Host - Case Study

Sector

Student Accommodation Security

The Contract

Veritech have been working in partnership with Host at their student accommodation in Southampton since September 2020.

Front of house and manned guarding services including patrolling at regular intervals throughout the shift utilising the guard patrol system installed on site. We are contracted to respond to fire alarm activations, handle deliveries and post for student residents of the building. We responding to student lock outs to permit only authorised access back into their place of residence.

We handle access control for contractors, responding to noise and anti-social behaviour within the building, reporting of site faults and health and safety issues. Assisting management with new student check ins which occur out of hours and weekends.

The Challenge

This was a new building and we needed assist with the development of working practises and solutions to issues arising over the first few months.

All staff had to be recruited and trained due to no previously employed staff to employ under the TUPE scheme.

The students were also new tenants and were unsure of the client specific instructions. This increased the workload for the officers who were their only point of contact out of hours.

The Solution

Increased management visits to the site, including out of hours supervisory visits.

Weekly senior management meeting with the building manager during the transition stage and monthly meetings thereafter.

All officers were trained inhouse at Veritech as FPA approved fire wardens, including bespoke training for their site. A range of onsite training was delivered for their specific job role and refresher training relating to the SIA, including ACT awareness.

Benefits to Host

Our head office is less than 1 mile from their site, and we have been able to rapidly respond to issues on numerous occasions.

Veritech is experienced in providing security services for purpose-built student accommodation clients. We have local managers and staff who have worked with multiple managing agents & sites across the South Coast.

We can provide additional short notice cover, an example being when Host were short staffed during a recruitment drive for maintenance staff and have also provided short notice security cover due to HOST staff sickness.

Host are aware that we can produce and deliver a range of bespoke courses. We previously delivered fire warden training to maintenance staff on a different site due to a shortage of courses and the increased convenience of doing this onsite.