Housing Minister says a “common-sense approach” has to be adopted in the student accommodation dispute, suggesting that this s is “a matter between the parties concerned”.
Many UK universities have waived accommodation fees for the third term without charge for their student tenants as face-to-face teaching suspended and students returned family homes due to COVID-19.
However, students who contract with private accommodation providers are struggling to get their rent refunded or to be released from current contract.
This has led to a nationwide rent strike that has involved thousands of student tenants, claiming it is “completely unfair” to continue to pay with many losing their sources of income.
In response to this issue, Christopher Pincher, Conservative MP for Tamworth and Housing Minister, says that students will continue to receive maintenance grants for remainder of the current academic year (2019/20) and hardship funds from universities can still be accessed where necessary.
He said: “The department is actively engaging with stakeholders across the student accommodation sector, including private student accommodation providers to understand the challenges posted by the current crisis and to establish the most effective means of supporting the whole of the sector.”
The Housing Minister also said that students who are workers under PAYE will be paid up to 80 per cent of their wages.
Meanwhile, major housing association claims that student landlords are among those “hit hardest” by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ben Beadle, the Chief Executive of National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), in an open letter to Universities UK (UUK), asks it to “urgently” contact its associates to encourage “a more collaborative approach” to working with landlords during the crisis as many of its members are pressured by universities.
He said: “Just as we are asking landlords to show as much flexibility as they are able, we would hope universities will understand the financial difficulties that will be caused if students walk away from contracts without paying their rent.”
In response to the letter, Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive at UUK says although students are still in receipt of maintenance loans, they may be experiencing financial difficulties with their ability to earn additional income as part-time work curtailed.
He said: “It is worth noting that although students are still in receipt of maintenance loans (as your letter highlights), they may nonetheless be experiencing financial difficulties with their ability to earn additional income through part-time work curtailed.
“At the same time, though many students were able to return to family homes before the national lockdown, family incomes may also be challenged by the current situation.”
By Na Qing
Feature photo credit: Pixabay.