Landlords with student tenants say they are worried about the prospect of the Government introducing two-year fast-track degrees, says a survey.
According to one student tenancy website, landlords believe their rental business will be hit with a higher tenant turnover and higher letting costs.
Landlords say they will need to advertise more frequently for tenants if the move, announced by the government, is realised.
The idea behind the proposal by the government is to help students reduce how much they spend on their accommodation and living costs during their undergraduate years. They say big savings can be made to help encourage more people to enter university courses.
However, the two-year fast-track degree will see students working harder throughout the academic year and taking fewer breaks than those on a three-year degree course.
The fast-track degrees are already on offer with a small group of universities in the UK.
‘Landlords are worried about the degree changes’
A spokeswoman for the website said: “Landlords are worried about degree changes and the uncertainty about the impact on their student rental property.
“How these fast-track degrees will impact the rental market for students is a grey area and the government hasn't considered the effect on landlords.”
Alongside this, a separate survey from the same website has highlighted issues about EU students entering the UK market over Brexit fears.
The organisation is raising concerns for the EU students who are currently studying in the country and for landlords who have invested in the student rental market.
In future, it appears likely that EU students will need to apply for a student visa before they can begin higher education in the UK.
The organisation’s spokeswoman explained: “There's a period of uncertainty ahead post-Brexit for UK higher education and students as well as student landlords; universities are worried about changes and how they will be affected.”
More powers to crack down on illegal lets demanded
Meanwhile, MPs are calling for more powers to help crack down on illegal London lettings particularly on platforms such as Airbnb.
They say that growing numbers of landlords are breaching rules on letting to utilise the opportunities the platforms provide and rogue landlords are increasingly attracted to them.
Now, MPs say that landlords should notify councils of the dates that a letting property is used for short letting purposes.
The move follows a revelation from Westminster Council which says that more than 1,100 properties in its area are believed to have breached its 90-day limit rule.
