Durham University calls for more regulation on private landlords to protect students
The calls come after shocking scenes last week where students camped out overnight to secure housing for next year
After shocking scenes in Durham city last week - where students camped out overnight in front of Letting agency offices to get accommodation - Durham University say they want more regulations put on private landlords.
Our reporter visited the city last week - where a protest went ahead in Durham on Friday afternoon,
We also spoke to Emily Lipscombe and Daniel Hodgson - both 2nd year students, who write for the Durham student newspaper.
Emily tells us she couldn't believe the situation;
"We never thought it would get to this point, where students actually have to queue overnight in desperation, because otherwise, how else would they be able to afford living here?"
Daniel agrees;
"I think if i'd been told this before coming to Durham, as much as I love being here, it would have been one of the biggest off-putting factors,
"If I'd been told before I made my firm and my reserve... 'Oh yeah, by the way, 4 weeks in you'll have to queue overnight for 13/14 hours to maybe get a house, and that's the norm - I think that would have been a very off-putting factor for me - and many other students."
The University have now set up a Housing Group - working with students, Durham Council and other organisations to make sure everyone has somewhere to live next year.
It's as the University guarantee accommodation for 1st year students, but like most universities in the UK, from 2nd year onwards, most students find their own accommodation with friends - many in private lets.
Jeremy Cooke, who's the University's Pro-Vice Chancellor for Colleges and Student Experience, tells us they are frustrated with unscrupulous landlords raising rents during a cost of living crisis, and releasing available housing earlier and earlier each year.
“Durham University will support all of its students in securing accommodation for next academic year. We want to ensure they can make informed choices as to their living arrangements without feeling under undue pressure to make decisions. This includes working with our partners, including Durham County Council (DCC), letting agents and private landlords to find a solution.
“We are aware of the current situation with student accommodation. It is an important issue receiving our urgent attention. As with many universities, we were obliged by external circumstances to take a higher than anticipated student intake for 2020 and 2021 due to unexpected national shifts in the grading of A-levels and other Level 3 qualifications. We took active steps this year to ensure we had a lower intake than in 2020 and 2021. We will be doing the same for the 2023 intake.
“Another factor is the uncertain nature of the private Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) market in the city. We believe there are about 12,000 beds in HMOs across the city and local area but only HMOs with four or more beds are required to register with the County Council. Early indications suggest that there may have been a slight reduction in provision due to Covid-19, cost-of-living issues and draft HMO legislation. We are engaging with the County Council to help us better understand the city’s accommodation supply challenges.
“As a result of these factors we experienced an unusually high demand for University accommodation this year. We were still able to guarantee University-managed accommodation for all new undergraduates who chose this option. We made additional University accommodation available for returning undergraduate students and established a housing helpline for general advice and guidance on finding and locating accommodation.
“We work hard to support our students across both academic and non-academic matters, including working with Durham Students’ Union and student leaders. We encourage students who are experiencing difficulties to contact their College in the first instance where they can find support.
“We had anticipated pressure on the private rental market and increases in rents, and had earlier engaged in a dialogue with letting agents to encourage them not to enter in early selling. Unfortunately, we have still seen an early rush for accommodation. We have been working rapidly to communicate with and offer additional support to our students on this matter. Students are providing the University with reports of some very unscrupulous behaviour. We also have evidence of some rents increasing by over 35%. This is very disappointing. We understand that cost pressures due to inflation and interest rate rises will inevitably see changes to rents, but we hope that all parties would agree to that rises should be no more than government inflation indices.
“We continue to engage with Durham County Council and our local MP. We have established a housing group, chaired by our Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Colleges and Student Experience and including our student leaders, to ensure that we plan early and carefully for next academic year while continuing to address in-year issues related to student housing. As part of our dialogue with private landlords and letting agents, we will be urging that they advise us early on of their plans to release their rental properties for students.
“Looking ahead to the 2023/24 academic year, we will continue to guarantee University-managed accommodation for all new first-year undergraduates who choose this option. Additionally, we will provide opportunities for returning undergraduate students and also new postgraduate students to live in University-managed accommodation. Details on pricing and how to apply will be published shortly.
“We recognise that rising food and energy costs are causing challenges for students and, working with Durham Students’ Union, we have invested significantly in extra measures to support students who are under financial pressure. This package includes bursaries, hardship funds and other help.
"We will continue to invest in measures to support students in hardship next year.”