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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Moving out of student houses sooner rather than later?

76 replies

Pebbles574 · 21/03/2020 08:26

DS is at uni 300 miles away. He came home a week ago with stuff for the Easter holidays but since then his uni has confirmed all teaching and exams will be online for summer term, so unlikely he will be going back.
I’ve said to him we should drive up there asap and bring all his stuff back/ hand over the keys. He’s doing a year out next year in a different town, so not going back in September.

Is this what others are doing too?

OP posts:
HeartZone · 26/03/2020 08:16

But why our student children have the loan burden?!

For gods sake, the young generation are the ones I cry every morning on waking up! Their courses cut short, their jobs prospects vastly reduced, their exams cancelled and now TKAAH suggestin* ‘oh let them borrow the money!

How about the landlords coming to a sensible agreement, maybe 50% rent now until August?

Xenia · 26/03/2020 09:03

I hope I get a refund on the £9250 of student fees I paid for each twin this year but not holding my breath.... that was from after taxed income too so a gross sum before tax of at least about £30k.

On the legal side of rent my twins each pay 3 months in advance this year so I think the landlord has the money already and the tenancy is unlikely to allow money to be paid back for force majeure but worth reading it just in case. Remember they are not prevented from living in the property by law so they could live there whilst doing university work remotely so I do not think it would be easy to get rent back from private landlords. On the other side of the fence my twins let out a house to a tenant and we gave that tenant a deferment of some rent for 3 months as he is down to 2 days a week only working now.

bettybattenburg · 26/03/2020 12:10

I hope I get a refund on the £9250 of student fees I paid for each twin this year but not holding my breath....

Why would you get a refund? My DD is also at Bristol (well, was) and all of her lectures have finished - she just has one exam (did the rest in January) left and her dissertation to do. Her supervisor and her tutor are both providing support via email/facetime as and when needed so IMO they are entitled to the fees.

My MA university on the other hand.....I have had zero support from them and the only contact has been emails to say X,Y,Z is cancelled and another to say that (as I may know...I didn't) my dissertation tutor retired from the university yesterday just two weeks before my disseration is due and no advance notice. The new tutor has no idea about my background or my subject and yet she is going to be marking my work in two weeks time Angry My MA with this university has basically been tell us what you are doing for dissertation and go away and get on with it - there has been zero support.

Xenia · 26/03/2020 12:17

I only mentioned refunds because someone above talked about the loan burden on students... students have definitely not had a normal year - strikes and then the last term written off in many ways, but not all ways. I agree they continue to work (read) for their degrees and are getting on line input from lecturers and hopefully employers will not regard 2020 degrees as not worth the paper they are written on without finals exams so it is not an utter disaster but certainly not a usual year.

betty, I am sorry about your MA - that sounds particularly bad. I know my sons have some lecturers who have not even joined the strike action and love Bristol and I am sure will get good degrees.

bettybattenburg · 26/03/2020 12:32

Thanks Xenia..I am pretty angry about it, the Bristol offering seems wonderful in comparison! Anyway, good luck with the refund - I hope you get it, especially as you've paid up front rather than a loan.

I think employers will recognise the extenuating circumstances this year. DD thinks that Bristol should give a choice of take your classification as is now without the final exams but with the dissertation or do the exams in the autumn term. Even if she didn't do her dissertation (she is) then she'd get a 2:1, she'd be happy enough with that as it'd get her onto the MD course that she needs if she can get work in the health field - which is more unlikely right now of course.

Xenia · 26/03/2020 12:38

I am not even asking for a refund although I think there is a huge student petition out there people are signing. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/25/university-students-campaign-refund-say-remote-learning-should/ and in Guardian as well.

It probably varies by course. On of my sons was only scheduled to have one exam this summer and instead they will have an essay to do in 48 hours under their own steam which I think is a good solution. The other son has 2 exams or had them and he is not sure what there will be instead but with last year's exams, lots of essays, dissertation etc I am sure his mark will be fair.

GnomeDePlume · 26/03/2020 14:13

Just brought DD & fiance home. Both have said that the impact of strike action and then Corona virus has had enormous impact on their courses.

TheDrsDocMartens · 26/03/2020 15:29

My eldest has said that too, she’s 8 hours away but as long as there’s a break in lockdown before end of June we will be fine.

Bouledeneige · 26/03/2020 18:21

I got all my daughters stuff home when I picked it up last week. It seemed obvious they wouldn't be back.

TKAAHUARTG · 27/03/2020 00:59

Not quite what I am saying actually HeartZone (I am actually a huge proponent of free education and saved like a crazy thing so my own kids don’t have to ever take a loan) but I was pointing out that of course you cannot get a refund of any rent paid. Why would you?

elizaco · 27/03/2020 07:31

Anyone else worrying about contracts already signed for student houses from August/September?

HeartZone · 27/03/2020 08:29

Yes Eli that too 😔

TKAA his rent is due monthly through to August is not paid yet. His job has been closed down for at least 12 weeks so zero income like many students and like many others we ourselves are taking pay cuts. Meanwhile those in uni accommodation have all been refunded from the day they moved out.

Surely the landlords can take a hit!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 27/03/2020 10:08

Anyone else worrying about contracts already signed for student houses from August/September?

Yes!!! Especially as were tied into a contract where if one of them leaves then the rest must make up the shortfall. I'm coming out in a cold sweat at the thought of the two foreign students possibly not coming back at all!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 27/03/2020 10:09

**so many typos,sorry!

bigbluebus · 27/03/2020 16:11

Just seen on DS's Uni Facebook page that they have clarified with the Government and ALL Uni students still in their Uni towns and cities need to stay there now (wef 26/3). DS is still there and we were debating rescuing him at the weekend. He is in a house with 2 lads and one of them works in a Supermarket. DS has ASD. Whilst he was OK there before the thought of him being stuck there until the summer is a bit unsettling for him.

elizaco · 28/03/2020 08:49

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor We're the same here. We were nervous about being this kind of guarantor but rang several letting agencies in Newcastle where my DD is, and were assured that this kind of contract is the norm :( I guess Autumn is still a long time away and even if the uni year was delayed they would still need a house when it restarted.

DisinfectantDoris · 28/03/2020 08:52

It's to late now, everyone is stuck where they are!!!!! Fgs...

Original poster
Pebbles574 · 28/03/2020 09:39

We didn't manage to get back to DS's student house before the lockdown, so all his stuff is there, locked in his room right now. His tenancy runs out in late June - surely we will be able to go back before then??

OP posts:
MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 28/03/2020 10:27

elizaco

He has been sharing with the people who he will be sharing with at the new house so he knows them which is a bonus. One is doing contract law and went over the contract with a fine toothed comb which is also good. Everyone I spoke to also said it's the norm to pay for students who drop out. #bricking it

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 28/03/2020 10:28

** tooth /toothed?

You know what I mean anywayGrin

RarePackOfLooRoll · 28/03/2020 10:40

I've got 2 first year students at 2 different Unis a few hours drive from where we live.
Both of them now hone. In fact DD1 came home very early because she was extremely unwell with a particularly nasty episode of Tonsillitis. My other one came home on by train Monday for Easter.
Neither have cleared thier rooms and it's over £3000 for next terms rent for 2 rooms in Uni Halls just sitting unused.

I'm assuming it's not essential travel to go back and clear their rooms??

Anyone in the same boat?

bigbluebus · 28/03/2020 16:12

I'm guessing that clearing their rooms doesn't become 'essential' until such time as the tenancy agreement ends - although I think if this goes on until Summer the letting agents might need to make some concessions - both for those students who are stuck in their accomodation and those who have left but not cleared there rooms.

DS has decided to stick it out where he is - we did consider rescuing him and declaring it 'essential' to get him home due to his ASD. I am somewhat relieved to see that he is in an area that is the lowest in the league table for cases of Covid 19. Hopefully it stays that way.

bigbluebus · 28/03/2020 16:14

Just to add that if he had come home we could easily have isolated him and us for the required period of time as we have enough bedrooms and bathrooms to do so, and plenty of food in the fridge and freezers. We had no intention of putting anyone else's life at risk.

Sunshine1239 · 28/03/2020 16:31

Please pay your landlords

You’ve signed a contract

We have a student accommodation - one large Victorian house with 7 rooms

We still have mortgage on it and it supplements by husbands already diminishing business
Students have essentially been given the money or loan already. They’ve signed for 12 months and we still have to pay this monthly. It may only be X amount for you but if all 7 students don’t pay us we would likely lose our home too! We are normal family with kids etc and we can’t afford this.
It makes me so mad that people think landlords are loaded.
We’ve offered our students a month free but we simply can’t afford anymore discount. Our contract is very secure and parents are liable as guarantor. To a lot of students they’ve already been given this money by student loand etc and whilst i understand their predicament a lot of them pay for June-Aug anyway when colleges are shut

cissyandbessy · 28/03/2020 16:39

To put the other side of the case Sunshine1239 many halls and unis are allowing tenants to leave early and not pay, extend contracts if needed and also to commit to looking after possessions until a time when student can travel and collect them safely. I really think there needs to be some adjustments - and some discount as you have offered is helpful - Students are trying to follow government guidelines and do the right thing and being penalised by having to pay. The private rented sector should be making a case to government if mortgage holiday, tax relief etc don't help - not passing the burden on to students in my opinion. NUS has already made statements about this and how they will support this if the rented sector made its case.

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