Students report excessive rent and inadequate living conditions across the UK

The University of Northampton (UoN) has seen undergraduates protest over “appalling conditions and extortionate rent” within university-owned flats.  

 The students are particularly outraged with St John’s Halls, in which flats lacked running water and functional hobs. Although residents are paying around £150 for single en-suite rooms, the conditions within them have been compared to “slums”.  

The University care more about lining their own pockets than they do about the welfare of their own students.

University of Northampton Protestor, The Northampton Chronicle

Protestors gathered at the university’s Waterside Campus on 8 November holding signs saying “UoN Take Action + Take Back St Johns” and “Ban Agency and Contract Fees”. The Northampton Chronicle quoted one protestor as saying: “The University care more about lining their own pockets than they do about the welfare of their own students.”

The students had previously protested at the start of the academic year after an extra week’s rent was added to the contracts of those living in St John’s Halls without any prior notice. The university opted to reverse their decision following the protest. 

Other demands include “launch[ing] a mass building programme with the local council of good-quality, affordable housing for students and local people”, “no evictions for students who can’t afford rent” and “emergency cost-of-living grants for all”. 

We continuously worked to avoid rent increases for university-managed accommodation

University of Northampton Spokesperson

A University of Northampton Spokesperson stated: “[We have] no record of numerous complaints regarding fire doors, water pressure, lack of hot water, or mould at our halls of residence or they would have been swiftly dealt with.”

They added: “We continuously worked to avoid rent increases for university-managed accommodation and any revision of prices will be linked to inflation and the cost of utilities such as energy and gas which have risen exponentially since the start of 2022.”

Students at the University of Warwick have also reported similar issues to The Boar regarding high rents and substandard living conditions. 

There’s a sign on our door that says we know about your rodent, we will come but the rat is still there

University of Warwick student halls resident, Arthur Vick 2

One resident of Arthur Vick 2 told The Boar News team: “There’s an open panel, underneath the sink area that we believe the rat is coming through.

“We reported it the weekend before reading week and there’s a sign on our door that says we know about your rodent, we will come but the rat is still there.”

Another student living in Arthur Vick 1 talked of a silverfish issue: “The cleaner said we could report it but there’s no point because they’ll come back again in about a week.”

A motion for this term’s All Student Vote labelled “Let’s fight for better on-campus accommodation” was passed overwhelmingly on 17 November. It lobbies “for the President and VP Democracy and Development to lobby the University to freeze rents and bring them back down to pre-COVID levels and for Warwick SU to full and unequivocally support the aims of Warwick Housing Organisation, to campaign for rent reductions, future rent freezes and more accessible accommodation.”

The motion noted that “only 1% of on campus accommodation is rated affordable by NUS standards”. 

Students across the UK are often subjected to poor living conditions at high prices, which The Guardian reports as a “crisis point not seen since the 1970s”

These complaints follow students at the University of Manchester similarly protesting over the conditions in their accommodation in January 2023 by withholding rent payments. They reported mould, leaks, and cracks in the wall, as well as issues with mice and rats.

Students across the UK are often subjected to poor living conditions at high prices, which The Guardian reports as a “crisis point not seen since the 1970s”.

The University of Warwick has been contacted for a comment.