The future for students and their accommodation because of COVID-19

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Unfortunately, as it stands rent does need to be paid unless the landlord offers a student a discount or refund or you physically can’t pay it because you worked for your rent. Government guidance on this might change, however, for the moment payments are still being collected as mortgages still need to be paid.

What will happen to students and their belongings currently left in student housing all around the U.K. Most student providers will allow you to keep it there and if you have booked the following year in the same room, then they should allow you to keep it in the same room until you move back.

However, what happens if you are finishing or leaving and moving on? If the pandemic carries on for that long, they may create time slots where you can collect your belongings so that they don’t need to be stored or handled by the agents or accommodation managers.

This September & Your Accommodation

As we aren’t sure when the lockdown will end or when the number of cases will be zero, if we haven’t reached some stability by September, it is likely accommodations will stage students arrival so that they can make sure that there isn’t too much cross contamination on arrival, they can keep on top of cleaning all the facilities and provide a high quality of service.

If you are living in a house with a letting agent, we think it will be life as usual, however, slightly different for those in halls or the student accommodation. Due to the high concentration we expect they will keep cleaning routines high, still enforce some rules around social distancing and the number of socials events they hold.

What Can Students Do IF They Arrive This September?

For students who will be in their first year and likely to be in university halls or in the student blocks with lots of other students, these are our top tips to reduce the chances of getting COVID:

  • Regularly clean your house and use anti-bacterial products
  •  Carry tissues & hand sanitiser
  • Take a mask to university lectures
  • Try not to touch your face while out
  • Resist large gatherings
  • Freshers Flu is likely – be prepared
  • Eat well to keep your immune system high
  • Wash your hands frequently after being in communal areas and lectures

Choosing Accommodation for Your Second Year

For students aiming to book their second-year accommodation for September 2021 there a few tips you can use in order to make sure you get a house that is high quality and a letting agent that will put you first to make your experience positive.

Here are our ways to stay out of student accommodation you may regret:

  • Decide what type of accommodation you want to live in, is it a house, studio or apartment?
  • Understand the differences in what life is like in the different types of accommodation
  •  Decide who you want to live with, take more time as this is big reason why students move
  • Search lots of different providers, accommodations & houses – go on a minimum of 5 viewings to houses to see which ones you like
  • Check the location (this was a key reason for influences of happiness in student accommodation in a recent report)
  • Always visit the letting agent – they will be the ones providing the service and looking after you for the next year
  • Never sign the tenancy agreement without reading it & understand what you are responsible for
  • Check the facts of the house (Rent, bills & deposit).
  • Make sure you have a guarantor lined up for when you are ready