Student rentals during cv

[Babbaloo1]

My son has been told by his Rental agency that they must pay full rent from the 1 July whether they are allowed to return or not - his University has not yet confirmed whether lectures will be online or physical from September ....Anyone else in this situation? The university owned accommodation is giving refunds but this will be a private rent from July...or whenever they are allowed back...

[Happycamper78]

My daughter will be going into her final year. She is going to move into her rental flat whatever happens as she will still have to pay and she hopes to still be able to have lab sessions. I have already had to pay for a year's accommodation that my son didn't use as he was taken ill so I don't fancy doing it again!

[SeasonFinale]

The unfortunate reality is that they have entered into a contract and the property is available to be used. If they choose not to use it is an entirely different matter. If he wants to give up the property and some landlords will allow this he would still remain liable for the rent and possible costs of reletting until the landlord found another tenant which can be difficult at the best of times and practically impossible in the circumstances.

Most unis are going to be having the smaller sessions in person still so where will he stay to access those?

[raspberryrippleicecream]

My son is in a private rental this year, and his contract runs until the end middle of August. He chose to come home when lockdown started. The landlord is giving them a small rebate at the end as they were all inclusive and haven't been there using electricity. Totally get landlord still has mortgage and costs. DS1still got his loan.

Harder for OP when uni isnt saying what's happening I guess. My DD is intending to go back anyway. Depending on where the uni is may make a wait and see approach a viable option.

[Fifthtimelucky]

My daughter is in a similar position, though her new contract doesn't start until September. She is paying for rent for her current student house until the middle of August and she hopes to go back there soon.

She is definitely going to move into her new house as soon as she can. She knows that all lectures will be online for at least the first term but it is not yet clear what the position will be for seminars and other activities (both academic and social). She wants to be able to take advantage of whatever is going on. She also wants to see her friends and her boyfriend again.

[choirmumoftwo]

DS hasn't yet signed a tenancy for next academic year for various reasons and isn't going to at this stage. University is in Wales and he's in England with us, no clue as to how teaching will be delivered yet but low contact hours anyway and his income stream has dried up. He's working full time here and will look for accommodation last minute - going into final year and happy to take his chances. I suspect there'll be excess places in halls as well.
We've already paid 3 months of rent for an empty room (not complaining but don't want to do it again!!)

[raspberryrippleicecream]

With ref to my earlier post, to be clear I am referring to two DC. DD was able to give notice. DS1 is final year so not going back to student accommodation

[Xenia]

It is a huge mess. my son's friend has just returned because they are in dispute with the landlord because one of several tenants individually negotiated a refund or discount and moved out and handed back his key so the landlord wants everyone now not at end of June as planned - so the rest of them have gone back as they have paid to end of June.

For my twins they finish this term. I have paid £3000 for this terms rent - £15600 each in advance before lockdown. Private rental. There has been a flatmate of theirs at all times in the properties but I have certainly paid a lot so someone else's child gets a whole house to themselves. I think my son may go back for the last week or 2 once his (online) exams are over.

The biggest issue is for students from September in years 2 and 3. The accommodation is available and is not conditonal on university being open (although read the contract to check). I suspect some will stay at home and just do on line stuff. Usually all the parents will also have guaranteed these private rents eg might be 7 parents guarantees £38k rent for a year. If no one goes up for year 2 and 6 of the parents go bankrupt that is a huge liability for parent number 7 to bear.

There might be a technical argument that the state bans people driving to a university house on 1 July (although I bet by 1 September they are free to drive there so that probably will not work). There may be some people looking to rent as some year 3 students are going to do a masters rather than travel or have a gap year or get a job given the CV recession. I know one of my twins may be doing a law course probably (which his twin registered for last October) and they might do it at their university town rather than from home (London) depending on what friends do - if so they will all be needing last minute accommodation for September.

[VanCleefArpels]

@Babbaloo1 near in mind that whilst large audience lectures may well be online for the first semester at least there will probably be some face to face small group tutorials. From what I understand courses that require lab /studio work will also try to offer these with appropriate social distancing put in place. Campuses will be open - I was at my DD’s campus at the weekend to pick up stuff and there were quite a few students still there, campus shop still open, at least one cafe doing take out coffee etc.

Unis will not be ghost towns but will operate differently for a while. So to my mind if students choose not to go back then that should not be at a cost to the private landlord.

[VanCleefArpels]

@Xenia there’s no driving ban anywhere in England now so barring a massive new outbreak and imposition of lockdown again moving into student houses will not be an issue. You won’t see my DD for dust when her tenancy begins!

[Xenia]

True, you can go out to "move house" so assuming the Government agrees it is "moving house" to move from home to university accommodation then that is allowed under the latest version of the regulations www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/500/pdfs/uksi_20200500_en.pdf

[VanCleefArpels]

We can drive anywhere for any purpose as long as we don’t stay the night when we get there! I went to DD’s Uni at the weekend to pick up the last of her things.

[VanCleefArpels]

13th May Gov statement

People will also be able to travel further to enjoy their time outside, with no restrictions on how far they can go to get to the countryside, National Parks and beaches in England.

[Xenia]

..yes to enjoy their time outside... that is one of the permitted purposes - to go out to exercise. You are also now allowed to move home so I suspect a parent driving a child can fall under that provision - that they are helping the child move home. I am certainly not bothered about it. My son drove his twin to Bristol and they didn't stop once on the way and then he turned round and drove himself back alone - that was clearly very sensible as it meant no train and tube journeys which would have been riskier.

[Babbaloo1]

Thanks all - I think like others have said I won’t see him for dust once he can legitimately get back to uni - there is no mention yet of any face to face sessions in Year 2 but things are changing so quickly who knows. He was querying the rent over the summer if they aren’t allowed to travel but if it could be considered moving house that seems a possibility but the. There will be 7 individuals from 7 different areas ( and covid cases and deaths are rising sharply in our town this week) so how does that work? Again I am sure it will be clearer by the time we get to July. Thanks again very helpful comments 😀

[allfalldown47]

Dd has been told she has to pay half rent for July & August. It's worrying as there is so much uncertainty about when they will return!

[VanCleefArpels]

The 7 housemates are allowed to move then they will form a new “household” for mixing purposes - so when the rules change to allow “households” to interact with each other they will have to act as a group. However we all know that they will just crack on and socialise pretty much as normal and if they happen to get CV then will most likely have something akin to Freshers Flu (but then everyone else in the household will have to isolate for the 15 days). What they cannot do is come back and forth from their new household to each of their own homes