MSE News: Student rent costs soar by 8.5%

dimbo61 wrote: »

Again please have a look on the Manchster Student Homes website re summer rent !!! and also the standard of room/property you need to be an ACCREDITED LANDLORD
Yes you can make more money from renting out rooms to students rather than renting a family home to a family BUT there is much more work involved, Families can and often do stay long term and not move out after 10/12 months.
By offering a high standard of property and reasonable rents with extras ( SKY/BT) we have no problems getting and keeping tenants
FEES please read the MSH website re FEES ( only rent and deposit allowed) LETTING AGENTS have nice shiny offices and staff to pay!!
Universties provide there own accommodation and charge what they want which is why many students get together and live in shared houses
for the second/third years.
Supply and Demand govern the costs of student rentals.
I looked at a new student development in Liverpool last week where rooms cost £179 per week and it was a 50 week contract.
You get a 32" Smart TV on the wall and en-suite with tiny kitchen with all mod cons and a gym downstairs but OMG that is expensive for LIVERPOOL and 22 square meters. RICH STUDENTS maybe

The reason why students live in shared houses for the second/third years is that universities only provide accommodation for the first year, so they have to. The exceptions are Oxford, Cambridge and Durham who have a colliagiate system.

My daughter spent more on shared private rented accommodation during years 2 & 3 than she did in halls, which was of a very good standard although I appreciate it varies from university to university.

The accommodation was generally poor and every room was used (living room and dining room were bedrooms). Continual problems with damp and they did have internet access, however, they had to organise and pay for this themselves. And they too had to pay rent from July when the tenancy started, albeit reduced, but did not have access to the property until September.

My daughter(or "we") will be paying £390 per month this year. The property she and her 6 housemates are renting is seriously plush and is a very high spec (massive flat screen wall mounted TV, american fridge, flash kitchen & bathroom etc)

She's happy and it must be good money for the land lord / lady = £390 * 7 * 12 = £32,760 per year income from a property in an area where you can buy a a 3 bed house for as little as £60k....

...it's no wonder the land lords and ladies have moved to providing such high quality accommodation - they'd be crazy not to!

Not do I blame any student for not wanting to live like a hobo...

*just sayin*

silvercar wrote: »

Yes to safety checks, never known a student to be concerned with energy saving measures. The students sort out an Internet and TV contract for themselves, never seen an American fridge freezer on the list and only in one year was a dishwasher part of the deal.

Location is important for students, possibly the most important factor.

With the cost incurred as students and the private halls that have emerged over the last few years and that more than ever students are choosing to live at home, some towns are over populated with private house lets. The rent may be higher if let to students, but the risks of having an empty property in certain towns is greater; if you don't let for September there is a high risk of the property being empty for the whole year!

I'm very concerned with energy saving measures, bills are a fortune! But then again I'm probably not normal for a student. Landlords think I'm bizarre actually wanting to see the EPC! Internet contracts can be a right pain if you only want them for 9 months - I know virgin does 9 month student deals but they're more expensive than just paying for 12 months on a normal contract! I've insisted on a dishwasher for the past 3 years but just because I hate washing up. A friend came to stay the other day and was positively outraged that we have a dishwasher in a 2 person flat! I'm not overly bothered about location (though I was for the first year or two) - I'd rather save money by moving a bit further out. Also if one lives in student central you WILL be disturbed by drunk 'fellow students' parading up and down the road 247. I know there's a LOT of empty properties around Manchester student areas. Students here sort their houses out stupidly early and landlords/agents encourage this for obvious reasons. I've heard of groups getting together at the end of freshers week...seriously! Hence my last shared house we waited until a little later in the year and snapped up a bargain as the landlords were getting desperate. Although the agents for said property turned out to be shysters. If you walked around the student areas today you would find properties ready to go for probably sub £50pppw!

silvercar wrote: »

I agree with your costings. Most students need to find some work or rely on their parents.

Generally students from the poorest families get a lot of help in terms of bursaries from the universities, they also of course get a loan/ grant combination which is higher.

According to both my kids, you either need to have parents willing and able to support you or come from the lowest income group, where the grants and burseries are considerable. It is the offspring of the squeezed middle who suffer.

Completely agree with this. If you're on the top grant/bursary bracket you don't need a penny from your parents unless you're a !!!!less idiot (which a lot of students are!).

JencParker wrote: »

The reason why students live in shared houses for the second/third years is that universities only provide accommodation for the first year, so they have to. The exceptions are Oxford, Cambridge and Durham who have a colliagiate system.

My daughter spent more on shared private rented accommodation during years 2 & 3 than she did in halls, which was of a very good standard although I appreciate it varies from university to university.

The accommodation was generally poor and every room was used (living room and dining room were bedrooms). Continual problems with damp and they did have internet access, however, they had to organise and pay for this themselves. And they too had to pay rent from July when the tenancy started, albeit reduced, but did not have access to the property until September.

Starting rent in July is standard round here unfortunately, although one can usually negotiate for July & August half price. I have always had access to the property though.

I am continually shocked by how much friends at Oxford have to pay for accommodation. One is paying almost the same for a college room (albeit including bills, but not catered) as we are for a nice 2 bed flat with secure parking. I know the colleges have very old buildings that cost a fortune to maintain, but frankly that's their problem.

There is a massive disparity between the North and the South. Another friend is sharing a tiny 2 bed flat which is about £1000 a month in total, but that's VERY central London so isn't really comparable to anything else. Meanwhile another friend is paying something ridiculous like £40 a week in Bradford for a half decent house.

Henry hope you are happy being a student in Manchester and yes you are right that students get together just after they arrive at uni to look for student properties for 2/3 rd years.
MSH have had to start posting adverts from Good Landlords in October due to Demand from students !
When you have groups of 6/8/10 students looking for a property to live together there are only so many good ones.
Students now want All-Inclusive for everything. Would you fancy getting £150/200 off all your fellow tenants the week before Xmas after the bill arrived and it was in your Name !
You can pay £50 PPPW but you and I know what you will get ?
Just make sure you have insurance and enjoy living in poor conditions.
More and more new build tower blocks going up in central Manchester encouraged by the council charging £120-180 a week on 48/50 week contracts from Private Student companies.

dimbo61 wrote: »

Henry hope you are happy being a student in Manchester and yes you are right that students get together just after they arrive at uni to look for student properties for 2/3 rd years.
MSH have had to start posting adverts from Good Landlords in October due to Demand from students ! I know, its insane! I understand they used to not issue the lists until January or something, but students sadly went elsewhere instead of waiting so they stopped it
When you have groups of 6/8/10 students looking for a property to live together there are only so many good ones. Yeah that's true, there are ample 4 bed places but many more than that and you'll struggle. Someone at MSH once told me about a group coming into the office and saying 'Do you have any TWENTY SEVEN BEDROOM houses!!' The entire halls floor had decided they were best mates and all wanted to live together. :rotfl:
Students now want All-Inclusive for everything. Would you fancy getting £150/200 off all your fellow tenants the week before Xmas after the bill arrived and it was in your Name ! Personally I've always been in charge of the bills (but of course not all in my name) as I don't trust anyone else to get the cheapest deal. I'd rather faff around with bills if its saving us £50 a month over an all inclusive place. I've never had a problem as I've always tried to live with people I really know and trust. Maybe I'm just lucky.
You can pay £50 PPPW but you and I know what you will get ?
Just make sure you have insurance and enjoy living in poor conditions. Yeah, the particular place I had in mind looked a complete shed. For the record I do not and have never lived in such a dwelling.
More and more new build tower blocks going up in central Manchester encouraged by the council charging £120-180 a week on 48/50 week contracts from Private Student companies.

Are you thinking of that 'Student Castle' place? I had a brief look at their website but the rent was utterly ludicrous! Why does the council want them?!