Kara Hall
A housing crisis has left many incoming students turning down their first choices of university due to increasing rent prices.
While financial investors are buying purpose-built student housing waiting on a big win, students are being left with few options for affordable housing.
Forecasters are predicting “enormous returns” at the expense of students and some paying parents.
The effects of the housing crisis
Martin Blakey, chief executive of student housing charity Unipol, describes how many students will struggle to find university housing this year and onwards.
He highlights the decrease in new bed spaces in purpose-built student accommodation: 13,543 this year, compared with 29,048 in 2020.
In 2022 alone, there were significant housing shortages for students in Manchester. Other cities experiencing shortages included Brighton, Bristol, Durham, Glasgow, and York.
#1forwho? Your inaction on the local housing crisis has been an unforgivable assault on the students and local residents of St. Andrews. You’re also bottom for social inclusion, and now one of the most expensive places in the UK to be a student. Who exactly are you #1 for?
— C.A.S.H. University of St. Andrews (@CASHStAndrews) September 24, 2022
The charity Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), has predicted further housing shortages in Bath, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lincoln, and Salford this year.
How will working-class students be affected?
As well as struggling to find affordable UK housing, working-class students will face the brunt of the ‘Plan-5’ Student Finance changes, which come into effect for those starting 2023/24 courses.
The plan includes lowering the threshold of repayment to £25,000 a year and increasing the length of time over which graduates repay their loans by 10 years.
The UK is suffering a drastic shortage of student beds in some cities, leaving a number of prospective students unable to secure affordable accommodation close to campus.https://t.co/gFWZ0QzjGP
— Benoit Properties (@benoitproperty) September 1, 2023
Keira Barber, an 18-year-old student, told BBC News she had to switch universities from Manchester Metropolitan to Sheffield Hallam as she was unable to afford the limited accommodation that remained in her preferred city.
Barber paid a deposit for a room that cost £8,300 per year – well over her budget – but she was refunded the next day after the building had sold out.
What’s next for students?
Organisations like the National Union of Students are fighting for more affordable accommodation for students. This includes petitioning for rent caps to stop prices from escalating.
Universities UK have also highlighted the need for a first-year housing guarantee for incoming students.
However, the organisation has said that universities are not responsible for the wider housing crisis. They will be working with private providers to find long-term solutions for struggling students.
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Featured image courtesy of Norbert Levajsics on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Kara Hall
Originally from Birmingham, Kara is a Politics and International Studies student at the University of Warwick where she is the EIC of Warwick Labour's Magazine, as well as a Current Affairs Editor for Empoword.