Open Letter for Casulo

This letter tells about our experience on living in Casulo student residence in Leiria, Portugal.

First contacts with Casulo were nice, the answers were quick and by the information we got online and via email we booked the place for the three months we had my internship in Portugal for. Casulo was ready for our arrivals and we were able to get our rooms immediately. During arrival the hosts were nice and helped us out in multiple ways. However looks can deceive.

Next we’re going to point out few issues we found limiting the full enjoyment we could have gotten from Casulo.

In Casulo values it’s said:

• Innovation
• Dynamism
• Hospitality
• Adaptability
• Ethics and Commitment

However these values were broken and miss regarded multiple times. The worst situation was on rental payments. Some residents were able to pay the rent in cash and some had to pay it via bank transfer even when asking to be able to pay in cash.  This might happen with 10 minutes in between. This shows clearly a lack of adaptability, ethics and commitment. The rules should be the same for everyone!

Dynamism is a value that we see as working efficiently. However there were multiple situations when the staff was reminded on burning lights, problematic windows etc. Nothing was usually done with one plea, most of them not even after five. This shows true lack of commitment to make Casulo worth living and working for everyone!

Lack of hospitality and adaptability is also the quiet hour’s rule in regulations. Even in Finland, which is considered as quiet country, the quiet hours are from 23-7! In Portugal where it’s extremely common to eat during late evening, quiet hours starting at 10pm is insane. It shows no respect on the natural behavior of people.

Information flow from the staff to the residents was lacking a lot. There were some situations where the supposed roommate was meant to come already on Friday but then postponed the date to Monday; still the already living person didn’t receive any information on upcoming roommate before Monday morning. In another situation, the new roommate just suddenly arrived, thankfully while the other person was making food, not while taking a shower.

Multiple times the rules were changed and the only way to get the message was actively reading email. Also many issues had to be asked directly from the staff members, eg. When the regulation on not being able to dry clothes in the public areas of Casulo came, there was no mention that the laundry service upstairs had been opened.

Now, there are things that Casulo could develop to make everything easier and smoother for both parties:

• Signing two set of similar rental documents, so that the renter has his/her own copy of rental agreement. Even though authorized copies were delivered later (1- 2 months after arrival), the renter is on low side in argument if he/she hasn’t have a contract to refer to.
• Making a fault registration system where the residents can write the faults appearing in Casulo. That way the 2 do-list is in hand for everyone and the residents can see when it’s been done.
• When changing the rules or notifying people on different matters, post the details also in notice boards and not only by email. Give residents time to adjust to the changes.
• Make an agreement with Casulo lounge for residents to be able to have their own dinner parties there or provide a space where residents can exchange their cultural background easier.
• Use email or SMS to notify on arriving roommates.
• Make a clear list what are the responsibility of the renter (eg. check out list) as well as responsibility of Casulo (changing light bulbs etc.)
• Change the quiet hours starting from 11pm to 7am.
• When ordering services from third party companies, make sure you also inform the residents on the changes. It makes Casulo look bad if the services aren’t there.
• Employ at least one more employee; it’s clear that the task force now is too much to handle for the amount of staff. The staff seems stressed out and unfortunately often they take the stress and anger to the customers.
• Have an open feedback session for the residents, hear their opinions and take them into consideration while making changes to rules. When the residents are involved with the changes, it’s easier to follow the new rules.

Now this is only a few person points of view how things were handled during fall 2012. Things might have improved lately. However we recommend everyone who is thinking of living in Casulo to first write a rental agreement of one month and then make up your opinion whether to stay or go. During the first month it’s possible to make many friends and maybe finding out a new place together if needed.

With best regards,

Henna, Ruba and a couple of others who rather stay anonymous