Many new students still in temporary housing

First year students who did not receive on-campus accommodation have been forced to spend their first two weeks at university making their own living arrangements. Many have been able to find places in the off-campus university accommodation or in the surrounding areas, but there are still a number of students looking for a place to live.

The University initially booked 90 rooms for those undergraduates without accommodation at the beginning of term, but only 38 of these were occupied. Warwick University Press Officer Peter Dunn said that the University did not have exact figures of those remaining in this temporary
accommodation. However, he added that they had received “one clear indicator in that last week we contacted all first year undergraduates who we believed were still looking for accommodation to come to a meeting to see how we could help further and only four students showed up.”

This year approximately 258 students are located off campus in University rented accommodation
at Paradise Place and Liberty House. One student, who managed to obtain one of the 11 places
available at Paradise Place, considers himself lucky to find a place there after being informed that he didn’t have permanent accommodation one week before arriving. However, one of his main
concerns is cost. The student interviewed pays for a 42 week contract at a higher rental charge
compared to most on-site accommodation and an additional £215 for a bus pass.

For many of those staying in off-campus accommodation during freshers the inconvenience of
living a bus journey away is beginning to become apparent. One student said that “it was hard to participate in sport”, while another added that one of the latest buses available to him was long before any of the SU freshers events finished, forcing him to find alternative accommodation for the night.

The free accommodation at Whitefields offered by the University before the start of term was
accepted by approximately 60 students and Peter Dunn agreed that this was generally beneficial
for those students to make friends and potential flatmates. First year maths student Alex Torzewski ideally wanted a house of all first years, and was able to move into his current accommodation with people he met during this initial period, saying that “it ended well.”

All students interviewed agreed that the process of finding alternative accommodation was very
stressful. Alex said that he initially had no idea about the letting process but “the Students’ Union advice was really helpful”, assisting him in understanding details such as utilities and fees.

Leo Boe, the SU Welfare officer said in regard to compensation for those affected, “We are currently in discussion with the university about parking permits for the affected students in subsequent years, as well as offering them on campus accommodation in their final year.”

“We also hope that the university will issue a formal apology to students and their parents for the mismanagement of the situation.”

Despite these efforts, the University reiterates that it clearly says in the prospectus that they do not guarantee accommodation for all first year students.

The number of students in shared rooms on-site has also been abating according to university
figures. At its peak, 125 students were sharing rooms but now that figure has fallen to 88.