Terms & Conditions

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BORROWING EQUIPMENT FROM THE ENGINEERING AND ENVIROMENT EQUIPMENT LOANS CENTRE

Each time you make a booking on SiSo you will be asked to agree to the terms and conditions of booking which are listed below. Once you collect a booking you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Equipment will only be loaned to named individuals who are registered and activated on the SiSo online booking system.

Equipment will only be released from the Equipment Loans Centre on production of a valid student or staff ID card. The equipment is the responsibility of the individual who signs for it. You may not take out equipment on behalf of others.

Bookings must be made online using the SiSo booking system. Bookings requested at the counter or by email will be carried out at the discretion of ELC staff. The ELC take no responsibility for any errors in this type of booking and it is the user’s responsibility to check the details once the booking is made.

The maximum loan period is fourteen consecutive days. Some items may be less. In the interests of fair usage of equipment you may not place back to back bookings. These will be removed from the system by ELC staff.

Extensions to bookings are at the discretion of the ELC staff and cannot be just assumed or guaranteed.

Equipment must be collected within 2 hours of the collection time and returned before the return time specified on your booking – you will need to check the details on your SiSo account for these times and dates. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in a penalty and withdrawal of your equipment privileges.

Please ensure that equipment is returned in the condition it was loaned. For example tripod plates must not be left on cameras, cables must be coiled properly. If equipment is returned in a poorly packed state, wet or dirty, you will be asked to repack the equipment, dry or clean it. If this is undertaken by the ELC you may be charged a cleaning fee

It is your responsibility to check the condition of all equipment at the time of collection. Any missing items, damage to kit or non-working kit must be reported before leaving the ELC. Once any equipment leaves the Equipment Loans Centre, you become liable for the repair or full replacement costs if any part of the equipment is lost, damaged or stolen – you must make sure that everything listed on the tag is in the bag before you leave the ELC. Upon return to the ELC we aim to check all equipment immediately on return. During busy periods this is sometimes not possible. You will be notified within 7 days if we discover any missing items or damage.

All repair and full replacement costs will be quoted on a case-by-case basis. Faults that are discovered or damage incurred while you are in possession of the equipment must be reported to the Equipment Loans Technicians as soon as possible.

You will not be able to borrow equipment until you have paid any penalties on your account. Any lost or damaged equipment taken out for teaching purposes will be charged to that department.

If taking equipment abroad please ensure your travel insurance will cover the cost of the equipment as this is not always the case.

You must not use the equipment/ facilities in a way that breaches any Northumbria University guidelines, policies, regulations or that brings Northumbria University into disrepute.

Student users are not permitted to use this equipment for profit/commercial or private use.

There are times when we may need to place equipment into maintenance. Whether this is routine or because it has been returned faulty you will be notified by SiSo if it affects your booking. If an item is removed from your booking because of this we will endeavour to offer an alternative but this may not always be possible.

Some high value items may contain tracking devices which are used to locate equipment in the event of loss or non-return.

You are forbidden from installing or altering any software or firmware on equipment without permission from the technical staff.

Please ensure all data from memory cards has been backed up before returning them to the ELC. If you need help with this please contact one of the ELC Technician for assistance.

As memory cards can be used with a variety of devices we strongly recommend that you format cards in you chosen equipment prior to use. It is the user’s responsibility to check equipment settings and ensure equipment is setup to record in the correct format.

Please ensure that all data from memory cards, hard drives, iPads and laptops have been backed up before returning to the ELC.

Users are not encouraged to save any personal data to the equipment hard disk where no back up may exist and hard disk failure may occur. Users of equipment should always save data to an external device.

All devices are wiped by staff upon return however the university will not be held responsible for any personal data which may be retained by the device.

The equipment is for the sole use of the person making the booking. Under no circumstances must you swap or lend equipment with another student without informing the ELC first.

Any Equipment returned later than the agreed return time for each booking will be subject to a progressive fine in line with the tarriffs listed on the welcome page, and may result in a permanent ban if unpaid for a long period. Any fines must be paid before any automatic bans are lifted. If a fine is not paid then further action may be taken in line with Student Regulations Section 2.3 1.5, which can result in your degree being witheld.

The Equipment Loans Centre opening hours are published on the SiSo website and the door to the ELC. On occasion these can change and any changes will be published on the website and door.

We cannot guarantee the availability of all equipment over the summer months as equipment maintenance and testing is required during this period.

If you have an issue to raise regarding the Equipment Loans Centre you can e-mail us

It is important to raise any issues (positive or negative) with your student representative or course leader, as they will attend various group meetings where they will be able to raise

These terms and conditions may be changed throughout academic year at any time. You will be notified on the SiSo website.

smarthub terms and conditions of use
As a user of this system registered or otherwise you agree that if for any reason you are unable to use smarthub for the intended purpose then you will contact your store via telephone, email or in person to resolve the problem. SiSo Software Limited are not responsible or liable in any way for any errors, damages or any other loss caused by your usage of this system. For the avoidance of doubt this includes any loss howsoever suffered including negligence or fraud except where such negligence causes death or personal injury.