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.”
