Moving out of student houses sooner rather than later?

[Pebbles574]

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?

We're going to pick up DS from his privately rented university house tomorrow morning.

It's legal. It's in the Coronavirus Bill legislation that it's legal - the bit about facilitating someone moving house, 7 d (i). It's buying and selling property that's being strongly advised against.

My DS is coming home on Day 8 of self-isolation, he's not got the normal student services support he needs, and he needs to be home now.

Money down the plughole, though. It doesn't help that the landlord's been crap all year over the boiler, damp, mould, you name it. I've little sympathy for student landlords tbh. Students are just cash cows with loans to many of them, with business models predicated on these loans and overseas students' spending power. And that's all going down the plughole too. One big stupid pyramid scheme.

Anyway, no your student DC are not trapped in uni towns and cities. Go and get them tomorrow, before further legislation does go through somehow.

cissy I get that but unless all businesses do it it really doesn’t help us as only one family with one student house sadly

We can’t even get a mortgage delay as it’s not residential

I understand halls and uni accommodation is being refunded but those costs are taken on by the uni and not by individual families like us. We don’t want to pursue the guarantor but we will if we have to.

we would be flexible in payment and like I say offer discount but at end of the day those students have already received the money that they’d use for accommodation in many cases and like I say as individuals the effect on them is nothing compared to the landlord who lose all his tenants money

Many are only just making ends meet. We only went into student property because my husbands line of work was on its knees - we rely on this income to pay our own bills

SpringCrow, that is correct under the regulations www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/regulation/6/made.

By the way you can buy and sell houses (if you can find a lender who has not pulled funding assuming you need a loan - not everyone does) but viewing may have to be done by photographs - and yes some people do buy on that basis or have seen the property already before this crisis so although there are likely to be many fewer exchanges of contracts on properties they could by law be some. the Land registry even last week said its various electronic services are still running as usual.

Sunshine1239
But this is an investment for you, you will have good years and bad years.
My son has a job each holiday he returns home - that job no longer exists.
His student loan covers his food and certainly not food plus accommodation!
We are not expecting a full refund but shall definitely be gunning for a discount.

DS collected and home. He has to pay rent on a house he can longer live in, and huge tuition fees for a degree course he can longer fully access - the university is shut, the library is shut, and the student services he needs are shut. They have to 'wait for further information' on the format for their 'online finals exams', which may or may not involve, erm, online exams that no-one's designed yet. His particular faculty has been very poor.

But he's home.

I don't think university Vice-Chancellors had any business sending out emails on Wednesday banning students from going home. Not their call, not their business, not within their spheres of authority.

I'm a former university lecturer btw.

Xenia interesting about the conveyancing.

My understanding is that buy to let are entitled to mortgage holiday. Also don't forget that many students are not taking their final instalment of loan as to add more debt to pay for accommodation and a course whose futures seem uncertain seems pointless. The education minister was the one who told uni VC's to send the letter to all students last week. If you use accommodation as investment/part of your income you will be affected which is a shame but no more than any other business which relies on having people use it right now - which is the majority of them. Can't see how student landlords should be any different tbh. And I just disagree that trying to push the cost on to those with the least power is the tenants is unethical at a time like this. There will be a totally different looking market next year because of all of this and landlords will have to assess if the risk is for them - large numbers of deferrals, reduced number of international students, possible January term starts etc etc.

DS is in year one and is in halls so is not needing to pay next installment. is still taking the final maintenance loan - will be useful for upcomign years accommodation and offsetting the potential lack of ability to earn over the summer depending how things go. If he has spare at the end he can pay back as a lump sum and avoid some of the interest.

He's already signed up for next year in private accommodation and I'm Guarantor. If this had happened next year we'd assume we had to pay the full rent as its a private contract. If the landlord waived some I'd be very happy, but I wouldn't expect it. You aren't being restricted on maintenance loan so you should still be abel to afford the rent even if you aren't using it

Landlords who have a mortgage including a buy to let loan can apply for in effect a loan - they are not just allowed not to pay for 3 months and if they take the "holiday" they must pay the extra interest later and it may damage their credit record. Many have no mortgage anyway and use the rent to eat. My student sons agreed a £200 a month rent postponement with their tenant (they are both landlords and tenants) last week for 3 months as he is down to 2 days a week work so not furloughed as the furloughed scheme weirdly only applies to people totally not working.

For those wanting jobs there are £36,500 a year jobs starting almost now on help desks at the new Excel hospital and many others. Most supermarkets and delivery companies urgently need staff. An opera singer has a job in a supermarket now as all her bookings were cancelled into July.

My sons have paid rent for the next 3 months already and I suppose those places can be lived in - lots of students live at universities. Some have no where else to go and will live there because of better wifi than home if they have a home in taking on line lectures and doing work and on line exams once term starts on 20 April.

I moved my son out of his privately rented 8 bed student house last week. As of last week my self employed husband has zero work and zero government help (over £50,000 threshold) but is no way earning the £200k salary the govt made out. We have had to take a mortgage holiday and properly cut back as overnight no income coming in. It is all very worrying. DS had job lined up at Easter (sport camp) that’s been binned. Student landlords may not agree with me but I don’t think it’s ethically right in this extraordinary time that (in my sons case) they get £16,000 (for rent from April to July). They also own several other student rentals. And to claim their student loan will cover it? It barely touches the sides....

In my husband case the student income is his wages and don’t forget half that will go on mortgage and tax etc

So £2000 per person then? Not a lot individually (by comparison) but that landlord will defo feel 16k surely?

At end of the day you sign a contract for accommodation and that accommodation is still available

I believe the NUS have sent an open letter to both the National Landlords Association and the Residential Landlords Association.

https://www.nus.org.uk/en/news/press-releases/nus-demands-for-student-renters--open-letters-to-providers-of-student-rented-accommodation/

DS's stuff is his room 250 miles away - no idea when we are going to get it. His tenancy lasts another 6 months and his new one starts in July so he has two months of double rent to pay

Most are private renters so aren’t with these providers

Just because nus say so they can’t - Martin Lewis mentioned it the other day that they must abide by contract and hope for discount

Sunshine - I hear what you are saying but in our case the landlord has already had over £28k for 7 months rent since September (For the 8 tenants). It’s been a shocking year for students with strikes wiping out lectures and now the awful and unfortunate Coronavirus situation that we find ourselves in. Life has changed/is changing financially for everyone. We cannot afford to pay as in a completely different financial situation than a month ago. Things have to give and take in times like these - Buy to let landlords can get help from gov - my husband can’t.

My own DC are students in shared house (rented privately) They and their flatmates are saying there -so puzzled ac to why are others are shipping their offspring back?
We have to pay the rent - there a contract. And we are guarantors. They are happier in lockdown with their flatmates that isolated at family home. Surprised not more are gong that.

Mine came back when his last housemate left . They are still not clear if they will go back for next term so it will probably depend on others in their houses. One said last night home is very good (it is pretty lovely here) particularly the woods opposite and that kind of thing but Bristol is nice too - it is just the student house is not as nice as our home. I do not mind either way what they do.

Their graduations are cancelled for July in terms of the ceremony - they still get degrees so as the hotel will probably not refund the £700 I paid for that in January and if the hotels are allowed to be open by end of July the twins can go for 2 pretty lovely nights in a nice hotel I suppose which they think is a very nice idea so I suppose I will not have lost all benefit of the £700.

For those who have lost all work and money (and I know tons of people in that situation and in my view as I have expressed since the day we closed our schools we are not following the greater good here) it is a very difficult time. All I say is there are some new jbs out there - an opera singer now on her uppers is working in Tesco. My son's (older one) is a grocery delivery driver and they are booming so much he is getting a 10% bonus. My local Tesco has massive signs about hiring staff. The new Excel hospital in London has masses of jobs advertised with immediate starts including help desk staff at reception I think it is for £35k a year (more than nurses are paid). Don't give up - even if a business has to go on hold of 4 months it is worth applying for jobs in sectors that have never been busier.

Well said Xenia, it's just all very different.

Yes, I agree Xenia. And if we have to stop certain people working for us then think about how you can help them get a temporary job.
My cleaner and I both agreed she should no longer come. I paid her for the next few weeks to tide her over, but I also sent her details of jobs I have seen which I think she could do (pharmacy deliveries etc). I also gave her a letter of recommendation which she can use when applying for anything new.

and I know tons of people in that situation and in my view as I have expressed since the day we closed our schools we are not following the greater good here

The greater good being letting people die so you can keep your savings.

I don't have really have savings sa I have a lot of children instead but we are talking about other people including the 800,000 people who have managed to get their universal credit applications in never mind those who have tried and failed and many others.

Speak to your private landlords folks!
Ours offered 50% discount from now until end (July) so pleased for our student!

Heartzone Can you give us some hints as to what to say?

Take it

Just sat in light of events is there a discount

Simple! We offered ours 30% off each which is the max we could afford to break even

takeittotheboss sorry I just saw your question.
I wrote down what the students in the house had yet to pay and the deposit to come back. Thought what outcome would I like/fair and wrote on my piece of paper pay 60% of remaining. I calmly rang him and point of view across ( they are not living there / they have lost their holiday jobs/ parents pay cuts or job worries) and he was nice as pie. Said whilst he didn’t HAVE to cut it, he would do so and straight away offered half! Said to change their standing orders to half AND he would refund deposit at end ( even though I suggested he may wish to keep some of it back - I’d suggested £40 pp) for cleaning. I was well chuffed. So were the other students/ parents. Ring them and ask .... they can only say no. He also said not to worry about their things that they can collect when its safe to do so. Good luck to you.