Rent freeze for all 923 rooms in Rootes

After months of negotiation, the Students’ Union (SU) has succeeded in preventing some new University plans which they claim would have been detrimental to students’ abilities to afford campus accommodation.

In December, the University made a Rent Proposal for 2016/17 that would have meant losing around 65% of affordable campus accommodation. However, the SU has been able to prevent a number of the University’s proposals.

The University is going to remove the £250 Postgrad Accommodation Application Fee.

Achievements include maintaining the current rent of all 923 rooms in Rootes and reducing Cryfield rent by £6 per week to amend for the four-week increase in let period (allowing the residence to remain the lowest cost accommodation in the Russell Group).

Further successes include discounted rent increases for postgraduates living in Claycroft, a lowered initial increase for Westwood rent and for all other accommodations no more than a 2.9% rent increase.

On top of this, postgraduate officer Nat Panda’s work has meant the University is going to remove the £250 Postgrad Accommodation Application Fee.

The issue of affordable student accommodation has been prevalent in the UK for many years.

The NUS observed that between 2012 and 2015, there was an average 25% increase in accommodation prices, and approximately 40% of students have consequently been forced to borrow beyond their maintenance loan.

Achievements include maintaining the current rent of all 923 rooms in Rootes and reducing Cryfield rent by £6 per week to amend for the four-week increase in let period (allowing the residence to remain the lowest cost accommodation in the Russell Group).

The University of Warwick has before claimed to provide a ‘ladder’ of rental prices accessible to students from all backgrounds.

Thus, democracy and development officer Olly Rice, SU president Isaac Leigh, as well as SU welfare and campaigns officer and president-elect Luke Pilot went to the Students Rents Committee arguing: “Warwick cannot become a University where students from low and middle income backgrounds alike look at the main living cost – accommodation – and realise that their opportunities and futures are too costly to pursue.”

Eventually the SU spoke to the University Finance Committee who ultimately voted against the preliminary rent proposals.

It was the first time that some members had ever voted against the University’s own proposals.

Olly Rice urges that “affordability needs to be a core pillar in any rent proposals in future years.”

SU blog post on their progress: SU secures freeze in Rootes Rent