Many landlords are buying into the student market, enjoying guaranteed term time rents, whilst budgeting for expected holiday voids.
However, with student grants coughing up the majority of the rent, it is surprising to hear that there are more than 17,000 students who have fallen behind with their rent payments.
According to data released under a Freedom of Information Act requested by the Liberal Democrats, a rising number of students are being evicted from their halls of residence or having their tenancies cancelled after falling behind with rental payments – not good news for when they take their first step into the world of private renting.
Brunel, York, Leicester, Leeds and Warwick universities topped the list of universities with the most significant student rental debts.
The figures came as no surprise given our broken system of student financial support – which doesn’t even begin to cover the ever-increasing cost of basic accommodation. This leaves students in the precarious situation where they’re uncertain how they’ll even pay their next month’s rent. Rather than falling into the easy temptation to label these as cases of rent avoidance, we instead need to urge the government and the higher education sector to wake up to the reality that students are being priced out of housing and their education.
Izzy Lenga, vice-president of the National Union of Students
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