A rental guarantor service says it has seen an 'extraordinary surge' in the number of students racing to book university accommodation.
Housing Hand says that the Covid-19 pandemic is helping to create a perfect storm with growing numbers of students achieving strong A-level results and heading to university, and they are being joined by the students who deferred last year.
Some universities are now struggling to house first-year students in time for the start of term, while second- and third-year students can't find anywhere to live at all.
Now, the head of sales at Housing Hand, James Maguire, says: "We've not seen a rush like this before.
"The summer months are always our busiest period for student bookings as young people arrange their homes for the coming academic year.
"However, this summer we've seen a record number of students leaving things to the very last moment before booking their accommodation."
Provider of rental guarantor services
Students from any part of the world can use Housing Hand as a rent guarantor and it's the largest provider of rental guarantor services in the country.
The firm also offers a house finder service to help connect students with letting agents and landlords.
Mr Maguire said: "Historically, the UK has always rated very highly for non-EU students, alongside the USA and Australia.
"With those two countries still a little behind the UK in opening up to students after the pandemic, the UK is benefiting from a major opportunity."
He added: "We are seeing record numbers of non-EU students using our guarantor services.
"The last two weeks have seen last minute arrivals from many countries, including India, the United States, Malaysia and many of the Middle East countries."
Opportunity for student accommodation landlords
The company is also highlighting that European students may decide to defer until next year, which will create another bumper opportunity for student accommodation landlords in the UK.
The managing director of Accommodation for Students, Simon Thompson, said: "The number of students returning to university, plus international students and those who have just finished their A-levels, means that demand for accommodation is very high.
"For landlords with quality student homes to rent, they will see a big rise in demand, and we are also seeing universities struggling to provide accommodation for their first-year students."
In London, one student accommodation website says that applications to rent a property by students has nearly doubled over the past month.
They say that demand from students is now outpacing the supply of private housing with one area seeing a 191% rise in enquiries.
One reason they give for this is for the surge in demand is down to growing numbers of international students returning to the capital.
Universities struggling to house first-year students
The rise in student numbers has also led to some universities struggling to house first-year students in accommodation they would normally provide. These include:
- Queen's University : The University in Belfast says that its accommodation has been oversubscribed and they are offering students £1,500 not to take up rooms in their halls
- University of York : The University is offering accommodation to new students - 40 miles away in Hull. It takes an hour to travel but they too say a housing crisis has been created by an oversubscription to the university's courses with strong demand for student housing. They are now contacting students saying there are no rooms available on- or off-campus in York.
- University of Bristol : Students attending their first year are being offered accommodation in Bath, more than 12 miles away.
- Falmouth University : Students in Falmouth say they may have to resort to camping because there is no accommodation available.
Shortage of student accommodation
The shortage of student accommodation is not just a growing issue in the UK, media in the Netherlands and Ireland are also reporting problems.
For example, the Irish Times says students are struggling to find accommodation across the country - and it's becoming very expensive when they do.
In some parts of Ireland, students who cannot find accommodation are being put up in hotels.
A spokesperson for Universities UK said: "The provision of accommodation will vary by institution. However, where a student is struggling, universities are on hand to provide guidance and students who are concerned should speak to student support teams."
