Enable all students to end university tenancy agreements early due to Covid-19.

Many students are currently tied into expensive agreements for rooms they do not need and would rather not use. Scotland has already legislated for this. We want all students to have the same rights. We were misled into thinking universities would be Covid-safe. The reality is that they are not.

The government has already said that it “encourages universities and private halls providers to be fair in their decisions about rent charges...” We want them to place students at the heart of their decision-making and direct universities to review their agreements and policies to give students: • a choice of exiting their accommodation agreement early so they can return home • refunds for the time students are self-isolating • the option to defer their accommodation rental agreement

The Government recognises that this academic year has been incredibly difficult for students. As a result of the current exceptional circumstances, some students are facing financial hardship, with some now incurring additional costs at their alternative address.

We will be making available an additional £50m of hardship funding, on top of the £20m made available to higher education providers in December. This support targets students with the greatest need.

Providers will have flexibility in how they distribute the funding to students in a way that will best prioritise those in greatest need. Support might include help for students facing additional costs arising from having to maintain accommodation in more than one location or assistance to help students access teaching remotely.

We will continue to work with the Office for Students to allocate these funds and will set out further detail.

The Government is also encouraging universities and large-scale private accommodation providers to refund a proportion of the rent they would usually charge for the term and welcomes the news that many universities and large accommodation providers have already offered rent rebates for students that have been asked to stay away from their accommodation.

Maintenance loans are available as a contribution towards a student’s living costs while attending university. The system targets the most living cost support at those from the lowest income families, who need it most.

Students undertaking courses that would normally require attendance on-site, but for which learning has moved either fully or partially online due to COVID-19, will qualify for living costs support in the 2020/21 academic year as they would ordinarily, provided they continue to engage with their higher education provider. This means that students who qualify are still receiving the same level of support for their living costs, including rent. This also applies when the student is prevented from attending the course physically and is required to study online due to shielding.