Student University Accomodation during Coronavirus

sajmal2980

scaashiana said:

silvercar said:

I may be missing the point here. Students were expecting to receive their loans/ grant for the final term and pay the rent out of that. Really nothing has changed financially other than they no longer want to use the accommodation. It isn't as if the government is not reducing their student finance for the final term.

Perhaps, I've not made my points clear, in which case I apologise.

1) Those student loans are not 'free money'.  They need to be repaid.  If universities close for the final term and encourage students to go home for remote learning, then I don't think students should be paying for that final term of accomodation.  There needs to be some thought (at a national / government level) around this.  One solution, for example, is to offer students the option not pay accomodation fees AND not to take the accomodation element of their loan and therefore reduce their overall debt.  If I were a student, I'd prefer to reduce my debt.  I acknowledge not all students will think that way, but the option should exist.

2) Not all students are paying for their accomodation via a loan.  There are many cases where parents are paying for student accomodation (whilst the student pays for their tuition fees).  My point remains, is it fair that Universities close but still expect accomodation fees to be paid (when students are not staying there)?  Would you be happy to pay £2500 accomodation fees for somewhere you are not staying, through no fault of your own?

Multiply £2500 (one terms accomodation fees) x 400 students at one University, equals £1m.  Multiply that x 100s of Universities.  That's the debt that students will be saddled with for something they didn't need to be.

Well said, thanks. I'm in exactly the same situation and now I'm concerned about next years halls cost. The contract has been signed and that is a massive 6k a year. If the university doesn't open I still have to pay for the accommodation.  I'm within my 14 days to cancel but with no idea what the university is doing I don't know what to do. Shall I leave it or cancel it.

sajmal2980

Does anybody know if parents are going to get any financial help to purchase IT equipment for the kids to work from home. The infant and junior school has closed and put learning material online. I guess they assume everyone has multiple computers in the house. I have 1 which I use for work. A

ruthqu

Woodyrocks said:

scaashiana I just popped in here to start a thread of like as we too are in the same position. 

Students in University Halls have been informed they will not have to pay accommodation fees for final term of the academic year if they choose to go home and access remote teaching from there. However, those in Private Halls still have to pay this final term rent deposit should they wish to go home also. There is no break clause in the shorthold tenancy agreement hence looking for information as to how best to approach this. It just doesn't seem right that there is no protection for students living in private halls. 

Hopefully some useful responses will be forthcoming from informed MSE'

Where did you see this? My daughter is at Nottingham University and to told leave but her halls have said that she will need to pay the accommodation for the final term.  It's a nightmare!

silvercar

ruthqu said:

Woodyrocks said:

scaashiana I just popped in here to start a thread of like as we too are in the same position. 

Students in University Halls have been informed they will not have to pay accommodation fees for final term of the academic year if they choose to go home and access remote teaching from there. However, those in Private Halls still have to pay this final term rent deposit should they wish to go home also. There is no break clause in the shorthold tenancy agreement hence looking for information as to how best to approach this. It just doesn't seem right that there is no protection for students living in private halls. 

Hopefully some useful responses will be forthcoming from informed MSE'

Where did you see this? My daughter is at Nottingham University and to told leave but her halls have said that she will need to pay the accommodation for the final term.  It's a nightmare!

It’s not a nightmare, she has the same income she was expecting for next term and paying for accommodation was what she budgeted for.
nightmares are when people lose their income due to the Coronavirus.

Tracey500

silvercar said:

I may be missing the point here. Students were expecting to receive their loans/ grant for the final term and pay the rent out of that. Really nothing has changed financially other than they no longer want to use the accommodation. It isn't as if the government is not reducing their student finance for the final term.

The point being missed .. grants- in most cases (employed married parents)  do not even cover the rent. We have to add £1500 per quarter to the grant .. just to make rent. All living costs are extra. We don’t want help with our children’s living costs. 

It’s been a big hit has the rent - I know I am not alone when we first heard £155 per week rent  to live in halls - I had to sit down. 

Suseka97

Was she told to go home, or did she choose to go home?  Many universities are telling students that they can go home if they want to, not that they have to.  Quite a few have international students that simply cannot go home.

Also, what period does the £2,500 cover (you mention its for the last term accommodation costs).  She would have been receiving face-to-face tuition right up to the week before last I imagine and the remainder is now online tuition in one form or another.  I imagine her uni will make some sort of decision and announcement about accommodation fees at some point.  They are having to consider a lot of things and this I'm sure will be on their list.

scaashiana

onwards&upwards said:

What about the landlords who aren’t huge national companies?  Just people who have maybe 1 or 2 properties to provide income?  I know of disabled people who do this as they can’t work but don’t want to rely on benefits.  They are essentially small businesses, like the cafes and pubs and hairdressers that are suffering too. 

Completely understand that, which is why I've not mentioned (in any of my posts) anything about private landlords.  I acknowledge that private landlords may not be in the position to support students in this situation, in the same way that (hopefully) some of the national student letting companies might be able to.

scaashiana

Suseka97 said:

Was she told to go home, or did she choose to go home?  Many universities are telling students that they can go home if they want to, not that they have to.  Quite a few have international students that simply cannot go home.

Also, what period does the £2,500 cover (you mention its for the last term accommodation costs).  She would have been receiving face-to-face tuition right up to the week before last I imagine and the remainder is now online tuition in one form or another.  I imagine her uni will make some sort of decision and announcement about accommodation fees at some point.  They are having to consider a lot of things and this I'm sure will be on their list.

Hi

The £2500 that I mentioned does NOT cover tuition at all.  Tuition is a separate cost being charged by the University.  I believe those Universities are offering remote learning options, so my debate here is nothing to do with tuition costs, since an alternative service is being offered.  I am NOT asking for tuition fees to be refunded / reimbursed.  I am talking about accomodation fees ONLY.

To answer your question, the £2500 I mentioned covers accomodation fees for the final term, i.e. April 2020 to June/July 2020.  To respond to your point about Uni's having to consider a lot of things, I'd suggest that national student lettings companies have less on their list of things to consider than Universities do.

On your point about international students not going back home, or indeed UK students that might be staying in their accomodation, yes I agree; those students should continue paying their accomodation fees. 

The point I'm raising is that these unprecedented times (who would have predicted Universities will be closing on-site learning?) should provoke a discussion around accepting that many 1000's of students nationally will be going home, unplanned and through no fault of their own. In my opinion, those students should NOT have to pay their FULL accomodation fees for the final term IF they are not staying at that accomodation.  In the very least, the profit / gas / electricity / water costs should be removed from the fee, given the incredibly exceptional situation that we're in.  The decision for students to go home isn't one that's taken lightly by most students, it's a decision based on the country going into some form of partial lockdown, about potentially becoming unwell and needing care and about living with family at an incredibly difficult time.

I make this point regarding national student lettings companies and also for University campuses.  I acknowledge that asking for a reduction / reimbursement from private landlords presents its own challenges, therefore did not include private landlords in the scope of my original post (although of course other posters may raise/discuss this).

scaashiana

silvercar said:

I hear you. I think there is more leeway when the accommodation is provided by the university and they can save costs by mothballing the halls for 6 months. For students in private halls or private renting, they have entered contracts with private companies or individuals and there is far less leeway. In fact the companies and landlords still have all their costs.

Some progress.

At least two private, national student companies have made statements confirming that they will not charge students rent for their last term if they return home.

• Liberty Living
• Unite Students

Those companies are willing to review their contracts, given the exceptional circumstances.

tomkfly

Hi, I am 81years of age and my wife is 69, so we are self isolating. We have a 21year old daughter in her final year of a degree course, who is living in private student accomodation. When her rental agreement ends it is unlikely our self isolation will have ended, so she will be homeless unless she is allowed to remain in her current accomodation. If she is allowed to remain in the accomodation she wouldn’t be able to afford the rent. Is there any provision for students in this position?