal the decision of the Accreditation Committee.

b) An applicant must lodge an appeal in writing to the Appeals Committee within 5 working days after receiving the formal response to his/ her application;

c) The Appeals Committee shall be chaired and constituted by the Director of Business Enterprise Development or his/her nominee.

d) The Appeals Committee must make a decision on whether to uphold or reject the appeal within a reasonable timeline. In exercising their judgment, the Appeal Committee may interview the owner/agent or may conduct unannounced inspection of the premises.

NB: When applicants do not FULLY comply with ALL the minimum accreditation criteria as required, the accreditation committee must take the rental amount charged to the student into consideration when making its final decision on the accreditation.

1.2.7 De-Accreditation

a) If during the course of the calendar year for which accommodation has been accredited, clear evidence is provided to the University that the accredited property no longer meets the accreditation conditions, the Accreditation Committee will re- inspect the property in question.

b) If any significant deviance/s are found, the service provider shall be afforded an opportunity to remedy such deviance within a period of 7 days after having been notified in writing of such deviance

c) Where clear evidence exists that an accredited accommodation provider induced university employees or students, whether monetary or otherwise, to support their (continued) provision of accommodation, such provider shall immediately forfeit their accreditation.

d) The University reserves the right without prior notice to de-accredit a service provider who is engaged in illegal and unethical business practices or have submitted fraudulent documents.

e) Once a service provider is de-accredited, all future scheduled payments will be redirected to the new service provider as indicated by the affected students by means of new lease agreements being submitted to the student accounts and bursary department.

2 Payment Procedures

2.1 Responsibility of the student

a) The student must complete an online submission to register their details and upload

a completed and signed lease agreement for the four payment intervals to the respective Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider/Agency by 21 February of each year. The online link will be supplied to students and accredited service providers when the registration period opens. The student will need the

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accreditation number of the service provider to complete the online process. b) It is the responsibility of the student to immediately notify the bursary inquiry counter

if they move to another address. A new registration for payments has to be completed and submitted accordingly. A cancellation letter and final financial statement from the Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider must accompany the new online submission.

c) The student MUST ensure that they comply with all the clauses of the lease agreement that they signed and that they accept responsibility for ALL obligations placed on them in the lease agreement.

2.2 Responsibility of the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency

a) Provide the student with the accreditation number

b) Provide a contract / lease agreement to the student with the following minimum information included:

Student name, Surname, Student Number and Student ID Number

Address of the accommodation facility

Banking details of the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency

Applicable number of months

Annual Lease Amount

THIS INFORMATION MUST BE ON A SUMMARY PAGE OF THE LEASE

AGREEMENT AS THE FIRST PAGE OF THE AGREEMENT

c) Provide the university with a list of details of all NWU students residing in all the

accredited facilities of the Service Provider in an excel format. This list must be

provided on the first day of March, April, July and September and submitted to the

email addresses provided in paragraph 6a below on the prescribed template as per

Annex B of this communication.

d) A cancellation letter and the final financial statement of students moving out of the facility must be provided to NWU by means of an email to the email addresses provided in paragraph 6a below.

e) Rental charged per student should be inclusive of water, electricity, internet and transport where the accommodation facility is more than 2 kilometers from the campus.

f) The lease agreement in terms of the accreditation may not require

A deposit to be paid by the tenant

Additional rent above the annual maximum amount as established by NWU. g) Should the service provider require a deposit and/or an additional amount above the

annual maximum amount as established by NWU, an additional lease agreement must be entered into with the tenant.

2.3 Responsibilities and Procedures of the NWU Student Accounts and Bursaries Department

a) Keep proper control over payments to Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency.

b) Ensure that payments are only made within the approved allocation of bursaries. c) Assist with inquiries regarding pay outs and other related issues. d) Ensure that the NWU residences are full before processing any contracts –

communicate during the stipulated time period with the Residence Managers.

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3 Payments to Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider

3.1 Payments Intervals

Payments will be done as follows:

end of March for January, February and March,

end of April for April, May and June,

end of July for July, August and September and

end of September for October, November and December.

3.2 Facilitation Fees

Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency will be charged 2.5% of the value of the payment facilitated by the university. This fee will be deducted from the payments made by the NWU to the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency and the understanding is that the fee is for the service rendered by the NWU in terms of the payments. The fee may not be recovered from the student. The fee will be subjected to VAT at the rate applicable at the date of payment.

3.3 Residence fees payable for accredited providers

3.3.1 Accredited Facilities: NSFAS Funded students

The maximum amount payable by a NSFAS funded student will be determined by the NWU Residence Department according to the NSFAS rules at the time and will be provided to the accredited Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency. The maximum amount for 2021 is R31 600 per annum, subject

to NSFAS regulations, but may be reduced to the amount determined by the accreditation criteria as per individual accommodation facility.

4 Contractual Arrangements

4.1 Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider and the students

4.1.1 Students funded by NSFAS and other Bursars

4.1.1.1 Accredited Private Student Accommodation Providers

a) Students are required to enter into a lease agreement with an accredited accommodation provider.

b) The university will facilitate the payment of the accommodation allowance as per the payment intervals to the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency Lessor on behalf of the student after the online submission for payments was submitted.

c) Please note that students using NSFAS funding have capped amounts allocated to them and that they may not be able to afford to pay the shortfall if the rental is more than the allocated amount. It will be in the interest of the accommodation provider not to charge rental fees that exceed the NSFAS allocation.

4.1.1.2 Non-Accredited Accommodation Providers

Students make their own arrangements with the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency for their accommodation requirements and settlements of their residence fees. Students still have to apply for travel allowances in cases of own arrangements on the NWU online DIY.

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4.1.2 Privately Funded students

4.1.2.1 Accredited Private Student Accommodation Providers

a) Students make their own arrangements with the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency for their accommodation requirements and settlements of their residence fees.

4.1.2.2 Non-Accredited Accommodation Providers

a) Students make their own arrangements with the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency for their accommodation requirements and settlements of their residence fees.

b) The university accepts no responsibility for any delivery requirements of any of the services and does not involve itself in any settlement of fee disputes between the students and the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Provider / Agency

5 Service Providers of Accommodation Facilities and NWU

a) No formal contractual arrangements will be made between NWU and the Lessor / Accredited Private Student Accommodation Providers / Agency. Payment

arrangements will be made only in terms of these guidelines and the lease agreement between the student and the service provider.

b) The university will not be liable for payments of students who have terminated their studies.

c) The university is only liable for payments of students who are registered. If students are not registered for a semester, the university will not be liable for payment of accommodation fees during that semester.

d) In the event of the death of a student during the year, the university will not be liable for further payments.

6 Contact details

a. Student Accounts and Bursaries Department

Mahikeng Campus: Tel: (018) 389 2546, E-mail: MC-UnderGradBurs@nwu.ac.za

Potchefstroom Campus: Tel: (018) 299 2667-2673, Fax: 087 230 3700, E-mail: PC-Studyfees@nwu.ac.za

Vanderbijlpark Campus: Tel: (016) 910 3156, 3167, 3532, E-mail: VC-undergradburs@nwu.ac.za

b. Accreditation Department

Mahikeng Campus: E-Mail: m-accreditation@nwu.ac.za

Potchefstroom Campus: E-Mail: p-accreditation@nwu.ac.za

Vanderbijlpark Campus: E-Mail: v-accreditation@nwu.ac.za

c. General Accreditation Inquiries: accreditation@nwu.ac.za

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Annexures

A - Application for Accreditation form. Click on this link to complete the online application form. B - Template for Student Information C - COVID 19 Compliance Declaration form

Annexure B

Vendor Name As at Date : 

Vendor Number

STUDENT NO STUDENT NAME AND SURNAME ANNUAL AMOUNT OUTSTANDING BALANCE ACCREDITATION NUMBER

STUDENT INFORMATION

Annexure C

I, the undersigned, hereby accept responsibility to ensure that the regulations issued in

terms of Section 7(2) of the Disaster Management Act 2002, are properly implemented in

our premises.

I have familiarised myself with the following:

1. Regulations issued in terms of Section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act 2002

2. The Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations

Below is a checklist of the minimum requirements to ensure compliance to the Covid19

regulations.

I hereby declare that all the above are in place and will continue to monitor and enforce compliance

Name and Surname:

Signature:

Date:

Yes No

1. COVID-19 Posters on entrance and bathrooms

2. Social Distancing stickers and arrows for students

3. Sanitizer in kitchen

4. There is a visitor’s register

5. Students to wear their mask at all times

6. Frequently disinfecting shared spaces e.g. Bathrooms

7. Ventilation in the building, encouraging student to keep windows open at all times