Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Accommodation

Your Stay in Venice

All students rent private flats during their time in Venice. There is no university accommodation in Venice. You will be signing private rental agreements for which you are entirely responsible.

Our Venetian Administrator, Chiara Croff, can help to arrange the accommodation. Over 40 years, Warwick has built long-standing relationships with the owners and landlords/landladies of a range of flats in the city, with the double benefit that we know our landlords/landladies well and that they are accustomed to letting their properties to Warwick students during the autumn.

The flats rented by past students are spread throughout the city, with some on the Lido so you have a choice of where to live – although this will be partially dependent on how many people you wish to share with.

Accommodation arrangements for undergraduates going to Venice in the autumn are made the preceding June. Postgraduate students taking the MA modules in Venice and are offered assistance in finding private accommodation once they have been offered a place on the MA course.

During your stay in Venice, please remember that you are a guest in the city.

You are also an 'Ambassador for Warwick University' and any thoughtless or anti-social behaviour risks bringing the University’s name into disrepute.


Accommodation matters

Chiara is in charge of accommodation and all related matters. All accommodation queries should be addressed directly to Chiara.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the flat in which you live is kept clean, and that the fixtures and fittings are not damaged.

A landlord/landlady who finds at the end of term that their flat has been left in a poor state will be extremely reluctant to make it available to Warwick students in the future. If our supply of flats dries up, Warwick’s Venice Term will cease to exist, so please be responsible!


Being a tenant in Venice

Please remember to make every effort to be polite when dealing with your landlord/landlady, even if you feel you have a legitimate grievance. Italians, quite rightly, set great store by formal politeness.

Always address your landlord/landlady using the polite form (i.e. the “Lei” form = third person singular) and make sure to use "per favore" and "grazie" whenever appropriate.

Please make every effort to avoid giving offence to your landlord/landlady.

Most Warwick students enjoy a perfectly satisfactory and often cordial relationship with their landlords/landladies in Venice.

However, very occasionally, problems do occur that need resolving.

Should you have a legitimate complaint about your rented accommodation (e.g. the plumbing or heating is not working properly), then please contact the landlord/landlady yourself.

If, however, your landlord/landlady does not speak English, and/or you are not confident of your ability to explain the problem in Italian, you should see Chiara about it, so that she can act as an intermediary.

In the case of serious complaints, Chiara will inform the relevant member of Warwick teaching staff in Venice who try to assist you.


Noise levels

Venice is an extremely quiet city, untroubled by the noise of passing motorbikes, cars and lorries. Even the slightest noise carries over the water and along the narrow streets.

Venetians tend to rise early and go to bed early, so your neighbours will be quick to complain if you are keeping them awake. They may even call in the police!

So, please be considerate neighbours and avoid disturbing others by thoughtless behaviour.

Here are some things to bear in mind:

  • Avoid slamming doors anywhere in your flat and the apartment block as a whole, especially as you go in/out of the front door.
  • Avoid having long, drawn out conversations on the stairs and at the entrance to your flat.
  • Avoid having extended chats on your mobile phone if you are by an open window.
  • Avoid clomping around your flat in heels or heavy-soled shoes; your footsteps will go straight through the floor to the person who lives below. Ideally, remove your outdoor shoes upon entering your flat and wear socks or slippers.
  • Avoid having parties after 10pm. If you want to hear loud music, visit one of the late-night bars or clubs (see Venice Survival Guide for further information).

On one or two occasions in the past, we have had to ask students to vacate their flats because of complaints from neighbours. In such circumstances, the financial costs of the move are borne by the students.