Some of our housings have dishwasher connections. If you live in an accommodation without this connection you cannot install a dishwasher. This is due to potential water damage and insurance issues.

You must send us an authorisation if someone is picking up keys or access cards for you. You will get a confirmation from us when we have checked the authorisation.

Send the authorisation via our contact form, remember the following:

• Write «AUTHORISATION» in the subject field
• In the message, you must write what the authorisation is for, and the name and date of birth of the person you are authorising
• Attach a picture of your valid ID
• If you are a new student and are moving in, you must attach documentation that shows you have been admitted to a school affiliated with SiO. If you have not been accepted yet, your application will be considered valid documentation

The person you have authorised must bring their own valid ID when picking up the keys for you.

If you notice any damage or missing things in your accommodation or the common areas, please contact the caretaker on My page. You can also call 22 85 32 00 around the clock for urgent matters.

If you have just moved into your student residence, it is important that you notify us immediately if you find any error in your residence or in the common areas. Then we will be able to follow up the case quickly and help you.

Who is responsible for what?
As a resident, you are responsible for:

• Regular cleaning of your residence
• Regular cleaning of your shared kitchen and bathroom (see schedule in your kitchen), as well as cleaning of corridors in areas connected to a shared kitchen
  
• Cleaning before you move out of your residence

SiO is responsible for:

• Regular cleaning of corridors (which are common and not connected with a shared kitchen), staircases, lifts, and other common areas in the building
• Where three or more residents share, we will perform a thorough cleaning of the shared kitchen and bathroom twice a year

 
Tips for cleaning your residence

• Ventilating often and well is important to ensure a healthy indoor environment and to prevent bad smell
• Use a duster or dry microfiber cloth to remove dust
• Use a damp cloth to remove stains or grease
• Use a dry microfiber mop or a vacuum cleaner to remove dust from the floor
• If you have cleaned the floor with a damp mop, you should use a dry mop afterwards

Tips for cleaning your kitchen

• Spills should be removed immediately
• Remember to clean the cabinet under the sink and other places you keep waste thoroughly
• Clean the fridge often and thoroughly
• The freezer must be defrosted if it has a lot of ice on the inside
• Clean the cook top after each use. If you have spilled anything inside the oven you should clean it immediately, otherwise it may burn and be harder to clean
• It is important to clean grease off the filter in the kitchen ventilator
• Wash the dishes with warm water and a little soap to dissolve grease and food residue
• Change the dish brush every 4-5 months. You can also clean the dish brush in the dishwasher if you have one

Tips for cleaning your bathroom

• It is important to clean the bathroom regularly
• Except for on and in the toilet, you only need warm water and a microfiber cloth to clean the bathroom
• If there is a lot of soap, shampoo, etc. in use, you can also use a detergent meant for cleaning bathrooms
• It is important to prevent the growth of mold and fungi. Clean up after yourself when you have showered, as water can lead to mold and fungi, particularly in older bathrooms
• You can clean the shower curtain by washing it the washing machine on 40 degrees, and hang it back up while it is wet

Reduce use of detergent and water
The regular cleaning should be performed as dry as possible. Always use a dry cloth to wipe dry surfaces, and a damp cloth to dry damp surfaces. This means that you wipe dust with a dry cloth and remove sticky soap spills in the sink with a damp cloth.

If you are cleaning with water, make sure to not use too much of it. The area you are cleaning should not be wet afterwards, this is not good for the surface or the result. You should also be mindful about the amount of detergent you use, to prevent any residue on the surface you have just cleaned.

Useful information about living with a cohabitant

• When you apply for housing, you must register information about your cohabitant in your application. If your cohabitant moves out, or your get a new cohabitant, you must notify us.
• The regulation regarding that the tenant must be a SiO-student and under the age of 35 does not apply to cohabitants. However, couples where both are students are prioritized over couples where only the tenant is a student.
• If a cohabitant has lived in SiO Housing for more than 5 years in total, either as a tenant or cohabitant, they have reached the maximum period of residence in SiO.
  

Authorisation
A cohabitant does not have the same rights as a tenant, but the tenant can give authorisation to the cohabitant for example to:

• Collect keys, access cards, or mailbox keys
• Be locked into the residence
• Buy a new laundry card
• Top off the laundry card at the SiO Customer Service Centre

Send the authorisation via our contact form, remember the following:

• Write «AUTHORISATION» in the subject field
• In the message, you must write what the authorisation is for, and the name and date of birth of the person you are authorising
• Attach a picture of your valid ID
• If you are a new student and are moving in, you must attach documentation that shows you have been admitted to a school affiliated with SiO. If you have not been accepted yet, your application will be considered valid documentation

The person you have authorised must bring their own valid ID when picking up the keys for you. You will get a confirmation from us when we have checked the authorisation.

Cooperation in the common kitchen and bathroom

• When sharing a common kitchen and bathroom, it is important to be aware that the common areas are used by others. The common areas will therefore bear the mark of being used daily.
• You may want to invite to a kitchen meeting where you agree on common solutions; for example, routines for cleaning, purchasing cleaning products, who owns what, what is okay to share, where things should be located, etc.
• Keep in mind that you can have different standards for cleaning in the kitchen, make compromises where you disagree.
• Here is a tool that you can use.

Cleaning week

• The cleaning week for common kitchens is in rotation. In your common kitchen you will find a cleaning schedule stating when it is your turn, with the corresponding week number. If there is no schedule in your kitchen, notify the student guards here.
• If there is a room in your corridor that is uninhabited, everyone who shares the common kitchen has joint responsibility for the cleaning in the week that belongs to this residence.
• If you are absent yourself, you are responsible for exchanging your cleaning week with someone else.

Tasks during cleaning week

• Take out the rubbish - every day. Read more on how to sort the trash here.
• Make sure the sinks, tables, countertops, tiles, and the kitchen cabinets are kept tidy and cleaned.
• Garbage cabinet and other common cabinets must be cleaned, both exterior and interior.
• Clean the kitchen floor
• Make sure that garbage, drying racks and other are not left in the corridor or other shared spaces.
• Keep the fridge and freezer tidy and clean. Throw away spolied food.
• Clean the stove, exterior and interior, including the plates.
• Clean kitchen fan

How do we follow up on your common kitchen?

• The student guards carry out regular checks of all common kitchens. A rule of thumb is that all kitchens should be so clean and tidy that you should be able to make food here without having to clean first. We follow up on kitchen where this is not the case.
• In addition to the daily cleaning that residents themselves are responsible for, SiO also carry out a thorough main cleaning of all common kitchens once a year, where we clean all ceilings, walls, behind the stove and the like.

Tips

• It can be smart to invite your neighbors to a kitchen meeting, where you can agree on the rules you want to apply for your common kitchen, such as how to buy cleaning products, what you want to share and not etc.
• Remember to keep an eye on your food in the cupboard, fridge and freezer, and bin food that has expired. Please store your dry food (flour, pasta, oats) in plastic boxes or zip lock bags.

The Community coordinators' job is to maintain a safe and good living environment by:

• Monitor and control of residential areas and house rules.
• Control of tenancy – residents must show ID and valid student card when asked.
• Manage potential conflicts that residents are unable to resolve alone.

You can contact the Community coordinators thorugh our contact form. Use the categories "Housing" and "House rules". 

Infection control measures in our residences
We are following the advice and recommendations given by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

For you who are living in or moving into a student residence, it is important that you stay updated on and follow the infection control advice for the population.

For more information, see the Norwegian Institute for Public Health's website.

To prevent the drains from being clogged, water damage and bad smell you should clear the drains twice a year. See how you clear the drains here.

If you experience that the sink drains poorly you can use a drain cleaner. Here we show you how.

Heating of accommodations

Accommodations with radiators are connected to a central heating system that is in operation on a permanent basis. The system is controlled by an outdoor sensor. This means that the more the temperature outside drops, the more heat the radiator will produce. During transitional periods in spring and autumn, when the outdoor temperature fluctuates a great deal between day and night, it may take some time for the system to stabilise.
Accommodations that have electric heating sources are managed by residents themselves.

How you can save energy.

Saving energy is good, both for the environment and for keeping the rent price down:

• Try to keep the indoor temperature at a maximum of 21 degrees.
• Turn down the temperature (but not completely off) when you are away.
• Turn down the temperature when the window is open.
• Turn off the light when you leave a room or the residence.
• Turn off the TV and other electrical appliances when you don’t use them.

Underfloor heating in bathroom floor
You should not place bath rugs on bathroom floors with underfloor heating. It may affect the thermostat and the heating cables may stop working.

Do you know what to do if the fire alarm goes off? What's most important is that you leave the building immediately.

What should I do if the fire alarm goes off?

• Leave the building immediately
• If you encounter smoke, stay in your room and call 110
• Try to warn the other tenants

Evacuation

Leave the building as quickly as possible. Close doors and windows before evacuating the building to prevent the fire from spreading. Find somewhere nearby to stay so that the fire department can access the building, and wait for further instructions.

If you need help to evacuate from your residence when the fire alarm goes off, call the Fire and Rescue Service, phone 110 and ask for assisted escape. Please state your name and residence number.
Wait for the extinguish crew. They will bring a mask, which you can breathe in if necessary, when they bring you out.

Extinguishers

Familiarise yourself with where the fire extinguishers are located. All buildings have equipment available, in most cases powder extinguishers and fire hoses. In case of smaller fires, you can try to extinguish the fire using the fire extinguisher.

Escape routes

Familiarise yourself with escape routes and emergency exits in your building. Remember that escape routes and emergency exits must be clear at all times, in case the building needs to be evacuated. Emergency exits that are normally locked will automatically open if the fire alarm goes off.

Remember

• Never leave the stove unattended while you are cooking
• Use the kitchen extractor fan
• Keep the oven and oven trays clean
• Be careful when you light candles
• Do not remove the smoke detector!
• Familiarise yourself with fire extinguishers and escape routes in your building
• Escape routes such as corridors, staircases and balconies must be tidy and clear
• Belongings may be thrown away during inspection if they are blocking the routes

Does the alarm fire alarm go off often? Read more about how to prevent this.

How can you ensure a healthy indoor environment?
Did you know that it is important to ventilate in your residence? A healthy indoor environment needs fresh air. If your residence doesn’t get enough air, it can get damaged by mold and humidity. This also applies to the furniture.

Why does humidity occur?
The cause of humidity could be many. Cooking, showering, wet clothes, cleaning, green plants and a crowded room can all cause humidity.

Warm air is more humid than cold air. When warm and cold air meet the warm air becomes humid when it becomes cooler. Imagine a cold beer on a hot summer day. The glass turns wet from the dew. The same process will take place on cold walls against warm rooms. If the air circulates against the wall, you will reduce the risk of condensation.

How do I know if there is too much humidity in my residence?
If your window becomes steamy and there are dark spots on your wall, your residence is too humid.

What can I do to if I discover humidity in my flat?

• Ensure that the air split in the window frame and other vents are open.
• Check if the canal for the kitchen ventilator is open and clean. Hold a sheet under the ventilator to see if there is draught in the canal. If the draught is sufficient, you can see that the sheet will be drawn against the ventilator.
• Set the window and doors wide open for 5-10 minutes. This is an efficient and energy saving way of airing.

Useful information about Internet in your residence

Our internet supplier is Telia. They deliver a broadband speed of 100/100 Mbit/s downloads and uploads included in the rent and available in all our student housing. For more information see Telia's website or contact Telia on phone 924 05050.

Problem-solving
Telia is responsible for troubleshooting and correcting all types of faults with the line, also inside your residence. If you experience trouble with your internet connection, please contact Telia directly.

Before contacting Telia, you can first do a simple troubleshooting yourself. Unplug the router, wait about 30 seconds, and plug it back in. If this does not help, try connecting the PC directly to the wall socket with a cable. You can also try the other wall socket if you have two. Lastly, you can try restarting your PC if it does not connect to the internet straight away.

Contact Telia
When you call support at Telia, you will automatically be notified to enter the customer number.

To talk to the customer service, you have to listen past this automatic message until it stops - that is, ignore the message about customer number. In the event of a long queue, you can enter your telephone number and you will be called back, regardless of whether you have entered the customer number or not. You keep the place in the queue.

If the queue is extra long, the callback option is turned off. Then you just need to stay in line until you get through. You only need to provide them with your address for assistance.

Router
If you have an old router, this can affect the network in a negative way. Therefore, try to have the PC connected directly to the wall socket with cable, also when you call Telia for help. If the router causes network problems, you need to get another router that can handle the speed Telia delivers.

Wall sockets
In some SiO residences there are several similar wall sockets. If you live in an accommodation for one person, only one of these has internet connection. 

How to connect to the network in the residence
You do not need a modem to connect to the network, all that is needed is a network cable between the wall socket and your computer.

If you want a wireless network, you buy yourself the wireless router that suits your purposes. If so, make sure that the modem can handle the speed that Telia delivers.

There is no network in the common kitchens.

TV
TV is not included in our housing services. If you want a TV subscription, you can order this through the Internet. It is not possible to order cable TV in our residences.

Remember to get a home contents insurance when you move in to our student houses – you are not insured through SiO. You can check if you are insured through your parents insurance, an organisation you are a member of, or alternatively buy your own. Many insurance companies offer reasonable insurances to students, if you find out that you need to buy your own home contents insurance.

Why get a home contents insurance? If unexpected incidents such as fire, water damage, burglary in your housing and storage room occurs, this can lead to expenses and losses for you as a tenant. You can use your home contents insurance to decrease your own financial loss in such situations. If you do not have this insurance, you will have to cover these extra expenses yourself. It may be expenses for a place to live if your housing becomes uninhabitable, or costs for clothes, books, bicycle, computer etc. that you need in your daily life. There can be differences in what the individual home contents insurance covers and how much deductible you have to pay to use the insurance, this is something you should find out before buying your own insurance.

There are picture rails in almost all our student accommodations except for Nydalen Student Village. You need hooks to attach to the picture rail if you are going to hang up pictures. If you do not find hooks in your accommodation or need more, you can buy these online, in photo shops or in interior design shop.

In Nydalen Student Village you must use adhesive strips/hooks that neither leave holes in the wall nor damage the paint if you want to hang pictures on the walls of your accommodation. You can buy adhesive strips/hooks from, for example, hardware stores.

Please see the full version of our house rules.

Moving in
Are you moving in? Read about picking up your key/access card here.

Access card
You must hold your access card to a lock for a few seconds to lock/unlock a door. If you use your card on five doors you do not have access to, the card will be blocked.

If you are experiencing issues with your card, you can try to update it on a black encoder. The encoder is in the entrance area of your building, or near the laundry or waste room. Contact SiO Customer Service if you are still experiencing issues with the card.

If you are experiencing issues with a lock, you can contact the caretaker here.

Lost keys or access card
If you have lost your access card, you can buy a new one in the Customer Service Centre for 100 NOK.

If you have lost the metal key to your residence, contact the Customer Service Centre.

If you have lost your mailbox key, the Customer Service Centre can order a new one for you. A new mailbox key costs 150 NOK.

If you lose your key or access card outside of opening hours, you can call 22 85 32 00 to be locked in by Securitas. You can find the prices for this here.

Authorisation
If you as the tenant cannot pick up new keys/access card yourself, and your cohabitant or others are picking them up for you, you must send an authorisation to us in advance.

Moving out
Are you moving out? Read about checking out and handing in keys here.

You must have your laundry card and funds in your laundry account to use the machines in the laundry room. You can add funds to your account and reserve machines on My page or the Mitt SiO-app.

Opening hours
The laundry is open between 07.00 – 00.30 and you can use the machines between 08.00 – 23.00.

Reserve machines
You can use free machines in the laundry, or you can reserve one in advance. You can reserve a machine in the following time slots:

• 8.00-9.30
• 9.30-11.00
• 11.00-12.30
• 12.30-14.00
• 14.00-15.30
• 15.30-17.00
• 17.00-18.30
• 18.30-20.00
• 20.00-21.30
• 21.30-23.00

You must start the machine within 15 minutes from the reserved time. After 15 minutes, others can use the machine.

You can cancel a reservation up until 1 hour before it starts. If you cancel less then 1 hour before, or if you do not start the machine within 15 minutes from the reserved time, you will be charges 15 NOK.

In the laundry or on My page, you can activate a free SMS reminder for your reservation or for when the machine is done.

Prices
Using a washing machine costs 20 NOK and using a dryer costs 10 NOK. From January 9, 2023 the price for a washing machine will be NOK 21 and the price for a dryer will be NOK 11.

The washing machines have automatic detergent dosing. Before starting a machine, you can choose which detergent to use. You can also opt out of using the automatic detergent and use detergent capsules instead.

Detergent colored laundry: 2,50 NOK
Detergent white laundry: 3,50 NOK
Detergent wool/silk: 2,50 NOK
Softener: 0,50 NOK

You can read more about the detergents we use here. 

Laundry card and laundry account
If you have leftover funds in your laundry account, you can get these refunded. Remember to request the refund from the Customer Service Center before you move out.

If your laundry card is lost, please contact the SiO Customer Service Center so that your card can be blocked.

It is not permitted to dye clothes in the washing machines.

Lillestrøm Student Village
In Lillestrøm Student Village, we are testing a new laundry solution where an app replaces the use of an ordinary laundry card to start the machines:

1.            Download appWash in Appstore or Google Play

2.            Create an account

3.            Top up balance

4.            Select machine

5.            Select program

6.            Load and start

This is our first common laundry to use this function, so you can also find more information about this function in the laundry. If you do not have a smartphone you can use a laptop and access this page instead.

In student residences, there are a lot of people living close together in small areas. This can lead to more noise and sounds than you would experience in other types of residences. Therefore, it is important to show consideration for your neighbors. At the same time, you also have to tolerate more sounds in a student residence compared to other residences, precisely because you live so close together.

Tenants are obliged to respect each other’s need for peace and quiet at night and for study. After 11 pm on weekdays and after midnight on days preceding public holidays and until 7 am, peace and quiet must be observed in the accommodation unit and on the premises generally. Behavior that is a nuisance to other tenants is not allowed. You are also responsible for the conduct of your  visitors.

 APCOA PARKING

From February 1, APCOA PARKING took over the parking administration in all SIO's parking areas. As a SiO resident you can buy a parking agreement at: Bjølsen, Blindern, Carl Berner, Grünerløkka, Enerhaugen, Iladalen, Kringsjå, Lillo, Nedre Ullevål 7-9, Norberg, Pilestredet Park, Rodeløkka, Stensbergsgata, Sogn, St. Hanshaugen and Vestgrensa.

Contact info: kundesenter@apcoa.no. You will find an FAQ at apcoasupport.no.

Student price
Students who are registered as a resident with SiO can buy parking at a student price via leie.apcoa.no. You can only buy parking connected to the student house / village in which you live.

Parking is only permitted in marked places and charging costs are in addition (see separate signs on site).

Parking permit upon moving in
If you are moving your things in by car, you can contact the customer service centre and get a temporary parking permit through Apcoa's parking app. You will receive a code and instructions for the app when you collect the keys.

NB! Please note not all our student houses / -villages have parking spaces!

Motorcycle parking
Motorcycle parking is available at Kringsjå, Bjølsen, Blindern, Pilestredet Park (U2), Carl Berner, Fagerborg (Industrigt.71) and Rodeløkka.

Everyone shall be able to register several cars, but only use one car at a time and must make sure to change which car that is parked themselves. Note! You yourself are responsible for ensuring that the correct vehicles are active on the agreement.

If you experience pests in your residence, we have an efficient routine for dealing with this in a way that is adapted to the type of pests in question. Please contact the caretaker immediately here.

For mail to be delivered to your student residence, you must report your address to Posten and your contacts.

Please make sure to report you name, street address, and room number. You must also mark your mailbox with your name.

Remember to report your new address and mark your new mailbox if you are moving from one SiO-residence to another.

You can report your address and read Posten’s tips for students here.

All of our accommodations are smoke free. That means that smoking is prohibited in all rooms, common kitchens, windowsills, balconies, roof terraces and near intake vents. If you wish to smoke, please go outside and keep away from the entrance so that the smoke does not bother your neighbors. As a tenant, you are also responsible for your guests.

Are you bothered by others who smoke?
If you are bothered by neighbors who smoke, we recommend that you talk directly with them about the situation. Many people are not aware that their behavior can bother others, and want bo be considerate if they are made aware of this in a nice way.

If it is difficult to get access to the residence, you can for example ring the door bell or write a note and put in their mailbox.

If you have tried to contact your neighbor without any result, you can contact us here. Please explain the situation in detail, with specific information about the origin of the smoke, either name or residence number.

Please make sure that the external storage you use is the one that belongs to your residence. All external storage units are marked with the residence number they belong to. Any object placed in another unit will be removed.

Securing the storage unit
Unfortunately, theft from storage units may occur. It is important that you use a sturdy padlock and always check that the door to the storage areas is locked upon leaving. Valuable objects, however, should not be placed in external storage units. You have sole responsibility for the contents of your unit and we recommend that you have contents insurance.

Do not forget to empty your storage unit when you move out.

Visits
It is allowed to have overnight guests in the residence for up to 14 days without applying. It is not permitted to have repeated visits if this is a nuisance to other tenants. The tenant must always be present during the accommodation or visit.

What to do when subletting your residence

1. Remember that SiO Housing must approve of the sublet before the sub-lessee can move in. Application form can be found on My page.
2. Apply as early as possible. Due to the necessary processing time, you should apply at least one week before you want the subletting period to start.
3. You can not have unsettled business with SiO (such as owing rent etc). If you do, your application will not be approved.
4. The person you are subletting to must be a student at one of our affiliated schools (with exception of June and July, where all students with a valid student id from a Norwegian educational institution can rent). 
5. You yourself are responsible for finding a student who can sublet before you can apply for subletting.
6. The person you sublet to must apply according to our allocation rules and cannot have unsettled business with SiO (such as owing rent etc).
7. You can not demand higher rent from your tenant than the rental amount you pay yourself.
8. For the duration of your tenancy, you can sublet your student residence for a period of up to 6 months. In addition you may sublet in June and July each year.
9. Although you are subletting your residence to another student, you are still fully responsible for it in terms of rental contract and regulations. Remember to inform the new tenant about the house rules.
10. We recommend setting up a written agreement with the person you sublet to. Here is an example of a subletting contract.
11. If you are subletting a residence from a SiO tenant, please note that you cannot have a tenancy contract with SiO at the same time.
12. You are responsible for notifying SiO if your subletting agreement is cancelled. If you don't notify SiO, the cancelled part of the subletting period will be added to the calculation of the allowed subletting period the next time you apply for subletting

You may have overnight guests for up to 14 days. Repetitive visits are not permitted if this is a nuisance to other tenants. You must alwas be present during the overnight stay or visit.

Do you want to sublet your residence? Read more about that here.

You are responsible for recycling all your waste:

• Food scraps – green plastic bag
• Plastic – purple plastic bag (previously blue)
• Residual waste – normal plastic bag (is thrown out in the same container as green and purple (blue) bin bags. Green and purple bin bags are available for free at the supermarket)
• Paper, cardboard, and drinking cartons are thrown in separate containers placed near your residence
• Glass and metal are thrown into separate communal containers/collection points
• Electronic appliances, batteries, paint, clothes, furniture, etc. must be delivered to the closest recycling centre
• You can read more about recycling in the municipality of Oslo here

Do you live at Lillestrøm Student House? Read about recycling in the municipality of Lillestrøm here (site in Norwegian).

Tip:

• Mark each waste bin in the kitchen with a type of waste – both in Norwegian and English – this will make it easier for everyone to recycle.