With regular government guidelines to stay at home over the past year, many students have found themselves spending less time at their student accommodations.
Yet, students at many universities are still expected to pay full rent on these empty rooms.
What have the universities done?
Though many universities require full payment despite missing months, some universities have offered reductions.
The University of Manchester offered a 30% rebate in November. This, however, only covered the first half of the year and would only amount to around £1,000 of relief.
This move was not met with celebration. Instead, the university faced protests from their students. The protest saw temporary fencing torn down.
The largest university accommodation provider, Unite Students, recently offered a 50% discount in the wake of the third lockdown announcement.
They described the decision as “the right thing to do.” Two-thirds of their customers will likely take this deal.
Some universities have taken it a step further. The Cambridge, Warwick, and Sheffield universities have offered full refunds to those no longer living in university accommodation.
Why are the students upset?
Looking at these universities’ offers, it may appear unclear why many students are still going ahead with rent strikes. However, the approach taken by Cambridge, Warwick, and Sheffield is by no means the norm. Many universities have offered nothing, and don’t look like they will change their stance. From accommodation at Keele to accommodation at the University of Suffolk, students are getting ready to protest.
It is also key to consider that, with the third lockdown, students have specifically been told to stay at home. It isn’t their choice not to return to the accommodation they have paid for.
On top of this, many students are unhappy with their education at the price they are paying. For the same cost as those unaffected by the pandemic, students are receiving online teaching. Yet, the government and universities still refuse to lower tuition fees.
What does the rent strike entail?
The January rent strike, organised by Ben McGowan of the Rent Strike Now campaign, will occur in over 40 universities.
The rent strike will be just that – students pledging to withhold rent to their universities at the start of the new term.
Where do we go from here?
On the Rent Strike Now website, the issue is laid bare.
“Rent is everyone’s problem: so we doubt we only speak for ourselves when we say our lives are being crushed under its dead weight.”
In such disastrous consequences, the plan for the future is laid out.
“Find your friends; it only takes a few people – five students and a photocopier can do more damage to an institution than an army.
“Organise a meeting and talk about the rent, figure out your demands and write them everywhere.”
The future may look a little bleak for university students, paying for accommodation they aren’t living in, but at least they have plans for resistance. How successful it will be is anyone’s guess.
