‘This isn’t my fault’: University students on facing rent while lockdown keeps them away from accommodation

‘I’m paying £120 a week for accommodation that I won’t be living in for at least two and a half months,’ one first-year tells Zoe Tidman

Students share frustration over rent payments for accommodation at university, while stuck at home during lockdown (Supplied)

University students have been left frustrated at the prospect of paying for accommodation they have been told to stay away from under England’s new lockdown. 

As the country was plunged into its third national lockdown, government guidance said many students should remain where they are – while many were still at family homes during the Christmas break – until at least mid-February, with teaching pushed online.

“I think we deserve to have our rent back,” Caitlin Airey, a first-year student, says.

The University of Birmingham student says she went home before the end of last term as well, when the government suggested students should go home during a travel window at the start of December to make it back for Christmas.

“I’m paying £120 a week for accommodation that I won’t be living in for at least two and a half months now,"  Airey says.

A student at the University of Sheffield, who wished to stay anonymous, tells The Independent she was still considering heading back to university – despite the guidance telling students to stay put.

The thought of having to stay at home indefinitely while trying to do well in her degree was “terrifying”.

“I'm not going to accept that I can't go back until I get told that I'm definitely getting my money back,” the student – who pays £150 a week – says.

A parent of two university students – one in halls of residence and another a private renter – asked the prime minister during Tuesday’s press conference how students would be supported to pay for accommodation they cannot live in at the moment.

“Clearly there are going to be issues to do with the cost of their accommodation that we will have to look at as a government and see what arrangements the universities are making to deal with the reasonable concerns of many, many students,” Boris Johnson replied. 

Newcastle University and the University of Essex have told The Independent students would not be charged rent while they are not living in university accommodation this term.

Meanwhile, a University of East Anglia spokesperson says teaching would move online until 1 March and, given this, students would be offered “an eight-week rent rebate if they are not occupying their UEA accommodation”. 

For Jacob Drew, who is a private renter in Plymouth, a national lockdown has stopped him from heading back to his accommodation twice now.

The University of Plymouth master’s student was at his family home when the November lockdown hit, and stayed there for Christmas, as he would have only had a few days before going home again during the suggested travel window.

By the time the new national lockdown ends, he estimates he would have been away from his accommodation for 14 weeks – which he pays just short of £100 a week for.

“It works out quite a bit of money that, as a student, you can’t really afford to pay,” he says. “I worked all summer to afford to do my Master’s. For all this money that I saved to then be wasted on a property 100 miles away I can’t access – it’s a bit annoying, that.”

One option that could help would be for the government to help subsidise rent payments.

The Department for Education (DfE) has encouraged landlords to be “fair and consider students’ interests” when making decisions over rent. 

Pavithra Neelagiri, who studies at the University of Warwick and privately rents, says she has already paid for her accommodation for this term.

Now, after having been told to stay at home for weeks, she thinks she should get a refund – even if it is just a partial one. “Because this isn’t my fault.”

She says her family – like others – have been hit financially by the pandemic. “I can't really afford the things I used to be able to, and we're still paying this,” she tells The Independent.

Lauren, a student at the University of Bournemouth who did not want to give her full name, says she was "outraged" at having to pay £2,000 for accommodation this term for a place she cannot access due to lockdown, as she no longer has to be on campus for her course.

Only students on certain courses – such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary science – have been told face-to-face lessons will resume during lockdown. All others have been told to stay put “wherever possible” and to do university online until mid-February, in government guidance.

Previously, the government had advised students to follow a staggered return, with those on practical courses returning over the two weeks from 4 January, and others from the two weeks from 25 January.

Given the new lockdown which would keep her at home for longer, Lauren says she would be prepared to pay half to her accommodation provider, Student Roost.

"Either that or the government step in and say students don’t have to pay or they give us a financial package,” she says. “Most of us have lost jobs as we work in the hospitality sector so are really struggling."

A DfE spokesperson said: “We understand this has been a very difficult time for students, which is why we have prioritised their education and wellbeing throughout the pandemic. We recently announced up to £20m to help students most in need of support in these exceptional circumstances.

They added: “We also encourage landlords to be fair and consider students’ interests in their decisions about rent charges.”

Jason Andrews from Student Roost says following the government measures announced on Monday evening, the provider was “currently reviewing the implications for our residents and team members”. 

A Bournemouth University spokesperson said: “We understand this is a difficult situation for students. We provide a range of support and guidance for students who are struggling financially, and would welcome any further support from the government.”

A Sheffield University spokesperson said the university strongly encourages students to adhere to coronavirus guidelines over staying at home. “We have communicated to our students that we are looking into how we can support those who live in University-owned accommodation and are unable to travel back due to the current restrictions," they said, "and we will be updating them as soon as we can.”

Other named universities have been contacted for comment.