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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Students being asked to continue to pay for empty rooms

49 replies

Droneware · 09/04/2020 09:07

In asking if we can please give students a break?

Students are paying too much for substandard accommodation, but are seen as cash cows by private companies. Many are not releasing students from their agreements.

"Tenancy agreements are to remain in force and students are obligated to continue to pay remaining rent."
The property firm has highlighted that students will be receiving their maintenance loans and so should be able to continue with the contracts they signed.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52221001

A mainentance loan is for the student, not to subsidise private companies. Students, that have had to vacate premises due to Government lockdowns, still have to live and maintain themselves. Not all live with rich parents and some will end up homeless because of this.

Please contact your MP to ask for some fairness to this group.

OP posts:

InTheSummerhouse · 09/04/2020 09:55

They are still living there. And if they are not - then that is their choice. My friend's kids have mostly chosen to stay with their mates in shared houses.

Some people have no idea about how contracts work.

GreenestValley · 09/04/2020 09:57

"University accommodation is not permanent as one poster seems to want to compare his permanent accommodation and landlord situation with one that is temporary."

Students sign up to a contract (usually of a year or sometimes ten months) as do almost all private renters. Literally no difference - a contract is a contract, and it binds you to an obligation for that period.

heartsonacake · 09/04/2020 09:59

So again, I would just ask for some leeway on this.

You can ask, OP, you can wish really hard, but you won’t get it for the myriad of reasons people have given here.

Griselda1 · 09/04/2020 10:00

We're in this situation and I'm the guarantor so there's really no choice other than to pay up. There's the double whammy that we also need to pay a deposit for next year's accommodation.

Musmerian · 09/04/2020 10:01

DS was offered the option of leaving and so now we don’t have to pay last instalment of £1200 which is great. London halls at Kings.

Teenangels · 09/04/2020 10:02

My sons landlord has offered a 25% discount, for the last 3 months of the tenancy.. although my son is not there at all and has cleaned his room and taken all his stuff. I am glad that he has done this, as my son is now at home.

HonkersVonFlapperson · 09/04/2020 10:08

To everyone saying that is there choice to leave.

How the hell do you socially distance in a 3m by 2m squared kitchen that's shared by 20 odd people in University Halls?

Imperial have set a deadline for students to leave who may wish to - they are then not charged. Halls are remaining open for students who cannot travel home.

KnobJockey · 09/04/2020 10:13

OP, is your DS offering not to take his maintenance loan for this last term? Given that you are expecting the rent to disappear, he's at home, he won't have commuting costs? I imagine not. They haven't stopped student loans, which are there to fund the living costs of the student while he's at uni. So why should his costs disappear, leaving a landlord a third down for their income for the year?

HonkersVonFlapperson · 09/04/2020 10:33

Apologies, I thought this was about Student Halls, there was a similar article on that yesterday I'll step out now.

JasonPollack · 09/04/2020 13:02

No rental situation is permanent. Contract is usually a year, just like with halls. What about students not in halls, but in shared houses? Should they be allowed off their rent too since they're probably at their parents?

My husband is in his final year of a degree, should I not pay my rent then?

JasonPollack · 09/04/2020 13:04

How the hell do you socially distance in a 3m by 2m squared kitchen that's shared by 20 odd people in University Halls?

How do you socially distance in a shared house? Or a hostel? Or temporary accommodation? It is harder for some than others but I don't know why you would make students a special case. Even your special darlings.

QuestionableMouse · 09/04/2020 13:04

My uni has waived fees for people who have left their uni accommodation.

onceandneveragain · 09/04/2020 13:33

I think not, sorry, for all the reasons already given.there will be a lot of non students in a similar position- couples who have moved intogether rather than be apart during lockdown leaving one property vacant, younger professionals who have gone home to their parents rather than lockdown alone or in their room in a shared house, families who have had elderly parents or grandparents move in for childcare and to be able to look after them....And these people might be struggling on a reduced (or no) wage rather than still getting the same amount of maintenance loan to pay their rent.

However people like the student nurse who graduated early to work in a hospital away from her accommodation are an exception, though.

Fluffybutter · 09/04/2020 13:35

@JasonPollack My sons uni told everyone to leave immediately when this kicked off .
I don’t know anyone still in uni accommodation

Passthebubbly · 09/04/2020 13:39

I have a flat in a uni town that is attached to my business, I rent to students. Due to the nature of my business itself i still have to pay my rent on the building even though I am not trading. I have no choice but to not ask for the rent I need it. Only one tenant has stayed and all have paid but trust me I feel like utter crap having to take the payments. They are in month 8 of an 11 month lease.

BringMeSunshineInMyLife · 09/04/2020 13:45

will they be declining the loan?

Spiderysummer · 09/04/2020 13:49

My daughter had a refund on her accommodation for the last term. For the people saying that if they continue to receive maintenance loan then they should pay, are you aware that the maintenance loan that some students receive, doesn't even cover the rent?

Combine that with a loss of income from student jobs and the fact that my daughter will start paying on her next flat from the 1st July, although it's not needed until late September, means finances are very tight. Given the strikes and placements have already had major impacts on their learning, I think some flexibility should be given.

Ragwort · 09/04/2020 13:54

What are the logistics for decling the loan? My DS is now at home, we can afford to keep him so he doesn’t need his loan.

On the question of rent, do these Lamdlords not have insurance? We rent out a flat and have Landlord’s insurance for the non payment of rent, it’s not cheap, but we budgeted for it as part of the costs of being a Landlord.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 09/04/2020 13:59

DS1 is in a shared student house which he has been paying for (with various jobs related to his course). He does not have a student loan.
All his paid work has stopped. If his Uni are not running next term (still to he confirmed) they'll be no more work for him, & neither I nor DS1 will be able to afford to pay his rent.

I'm sorry for the landlord but at the moment their income is at risk next term.

DishingOutDone · 09/04/2020 14:02

Its interesting that some landlords are using the "we know you have the money as you got a maintenance loan" excuse for claiming over-inflated rents for empty rooms - because personally my DD doesn't need the final instalment of her loan, I am happy to support her even though it will be very difficult, so presumably by dint of that argument she could pay the final part of the loan back or ask that it not be paid her, and then get the last instalment of rent waived?

Or we say to her landlord (a company) we know that you can claim help from the government so that means we don't have to pay rent?

I think you have to remember that the phrase "landlord" here doesn't differentiate between kindly Mr Jones who has one nicely kept house to rent out which in turns pays his mortgage, and Jones Construction and Lettings which owns 3000 1 bed flats and treats it tenants like dirt. And then there's accommodation rented directly by the university, most of whom have waived the final instalment.

Some of those "landlords" are going to be in dire straits if they don't get the rent, and some are going to be coining it in. The electricity in my DD's flat is turned off whilst she is away but she's still "contractually obliged" to pay the company £10 a week for electricity, which they then pop into the bank as a little bonus to the shareholders.

woodchuck99 · 09/04/2020 14:12

Universities are not shut. They are still providing online lectures and students can still live in the accommodation if they want to. I think most universities are not charging rent for their own halls of residence but you can't expect private landlords to do that. Students usually sign up for a whole year so not actually temporary residents. Why should private landlords refund students when they wouldn't refund anyone else if they had chosen not to live in the accommodation they were contracted to pay rent for.

woodchuck99 · 09/04/2020 14:16

Its interesting that some landlords are using the "we know you have the money as you got a maintenance loan" excuse for claiming over-inflated rents for empty rooms

I don't think that's the reason they are charging. They are charging because the students have signed up to pay. Assuming that they can still live there if they want to I don't really see why they shouldn't charge.

Toomuchtrouble4me · 23/04/2020 00:39

My daughter's maintenance loan only covers half of her rent and there is no point in her staying there in a pokey room when all the facilities she is there to use (UNI) are closed.
So she's home, and they can whistle for the rent.

PrincessLayer · 23/04/2020 01:34

DD1 has just paid the best part of £1500 for her last 3 months rent at her uni house. Yes, she could of stayed there, however all her housemates have gone home, and she had no desire to stay in a huge house in the middle of a city alone. As, in their case the rent covers heating/electricity, etc, none of which is being used I think it would only be fair to refund a portion of the rent, however the letting agent is refusing.
DD2 who is in her first year came home when all her classes were cancelled, then she was told she had a week to clear her room, so we had to go back and clear her stuff out. She's not been charged her last 3 months of rent.

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