University Accommodation Charges during Lockdown

[Loopyloulou]

Most students are not occupying the accommodation they have in their university towns this term.
Some landlords are allowing a rent reduction. Others are not.
Some parents are paying regardless. Others are not.

What is your experience?

[scary mum]

DS2 didn't have to pay for his summer term accomodation (university halls). I believe the accomodation is being used to house NHS staff. DS1 is in a private house and his landlord said they could stop paying the day they moved out, so one of the housemates left at the end of March. The others have stayed. Having said that, he is one of the most reasonable student landlords I have ever heard of, they sensibly stayed in the same house for 2 years.

[doodles]

Ds1 - university hall of residence - hasn't had to pay his 3rd installment but has been "fined" £350 for breaking his contract early!! ie he won't get his deposit back.

We usually leave him to deal with all things to do with halls but I might just take this one on.

[scary mum]

You've reminded me about DS2's deposit doodles, I haven't see it yet! He had also paid for the halls gym and emailed them asking for a partial refund and hasn't heard anything.

[mad?]

DD's house has been empty since March 17th, it is rented from a private landlord, but through a university accredited agent, she is still paying full rent. Her new lease on her lease on new house starts 2 weeks before this one ends so she will be paying full rent on two empty houses for that period and then on 'just the one' until she goes back, which I fear my not be until January. What a shambles.

[scary mum]

DS2 has declared he is going back come what may, I fear his housemates may start dropping out of the house rather than pay from August to January. As you say, what a shambles.

[Loopyloulou]

I come at this from two angles, both as a tenant and as a landlord. As a tenant I don't want to pay. As a landlord I think I'm entitled to the money.
Having done a bit of research I think the correct position is probably that specialist student landlords (such as Oxford colleges, or student halls of residence) need to give students their money back (including deposits), but students living in private accommodation need to pay up. This is based on past court judgements, most recently Canary Wharf-v-European Medicines Agency (see in particular paras 35-38 of the judgement here:
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2019/335.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
I wouldn't be surprised if someone takes this specific issue to court though, and I wouldn't be surprised if today's judges find in favour of the students.

[kenyancowgirl]

I hate the word “entitled”.... especially with regards to rent. Bottom line is many landlords take students and make significant profit - DS1s landlord will receive £30000 approx a year in rent next year - that is not insignificant - and while there may be a mortgage on the property and inevitable maintenance, the students will also be paying the bills so the vast majority is profit. These are unusual circumstances and a sensible landlord would try and at least meet them half way if they are unable to live there for part of the year. Half rent would at least cover mortgage payments (and some) and the goodwill would inevitably keep the students there the following year - and mean the house was always top of the list through word of mouth.

Uni accommodation through private landlords is frankly mainly scandalous nowadays. Bringing out so many unscrupulous folk and some very low standard places.

[mad?]

I have some sympathy with landlords in that it is their income and they will have outgoings that mirror this. I also think that Private landlord uni lettings are vastly superior to what they were in my day (sorry KCG). Both my DD (and their friends) have had central heating, no mould and landlords who will send round pest control on demand all of which would have been unheard of in the 80s. It is a condition of their uni accreditation/listing that they so this. Sadly it is also why the price has gone through the roof. In the 80s students lived in squalor, but it was cheap, and certainly looks like a better option now! Some of DDs' friends have had their landlords reduce the rent by 20-30% on the basis that the wear and tear and 'issues' arising will be minimal now. The smarter landlords also have an understanding that we will all be defined by our behaviour in this crisis, and squeezing and few hundred quid out of a student who has lost their part time job (as likely have a parent or two) and does not live in their flat/house anyway is at best described as 'not a good look'. The student grapevine is always active and news of 'bad' landlords will spread like wildfire (or indeed a virus). Those that behave unsympathetically in this situation will become the landlord of last choice and get the tenants they deserve as a consequence.

[marigold]

We are paying for two rooms in private student flats. DD returned home mid March and will not return, rent will be paid until end of contract in September. DS is still in his flat but coming home in a couple of weeks and we will have to continue to pay to ensure he has somewhere to go back to in September.
I am taking it on the chin as it was planned expenditure and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Both are extremely nice properties which I would have no hesitation in living in myself.
I share mad’s memories of absolutely shocking student accommodation in the 80’s, mice, no hot water for months , one electric fire between four bedrooms etc etc.
DD has proved she is basically a far nicer person than me by very willingly continuing to pay her share of the bills despite not being in the house as one girl is still there having no where else to go and having lost the job which was paying for her rent plus masters.

On a related issue I saw a question on the Martin Lewis money saving forum about whether we should be charging all our returning students bed and board from this terms student loan. I haven’t gone that far yet but if I find one more dirty plate under the sofa ......