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Chestnut Residence

Current Residents

Build connections, learn outside the classroom, and develop a strong campus connection. 

current residents

Bookable Student Spaces

Students are able to book time in one of Chestnut’s Residence Bookable Common Spaces:

  • 5 Music Rooms located on the Concourse Level (one room has a drum set and four rooms have pianos)
  • 4 Study Rooms located on the 28th Floor
  • Gym
  • Fitness Studio
  • Wellness Room

Resources for

Current Residents

Resident
Agreements

BUILDING Services

Submit a Maintenance Request

FAQs

Guest Policy

As of September 12, 2022, our standard guest policy has been reinstated. Residents at Chestnut are permitted to have up to 4 guests at a time. This policy is subject to change at anytime to ensure appropriate health and safety guidelines are followed.

  • ALL guests must be pre-registered in the Housing Portal prior to arrival.
  • Guests should be prepared to display their confirmation email to a security or residence staff member when requested.
  • Residents must always be with their guests, including escorting the guest out of the building.
  • Guests are allowed to stay overnight for up to 3 nights consecutively and 10 nights total per semester as outlined in the Community Standards.

Guest Registration

To register a guest on StarRez, please complete the following steps:

  1. Login to the StarRez portal
  2. Go to the My Guests tab (found by clicking the hamburger menu icon)
  3. Select Register a New Guest and complete all information.
  4. A confirmation e-mail is sent to you the resident, to your guest, and to your roommate (if you have one).

Chestnut residence has a guest policy, as outlined in the Community Standards.
All guests must be signed in at the Front Desk by producing government issued photo ID and receiving a Guest Pass
A guest pass must be carried at all times and is dated and expires at noon the following day
A resident must accompany his/her guest(s) at all times and take full responsibility for the conduct of his/her guest(s) on the premises.

A student may host a maximum of 4 guests at a time.

Arrangements for a guest to remain overnight may be made providing prior agreement is reached with your roommate.
No guest may stay in the residence for more than three consecutive nights and for no more than a total of ten (10) nights during the Occupancy Period.
Any questions or concerns regarding overnight guests can be directed to your Don.

You can find out more details by reviewing the Chestnut Community Standards

Rooms & Roommates

1st year students are only offered double rooms unless there is a documented medical or accessibility need for a single room.

Once you have been accepted to residence, we encourage you to search for a roommate throughout the summer. You are able to message people through StarPortal.

It’s highly recommended that you pick your own roommate. If you choose not to, we’ll select one for you based on the students that are left. You will NOT lose your room though! We will have a place for you.

All students are marked room assigned; this simply indicates that they are in the residence database.
They have not been assigned roommates yet, and you are free to request them.

Absolutely, if you are both accepted to Chestnut Residence and follow all the application steps by the deadlines, you will be able to request each other on StarPortal roommate module.

It will make it easier if you know each other’s student number, in order to search for each other and select the correct profile.

In any given year, there are approx. 800 students living in double rooms with a roommate, so we have an established procedure for dealing with roommate conflicts:

First: roommates are required to fill out a Roommate Communication Plan facilitated by the Don at the beginning of the year. The purpose of this plan is to create agreements around living habits, such as noise and light levels, cleanliness, sharing of spaces and things, and general routines. The plan also outlines how roommates will communicate with one another when they have disagreements around the established agreement.

Second: If a conflict arises, the roommates speak with each other using the guidelines set out in the communication plan. It is important that roommates are open and honest with one another and are willing to communicate effectively about their concerns. Both students have an equal right to use the space and to have their needs met, so they need to acknowledge that both of them should be willing to compromise on certain things.

Third: If the conflict continues, the roommates meet with the floor Don to discuss strategies to resolve the conflict. The Don can support them in revisiting the communication plan and making amendments where necessary.

Fourth: the Don facilitates a mediation between the two roommates where they have the opportunity to discuss their grievances and create a new agreement. The Don would follow up on this agreement to insure that it is being followed.

Finally, if the conflict persists and all of the outlined steps have been followed, the roommates may meet with the Residence Life Coordinator.

Please note: Roommate switches are rare and are a last resort and often not feasible as the residence is fully booked

If you are a 1st year student, the room/floor is picked after you have matched with a roommate and both you and your roommate have paid the 1st installment of fees.

To assist in your decision, you are encouraged to read more about our Floor Communities & Student Rooms.

Once you have selected a room, you cannot make changes. Please make your room selection carefully. You can view the Chestnut floor plan and details on our various communities on our Floor Communities & Student Rooms page.

Double Rooms

Double rooms are occupied by 2 roommates and are approximately 350 sq. ft.

All double rooms include:

  • Ensuite bathroom
  • 1 Double sized bed per student
  • 1 Pillow per bed
  • 1 Desk and Desk Chair per student
  • 1 Dresser
  • 1 Armoire
  • 1 Closet
  • Curtains for the room
  • Shower curtain in the bathroom
  • Waste and Recycling Bins
  • Smoke Detector & battery

Single Rooms

Single rooms accommodate 1 student only and are approximately 320 sq. ft.

All single rooms include:

  • Ensuite private bathroom
  • 1 Double sized bed
  • 1 Pillow per bed
  • 1 Desk and Desk Chair
  • 1 Dresser
  • 1 Closet
  • Curtains for the room
  • Shower curtain in the bathroom
  • Waste and Recycling Bins
  • Smoke Detector & battery

Although most floors are co-ed, all rooms are single gender.

  • 1 Double size bed per student
  • 1 Pillow per bed
  • 1 Desk per student
  • Waste & recycle bins
  • 1 Chair per student
  • Smoke detector & battery
  • 1 Dresser per room
  • Shower curtain
  • Curtains
  • 1 armoire in double rooms
  • 1 Closet per room

Students are not permitted to bring extra furniture into their rooms.

Students are also not permitted to remove any furniture from rooms.

Chestnut does not provide cooking facilities either in student rooms or on student floors.

You may bring a mini-fridge for your room (max. 1 metre in height).

No cooking appliances are allowed. This includes: microwave, hotplates, tea kettles, coffee makers

If you are experiencing a maintenance related issue within your room, or in a public space you can submit a Maintenance Request through the StarRez Portal.

For an immediate maintenance emergency (Ex. flooding, loss of heat, or electrical power) students can contact the front desk in order to request service.

Front Desk 416.977.0707, Extension 0

If Front Desk is closed, please contact Security 416.585.3155

Each room is equipped with its own unit so that you can control the heating in winter and cooling in summer.

  • Quiet hours are in place to ensure a peaceful environment for all students to sleep and study.
  • Quiet hours are in effect: Sunday to Thursday from 11:00 PM to  8:00 AM, and Friday to Saturday from 2:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
  • Excessive noise at any time of day is not permitted; please be respectful and courteous of your neighbors.
  • You can find out more information by reviewing the Chestnut Community Standards.

Parties are not allowed in residence.

A party includes any combination of 2 of the following 3 criteria: i) 8 or more individuals in one room ii) the presence of alcohol iii) noise.

You can find out more information by reviewing the Chestnut Community Standards.

Chestnut Residence is a smoke-free environment.

If you choose to smoke, you will have to go outside and be at least 9 meters away from the entrance of the building.

You are unable to smoke under the driveway canopy.

This includes but is not limited to smoking cigarettes, hookahs, vaporizers and e-cigarettes.
You can find out more details by information the Chestnut Community Standards.

Security in residence is important to the community. If you get locked out of your room; you will need to speak with the Front Desk (or Security desk after hours) in order to regain access to your room.

Frequent lockouts are considered to be disruptive behaviour. For 6 to 9 lockouts, you will be charged $20.00 per lockout and on the 10th and any subsequent lockout, you will be charged $30.00 per lockout. Please double check that you always have your keycard.

You can find out more details by reviewing the Chestnut Community Standards.

Chestnut Residence is a community of over 1100 students, and therefore some level of noise is to be expected.

Residents are asked to refrain from making excessive noise at any time of the day including during quiet hours.
Quiet hours are in effect: Sunday to Thursday from 11:00 PM to  8:00 AM, and Friday to Saturday from 2:00 AM to 8:00 AM. During exam periods, 23 Hour Quiet Hours are in place (relaxed between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM); You can find out more details by reviewing the Chestnut Community Standards.

The Study Commons (located on the 28th floor) offers quiet 24-hour study space to students.

Residents are encouraged to purchase ear plugs to ensure silence when sleeping or studying.

Residents should speak with their Don if a neighbour is making excessive noise

Services

Community safety is the shared commitment and responsibility of all staff and students at Chestnut Residence. The following systems are in place to keep our residence as safe as possible:

Security Personnel

Two security guards are on duty 24/7
You can contact security anytime at 416.585.3155
You can always find at least 1 security guard at the kiosk in the lobby of Chestnut
Security guards patrol common areas, floors, and the exterior of the building
Residents are asked to show their room key each time they pass security in the lobby

Don on Duty

You can connect with the Don-on-Duty (DOD)
Current residents can find the Don-on-Duty phone number posted on their floor, or ask your don!
There are 2 Dons on duty each night from 8am – 8pm
DOD’s do rounds of the building to ensure quiet hours are respected
DOD’s wear red vests to be easily visible to residents
DOD’s carry a cell phone and respond to student emergencies and concerns

Campus Safety Walk Services

Download the University of Toronto Safety App. You can conveniently request a Virtual Walk escort or a Friend Walk along with many other resources and features.

The wireless U of T network is available throughout the building including common areas and student rooms
There are DSL modems and Ethernet cords available at the Front Desk if you wish to have a hard line connection
ResNet Helpline assists with any IT questions – you can contact them at 416.585.3182, or at resnet.chestnut@utoronto.ca

You can also speak to ResNet Staff on the main floor, next to the Front Desk, during posted hours.

  • Housekeeping staff will enter your room weekly.
  • Your housekeeping schedule will be given to you at the beginning of the year.
  • Dons will communicate the weekly cleaning schedule to all students on each floor.
  • The weekly cleaning service entails vacuuming and bathroom cleaning.
  • Residents are responsible for ensuring that their floors are free of any clothing or other items, prior to vacuuming (cleaning staff will Not move personal items left on the floor).
  • Residents must clear the counter tops in the bathroom.
  • Your bathroom tub, toilet, and sink will be cleaned, and the available counter spaced will be cleaned as well, so long as housekeeping does not have to move any items.
  • Toilet paper replenished each week, 1 roll per person/per week (students are responsible for providing their own soap and other toiletries).
  • Students are responsible for removing garbage, recycling, and dusting.
  • Students are not permitted to refuse cleaning service from housekeeping staff for 2 or more weeks in a row.

If you have any questions about cleaning please speak to your regular cleaning staff or to your Residence Don.

Operating through the day in conjunction with a 24 hour security team, Front Desk assistance includes:

  • Check-in/Check Out
  • Mail sorting
  • Answering/transferring calls
  • Parcel pick up
  • Guest sign in
  • General inquiries
  • Bike room key set up
  • Iron/drying rack sign out
  • Board game sign out (Checkers, Monopoly, Scrabble etc)

Contact info: 416.977.0707, Extension 0

For safety reasons, bicycles are not permitted in student rooms.

You can store your bike in 1 of 2 bike rooms located on the concourse level.

Register your bike at the Front Desk and they will program your key card to allow access to bike rooms.

Remember to keep your bike locked up, even in the bike room.

Laundry costs are not included in residence fees.

  • You will need to provide your own laundry bag and HE (High Efficiency) detergent
  • The Laundry facility is located on the concourse level of the residence
  • Open 24/7
  • Pay per use washers & dryers: 1 load of laundry is $2.25, 1 load in the dryer is $1.75
  • Laundry card ($5) – you can add money on it through machine in laundry room
  • Irons are available at front desk
  • Waiting area has TV, vending machines, ice machine, tables and chairs

The gym is located on the concourse level and is open daily, 6:00 AM – 12:00 AM (MIDNIGHT).
The gym provides cardio machines and weights, with newer equipment installed as of Fall 2019.

Student Spaces & Community Involvement

  • Urban Lounge (located on the main floor) – Watch tv, socialize, play foosball or pool. This space is used for social activities and events for students
  • The Lookout (located on the 27th floor) – Study, grab a snack or take in the amazing views
  • Study Commons (located on the 28th floor) – Offering quiet 24 hour study space to students. This space is proctored by upper year students for six weeks prior to both the fall and winter exam periods
  • Laundry Room (located on the concourse level) – Open 24/7 with pay-per-use washers and dryers. Machines are operated with a loadable laundry card
  • Gym (located on the concourse level) – Basic workout facility with cardio machines, free weights and universal machines
  • Fitness Studio (located on the concourse level) – Moderately sized studio with hardwood floors, mirrors, and balance bars
  • Music Rooms (located on the concourse level) – 5 music rooms for student use, with 2 pianos and 1 drum set available
  • Wellness Room (located on the 28th floor) – Intended as a space for residents to relax, meditate or do yoga.

Chestnut Residence boasts a wide variety of student spaces – from student lounges and social areas, to fitness spaces, to academic study areas.

Please visit our Bookable Spaces section for specific details on how to reserve a space.

  • Each residence floor has its own Floor Council.
  • There are three roles, including President, Vice President, and Social Rep.
  • All students living on the floor are eligible to run for positions and participate in events.
  • Floor Councils run events on the floor and work alongside the Chestnut Residence Council and the Floor Don.Each month your Don runs a Floor Program and a Floor Meeting.
  • Floor events are fun ways to interact with your neighbors, and get to know the city of Toronto, and U of T community.
  • Past programs include: Escape Room, Community Outreach, indoor trampoline park, movie nights and Toronto tours.

Chestnut Residence is home to many student-led groups and clubs that organize activities and are fun for students to be a part of. You will be able to find out which groups and clubs are available during move-in/orientation or you can inquire with the Residence Life Office about starting your own!

In addition to clubs and groups, Chestnut has many intramural teams you can take part in. There are a number of other opportunities such as committees, working groups, and focus groups where you have an opportunity to talk about your experiences at Chestnut and provide valuable feedback to make improvements and life for students at Chestnut even better.

Keep an eye out for postings on our social media channels and your email throughout the year!

The Chestnut Residence Council is a Student governing body plans social, athletic and community events and organizes:

  • The annual Chestnut semi-formal
  • Coffee houses and open mike nights
  • Ski and snowboarding trips
  • Rent out equipment such as PS4
  • Intramural sports tournaments and much more!
  • Each floor has representatives on the council along with executive members
  • Just under $20 of the residence fee is for the council operations (collected in Residence Fees)
  • Residence Council elections are held each year at the end of March. Any Chestnut student can run for a council position, provided that they have a clear financial record, and have completed the admissions process for the coming year

Learn more about the Chestnut Residence Council. 

The Urban Crew is involved in the day-to-day operation of Urban Lounge, Chestnut Residence’s large, multi-use student space.

Urban Crew members are responsible for a three-hour shift once a week where they help maintain a friendly and welcoming atmosphere in Urban Lounge.  They also help students use the AV equipment to watch movies, TV, or play video games as well as sign-out equipment for playing pool, table tennis, Foosball and board games.

If you are interested in being part of the Urban Crew, keep an eye out for postings on our social media channels and your email when the applications become open (typically in September).

The University of Toronto work-study program provides students with an opportunity to gain meaningful work experience by working part-time on campus and is open to all full-time undergraduate students, both domestic and international.

Chestnut Residence will have multiple opportunities available in late August/early September. Make sure to check your email and postings on social media to find out about these opportunities.

The CCR is a database of activities that allows you to search for opportunities beyond the classroom and keep track of your accomplishments.

You can use the CCR to craft a resume that will get an employer’s attention.

The CCR provides an official University of Toronto document that validates your many activities and experiences. Involvement opportunities at Chestnut Residence are CCR validated! Get involved and recognized for it!

Find out more about the CCR.

You can find out more details about Student Leadership opportunities on our Residence Life – Student Leaders section.

Winter Break

The option to stay in Chestnut Residence over the winter break is available to current Chestnut students only.

To stay in residence over the Winter Break students must submit a Winter Break application to the Residence Life Office for consideration. You will receive an email if your application has been approved.

The submission deadline for the Winter Break application is December 1. Applications received after this date will be subject to a late fee of $50

Fee: $400 (charged to your ACORN account)

This fee is not pro-rated, and is a flat rate regardless of how many days you will need to stay during this time.

Please Note: There is reduced/no service and amenities during the Winter Break closure, including the Front Desk, Dining Hall, Residence Life Office, Housekeeping and common spaces. Full details will be provided to those who remain in residence during this period.

Security Procedures:

  • You must show your Winter Break keycard (and Tcard if requested!) to Security each time you enter/exit the building.
  • No guests are allowed during the break
  • Security guards will be conducting foot patrols of residence floors.

Yes! You can certainly leave everything in your room. You are not required to remove your items from your room over the winter break.

No guests are permitted to be signed in over the break.