Rent Struggles: How Can Universities Support Students?

In Save the Student’s eighth annual National Student Accommodation Survey, students highlighted the challenges they face with rent struggles, inadequate housing and more.

As many as two in five surveyed students said they have considered dropping out of university due to the cost of rent.

Alongside this, 64% of those that paid rent said they struggled with the cost at least some of the time. This includes 20% who described it as a constant struggle.

Findings like these put the financial challenges students face into context. The issues are widespread and, for many, relentless. As money struggles lead so many to question whether they can finish their degree, the potential impact on both students and universities is undeniably serious.

It has been clear in recent years that Maintenance Loans haven’t increased enough to keep up with the high inflation rates, especially for students from England.

Some survey respondents said their Maintenance Loan didn’t even cover rent, such as this student in university halls:

“London is a very expensive place to live especially when my loan doesn't cover my rent so I need to make it on my own.”

This in itself is worrying, but the situation is made worse by the poor housing conditions that a lot of students experience.

Student housing issues

The most common housing problem reported by surveyed students was damp, which 37% said they have suffered with.

Additionally, 29% said they have had to deal with a lack of water and/or heating, while 18% said there have been rodents or pests in their home.

A student in a privately-rented home said:

“One room was so mouldy and the carpet was damp to the touch. A mould expert said there's no ventilation in the house aside from the windows but the landlord will not change this at all. We had to fight with him to change the carpets at least.”

Meanwhile, a student in private halls said:

“Once my room flooded with an inch of water and it took my accommodation two days to fix the pipe that caused the flooding.”

Both students describe disappointing responses from their landlord/property manager over problems that should have been dealt with promptly.

But, unfortunately, a delay in having issues fixed is not uncommon. In the survey, 35% said they needed to wait over a week for their housing issues to be resolved.

Overall, the survey highlights just how challenging it can be to deal with accommodation costs and issues as a student.

Save the Student’s Communications Director, Tom Allingham, said:

“The results of this year's survey are deeply concerning, and highlight how life in a cost of living crisis is at risk of becoming the new normal for students.

“Many findings are as bad as – if not worse than – in 2023, highlighting how the intensified difficulties students have faced in recent years have not eased, but instead become entrenched.

“This prolonging of the cost of living crisis is largely thanks to below-inflation increases to the Maintenance Loan in England. And, with just a 2.5% increase announced for 2024/25, these real-terms cuts are becoming baked into the system.

“Action is needed to address the myriad of issues with the availability, quality and affordability of accommodation – and this must be coupled with a sizeable increase to the loan.

“We're calling on the government to increase Maintenance Loans by well above 2.5% next year, to close the inflationary gap and ensure students can actually afford to cover everyday expenses like rent.”

How can universities help students with accommodation issues?

A key purpose of Save the Student’s surveys is to help those in the higher education industry gain a clear picture of student’s experiences and views – especially in relation to money.

For those working in the university sector who are looking for more ways to help students, here are some suggestions based on the survey’s results:

1.    Find ways to address student housing shortages

This is by no means an easy issue to resolve, but there are improvements needed in some parts of the UK to ensure students can find affordable and liveable accommodation throughout their degrees.

51% of surveyed students said they worry about the student housing shortage.

Students in York, for example, have expressed concern about the shortage of student accommodation. One student said:

“Housing is limited in York and as such it is a struggle to find housing. Most people need to sign for a house in December to make sure they have one for the next year and because housing is in a short supply, landlords seem to be putting the rent up much faster than what is in line with other areas/the economy because students have no other choice.”

Many universities do already have schemes in place.

For example, the University of York offers the Off Campus Rent Grant to some students.

Additionally, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham City Council have together launched a ‘Student Living Strategy’. The strategy has a few aims, including to improve student accommodation in the city in terms of quality, safety, affordability and location.

Schemes like these can make a huge difference. Anything universities can do to help students find and afford safe housing will help.

2.    Advise students on their rights as tenants

For many students, their university years will be the first time they experience renting. As such, there’s a risk they won’t be aware of their rights as tenants or know how best to approach enforcing them.

Damp, as we covered earlier, is a relatively common housing issue for students, so an example of how universities can help is to provide resources focused on this.

The information could cover what to look out for when viewing properties and highlight the steps to follow if students do experience problems during their tenancy.

3.    Be prepared to support students who are experiencing homelessness

Survey respondents were asked if they had ever experienced homelessness as a student and, worryingly, 7% said yes.

Not all students who said yes chose to give further information about it. Among those who did, sofa surfing was particularly common, including those who did so temporarily between accommodation contracts or while house repairs were taking place.

However, some said they had faced evictions.

One student said:

“I couldn't pay my rent on time so I had to evacuate the hall.”

Another said:

“I was [living] in a YMCA and I was later evicted because I was unable to pay rent whilst at uni. I had just [become] estranged from family and was not eligible for Student Finance.”

For any students facing homelessness, it’s important that universities are able to provide urgent and effective advice.

Some students might not realise what help is available from the university, so the support needs to be clearly signposted and easy to access.

A good example is this recent article on UCL’s website which outlines what help is available for students who have become, or are at risk of becoming, homeless.

4.    Call on the government to address shortfalls in student funding

As the Russell Group has highlighted, the government’s recent announcement that English Maintenance Loans will increase by just 2.5% in 2024/25 is very disappointing.

This minimal increase does nothing to address the shortfall from the previous years of forecasting errors.

Save the Student has started a petition calling on the government to increase Student Loans in England to catch up with inflation. It currently has over 13,000 signatures, and the aim is to get tens of thousands more to increase pressure on the government and force a change. Please sign and share the petition with students.

In response to the survey, Kellie McAlonan, Chair of the National Association of Student Money Advisers, said:

“What we are seeing in the survey results should not be surprising. It's been evident for some time that students can often get the short end of the stick when it comes to having safe and affordable housing and many are reconsidering their studies, or finding that their health or studies are impacted as a result of worrying about accommodation.

“The National Student Accommodation Survey gives us the data needed to allow colleges and universities from across the country to better understand the challenges students are facing. But what we really need is for the government to better understand this, and to address these concerns in a meaningful way.

“Struggling to pay rent is a reality for many students, and it isn't good enough. Core funding packages need to be good enough to support student success, and safe and affordable housing shouldn't be a lucky find.

“The Maintenance Loan in England needs a revamp. Students can't be expected to plug the gap between basic living costs and the student funding they receive, and it is becoming increasingly more difficult for institutions to shoulder the burden of a system that is not working.”

Find out more in the full report of the National Student Accommodation Survey 2024.

About the author

Laura Brown is Co-Head of Editorial at Save the Student, the UK’s leading student money website. She has worked at Save the Student for over three years and now oversees the site’s editorial department. She project manages Save the Student’s annual student surveys, including the influential National Student Money Survey and the National Student Accommodation Survey.