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Higher education

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

Original poster

Expected to be guarantor for halls?

214 replies

ThisMustBeMyDream · 21/02/2022 19:19

My son has applied for halls today and paid a deposit. He then tells me he has put my name down as guarantor afterwards! I'm furious with him, but that can be dealt with later.
Right now I am very concerned as I can not be his guarantor. I am not anywhere near in a financial position to find £600 a month if he messes up. I have younger children to consider, so can not be guarantor. I asked the only person I could think of who it wouldn't affect (my dad) and he said an outright no.
So can my son not go to uni without a guarantor? I've been naive here, but I didn't expect this. He is almost 20, and earns good money whilst at college. He has more disposable income than me by miles. I was assuming that they would look at his income (which is currently 15k pa. working 24 hours pw. He will drop to 10k pa plus student loan of 9k so will have a higher over all income next year) but it seems they just do this automatically.
Can anyone advise?

OP posts:
pongom · 21/02/2022 22:26

I work in education and I’ve not heard of halls of residence requiring a guarantor. Has he gone to a fancy private halls rather than university run?

Given that he didn’t have your consent he could try to contact them to remove you quickly! You could get him to speak to his prospective university’s student support/finance/hardship team to explain his situation and that his family are not in a position to be a guarantor for him. They may be able to give good advice on what to do at that particular uni/area.

Monopolyiscrap · 21/02/2022 22:52

OP ignore those with money who do not think this is an issue.
You have not signed anything, so it is meaningless that he has said you will be a guarantor.

user1471504747 · 21/02/2022 22:59

Look into student bank accounts, he might be able to get one with an interest free overdraft that could cover a rent instalment in an emergency

Undertheoldlindentree · 21/02/2022 23:15

I had to do this for my eldest when in halls. I too was very worried but it was fine. Years 2 and 3 were much more terrifying though - in shared houses, most contracts ask each guarantor to guarantee the whole amount of rent. So if it's a house of 5 people with rent at £6,000 pa each, the landlord could pursue you for £30,000.

It's unlikely that everyone would default at once, but it is quite terrifying to sign up to as your child has known their uni friends for less than a year and you're trusting that they and their families are solvent and responsible.

I'm a single parent too and just had to grit my teeth and do it. Nearing the end of child number 2, so very used to it now, but many sleepless nights at the start.

ouch321 · 21/02/2022 23:19

I've got to ask- what part time job does he do where he's earning £15k!?

That's Loads!!

Monopolyiscrap · 21/02/2022 23:21

So what happens if a student has no guarantor?

MummytoCSJH · 21/02/2022 23:25

@Thoosa I didn’t, I ended up staying at home and going to a closer (and ‘worse’) uni.

Monopolyiscrap · 21/02/2022 23:26

Yes I wonder if that happens to lots of people. No way could we be a guarantor. And if people do not own their home would they even accept you?

Amnotamug · 21/02/2022 23:27

So when your son applied to Uni did you have a chat about being a guarantee for accommodation. It was only when my children went into students house we got involved in the second year.

Amnotamug · 21/02/2022 23:28

Sorry guarantor !

Original poster
ThisMustBeMyDream · 21/02/2022 23:37

@ouch321 believe it or not, Asda. He does 3 x 8 hour night shifts which get him just short of £12 p/h. He will do some extra shifts too in the holidays so he earns a bit more than 15k tbh. That's just his basic. He is at college mon/tues and weds am. Then does weds, thurs, Fri nights. He probably can't keep that up at uni, but he will be able to do 2 nights quite probably. He could switch to days if necessary, but then he would get a couple of £ less per hour as no night supplement.

OP posts:
Original poster
ThisMustBeMyDream · 21/02/2022 23:39

The helping hand thing appears useless. It still means I'm guarantor. It is for people who can't be guarantor because of poor credit, low paid and such like. You are the "co-sign" instead, but helping hand still come after you for the unpaid rent. And you get to pay a minimum of £336 for the privilege too (it could be more, cost depends on what your rent is).

OP posts:
BluebellsGreenbells · 21/02/2022 23:40

am not sure why you are furious with him though, frustrated by the way the university set up/student loans systems banks on parents suppporting their student children

They aren’t children, they are adults!

Original poster
ThisMustBeMyDream · 21/02/2022 23:49

@Amnotamug no. It didn't occur to me at all. I went to uni at 19, but lived in a council house with a 2 year old. So totally different experience. I've never had a guarantor. I went from the council house to private rented as a student and didn't need a guarantor. Then I managed to buy a house (same house I'm in now). I assumed (wrongly) that as he is earning and has student loans, that he would be on his own two feet in that respect. I don't earn enough to be expected to contribute to his living costs (although of course I will help him in whatever way I can feasibly do).

OP posts:
Monopolyiscrap · 21/02/2022 23:53

@ThisMustBeMyDream you are being perfectly reasonable.

bellac11 · 21/02/2022 23:58

[quote ThisMustBeMyDream]@ouch321 believe it or not, Asda. He does 3 x 8 hour night shifts which get him just short of £12 p/h. He will do some extra shifts too in the holidays so he earns a bit more than 15k tbh. That's just his basic. He is at college mon/tues and weds am. Then does weds, thurs, Fri nights. He probably can't keep that up at uni, but he will be able to do 2 nights quite probably. He could switch to days if necessary, but then he would get a couple of £ less per hour as no night supplement.[/quote]
When I was at uni the first time (over 30 years ago), I worked part time same as your son, I wasnt able to have any family financial help and simply rented a room/bedsit. I couldnt afford halls of residence they were way too expensive, mainly for the middle classes/those with parents who could afford to pay. Nothing much has changed even if the process is slightly different
I would have a look on spareroom.com and see what he can get. Less likely to need a guarantor and would be cheaper anyway.

milkysmum · 22/02/2022 00:23

So bizarre to say you are furious at him. Pretty standard for a parent to be guarantor whilst their child is at uni. Who else is he meant to put? My sister is 38 and is still required to put a guarantor down when she rents, she puts our dad down and he has never had to step in- just puts his name in the paper work. Just tell DS he needs to pay his rent.

Monopolyiscrap · 22/02/2022 00:32

@milkysmum well done for being well enough off that this is not an issue for you.

Thoosa · 22/02/2022 00:41

[quote MummytoCSJH]@Thoosa I didn’t, I ended up staying at home and going to a closer (and ‘worse’) uni.[/quote]
That’s shocking. Particularly from Liverpool, for some reason. I tend to think of Liverpool as more switched on and egalitarian.

WombatChocolate · 22/02/2022 07:15

And another barrier to students from less well if students attending Uni, is that sense they don’t belong there. This is made all the stronger when they meet students or the parents of students who can’t grasp the idea that not everyone can pay a big housing deposit or afford to act as guarantor, or feel comfortable with signing up as guarantor, which brings the risk (difficult to live with, if even the small risk you’ll have to pay out multiple thousands - puts the rest of your family life in jeopardy) of financial ruin.

It’s the lack of empathy and understanding of how the other half lives, which is a big cultural barrier to accessing Uni, as much as the finances themselves. This thread and the comments on it shows those barriers are still alive and well and subtly and not to subtly creating barriers to university.

Longtimenewsee · 22/02/2022 08:09

Well said Wombat.
As an aside I think it so unfair that if your parents are not well off, you have to borrow more from student finance ( ie the full amount) and therefore end up with a bigger debt at the end of your course. It feels so wrong.

itrytomakemyway · 22/02/2022 08:22

I am very impressed that he has been able to earn good money and attend college and get into uni - well done to him.

His student loan will be based on parental income, so if that is low he will have the full amount - enough to pay his halls fees. He needs to make sure he pays all of that before he spends anything else. Unless things have changed he will have to pay for the whole term at the start of the term. It would be sensible for him to open a separate bank account to put his accomodation costs into so that he is not tempted to touch it.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if he decides to move out of halls and into a house share you will probably be asked to sign as a guarantor not just for him, but also as a back up for any house mates should they and their guarantors default - joint tenancy contracts. I would encourage him to stay in halls to avoid that stress.

Malbecfan · 22/02/2022 08:24

OP people are giving you are hard time unfairly. I'm from Wombat's generation and completely understand about the drawbacks of widening participation.

The university accommodation my DDs have used has not required a guarantor because it is owned by those institutions. Might it be the case that your DS has gone for a private hall instead? They have many more "flashy" amenities but they are really expensive. So take a deep breath and ask to look at the accommodation choices with him.

Whilst it is true that lots of private accommodation (2nd/3rd year shared houses) requires a joint and several contract whereby a guarantor could be responsible for the entire rent if none of the students pays, it is possible to find contracts where you only guarantee your own child's share. DD1 has one in Cambridge in a lovely house; DD2 had one last year in the E Midlands and I have just guaranteed another for next year. Due to my

Undertheoldlindentree · 22/02/2022 09:47

This isn't insurmountable and I really hope worrying about it doesn't sour the anticipation of uni for you both.

I posted earlier and said I just had to sign as guarantor and trust my DC to pay the rent. I noted the payment dates down from each contract and talked to them close to time to check it had been sent.
But I've just remembered that a colleague in the same position asked his daughter to give account details for the student loan as a different account to her main one. I can't remember whether this was in his name or hers, but every term, once the student loan arrived, he paid the rent to the uni/agency and transferred any remainder to her main account.

It might seem a bit complicated but if it makes the difference between going to uni or not, it could be worth considering.

Undertheoldlindentree · 22/02/2022 09:58

Also, many unis nowadays have greatly expanded student numbers and just don't have enough of their own halls (or have them in the right area), to accommodate all first years. It's really common now for the only option to be private halls. These have mushroomed to fill the gap and invariably require a guarantor. Obviously rooms range from basic to luxury, with prices to match. But for both of my DC, the basic private hall rooms were on a par with, or cheaper, than university halls.

I think it's unlikely that the OP's son has booked private halls as a luxury option - more likely that is all that's available.