Friday 16-09-2022 - 16:30

We’ve been in regular talks with the University this week after several students reached out to the SU through the Advice Service, and the University’s Accommodation Office regarding the shortage of housing for incoming students across Durham. This is a national problem, made worse by the size of our university relative to the city. Here’s what we know so far, and what we’re doing, to ensure that students have the accommodation they are entitled to.

Student numbers in the city have grown significantly in recent years, but there has been limited growth in available housing. The University has a clear duty of care to its students regarding housing, whether in university-managed accommodation or not, as they have been brought to Durham by the University.

We pushed the University to act on this issue and recognise the gravity of the situation. The University is establishing a helpline which will offer guidance to students on finding accommodation in and around Durham, to book an appointment, please email accommodation.office@durham.ac.uk.

In advance of us reaching out, the University had already agreed to bring some accommodation in Hild Bede College back into operation for 2022/23. This is only the first part of the solution though; the heart of the problem is a lack of beds across the city as a whole, and we are actively working on ways to open as many up to students as possible.

Students’ welfare is our top priority, and we will continue to push the University to ensure that no student is without accommodation in this, or any other, year. While the immediate issue is foremost in our minds at present, after that is resolved we will be working with the University to assess how this can be avoided in the future; a broader conversation around the capacity of the city and admissions is long overdue, and Durham’s housing market is now at breaking point.

We will continue to push the University to source more beds. To book a hotline appointment, please email accommodation.office@durham.ac.uk from Tuesday 20 September 2022. You can also reach out to our Advice Service here.