Update from Ewan: support and clarity needed for student housing

Tuesday 19-01-2021 - 16:31
Ewan update

Last March, when students first began experiencing the impacts of Covid-19 on housing and accommodation, we had no idea we would still be in a similar position today. For you, as students experiencing the struggle and uncertainty, it must be exhausting. As your Student Officer Team, we’re continually pushing to make sure your concerns are addressed, and we’re learning as much as we can from the ongoing experience of this pandemic to ensure we do so in an effective way. Whilst your wonderful Academic Officers are supporting you with their proposal of a ‘safety net’ policy, I will also be pushing for better support for students with their housing and accommodation on both a local and national level. 

In 2020… 

Durham SU wrote to PBSA providers in Durham City alongside the local MP Mary Foy, asking students to be given the opportunity to end their contracts early if they wanted to. Through this, a handful of providers allowed students to cancel their contracts and others offered rent rebates. 

We also set up the Student-Landlord Pledge, which outlined the importance of showing mutual respect during difficult circumstances and understanding the position students had been placed in. Given the continued precarity the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to students, we will continue to promote this stance alongside sharing practical resources for engaging with your landlord or lettings agent. The SU Advice Service also remains available for free, confidential and impartial advice on issues including housing and accommodation. You can find more here.

The government’s apathy towards the problems students are facing has been damaging

The involvement of our local MP Mary Foy has been, and will continue to be, vital in fighting for students’ rights in this area. That is why we are proud to have co-signed a letter urging landlords, estate agents and PBSAs to take a position of compassionate understanding, and show flexibility with refunds, rent breaks and contract cancellations. 

We also understand that the government’s inaction in supporting the student housing system has left little room for landlords to exhibit such flexibility, thus placing greater financial burdens on students who have suffered from a lack of employment opportunities during the pandemic that would usually enable them to keep up with payments. 

Therefore, we will be drafting an open letter outlining the need for the government to provide support to students with their housing and accommodation. We aim to drive home the way that students have been consistently failed during this pandemic and the need for action. Our desire is that this letter will be backed by a community wide response not just from students, but also landlords, estate agents and PBSA providers. Their support will send a strong message that governmental aid is pivotal in enabling them to be flexible towards the precarious positions students face. 

We would also like to see the University, led by the Vice Chancellor, to use their power and influence to support not just the encouragement of compassionate understanding on a local level, but also the national lobbying efforts of organisations such as NUS, which we shall also contribute to. 

Clarity around Easter term is urgently needed 

While the University’s position around accommodation in Epiphany term is much welcomed, in order to put students’ minds at ease and given that exams are online, we believe that the policy should be extended to Easter term – students should not be charged for university accommodation if they choose not to return in third term. As part of this, the University should also show due consideration for the situations faced by PGT students whose contracts run until September. 

I further urge the University to reconsider their continued use of the 40% cancellation fee which is prohibitive for many students. We do not believe it is fair or ethical for students to be charged such a large amount to cancel their contracts given the financial pressures many students are facing due to the pandemic. 

 

As ever, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you are aware of further housing or accommodation problems that you think we should be working on. You can reach me at su.welflib@durham.ac.uk

 

*Please note: the Advice Service helpline is not a crisis number, in an emergency please use 999 as usual.

Categories:

Covid-19, Welfare and Liberation Officer

Related Tags :

Accommodation, Housing, Covid-19, Coronavirus, Ewan Swift, Welfare and Liberation Officer,

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