Reimburse student rents for all accommodation not used during this academic year

Government needs to reimburse students who have paid for university or accommodation rented from private landlords they have not used during the Covid-19 outbreak. This is to include rent, utility bills and standing charges relating to the rented property. Students are least able to bear the losses.

Higher education students for 2020-21 were advised that universities would be open for business. Tuition was to involve varying degrees of face-to-face learning. Given that learning is now exclusively online and that students are often unable to access library areas in which to do self-study, universities are far from open. Social activity is nil. Students now have no need to remain in accommodation and should be free to return home without incurring financial (rent/bill) losses going forward.

Since universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own rent agreements, the government plays no role in the provision of student residential accommodation.

This has been a very difficult time for students and we welcome the decision from many universities and accommodation providers to offer rent rebates for students who need to stay away from their term-time address, and we urge all large providers to join them and offer students partial refunds. We ask all providers of student accommodation including universities, to make sure their rental policies have students’ best interests at heart and are communicated clearly. Government has no plans to reimburse student rents at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation to look at what impact our funding is having. Whether a student is entitled to a refund or to an early release from their contract will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between them and their provider.

We recognise that in these exceptional circumstances some students may face financial hardship. The Department for Education has worked with the Office for Students to clarify that providers are able to use existing funds, worth around £256 million for academic year 2020/21, towards hardship support. The Government is also making available an additional £50m of hardship funding this financial year. In total we have made £70m of funding available for student hardship given the £20m made available to higher education providers in December.

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.