One third of Scottish students are struggling to make rent payments, new research shows

It has been revealed that over a third of students in Scotland are struggling to pay the full amount of their rent.

That’s according to a survey conducted by The National Union of Students (NUS), which found that 34 per cent of Scottish students were struggling with meeting rent payments in full.  The survey consulted 3,163 students, 649 of whom were Scottish.

The survey also found that the rate of Scottish students struggling with rent was higher than the national average of 26 per cent, and that 19 per cent of Scottish students had also used a food bank; again ahead of the national average of 17 per cent.

Also consulted was the level of difficulty in obtaining accommodation. 61 per cent said that they required a guarantor, 41 per cent of whom found this somewhat or very difficult.

Additionally, 93 per cent of students from Scotland said that they had experienced issues with their accommodation; with 42 per cent reporting issues with mould and mildew, 41 per cent issues with temperature and 37 per cent with plumbing.

Calls for reform

On Thursday NUS campaigners held a demonstration outside of the Scottish Parliament in protest against the Housing (Scotland) Bill’s current form.  They are demanding stronger rent controls against landlords, and for student accommodation to face the same legal regulations as other private sector housing.

The NUS said it also wants to make it illegal for landlords to require tenants to provide a UK- based guarantor, who must over a certain amount of money or be a UK property owner.

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According to STV, Sai Shraddha S Viswanathan, President of NUS Scotland said: “Today myself, students and apprentices from across Scotland will be rallying outside the Parliament in Holyrood to ensure that the Scottish Government doesn’t leave us out in the cold.

“The Housing Bill being debated is a strong first step to tackling Scotland’s housing emergency but there are currently loopholes and blind spots which disadvantage students and apprentices and risk undermining the Bill’s effectiveness.”

🪧 Today, students & apprentices rallied outside the Scottish Parliament against being left out of the housing bill.

📣 34% of students in Scotland are struggling to pay their rent. They need rent controls.

🏚Our housing system is unfair, let’s fix it. https://t.co/gLisrW3tEX pic.twitter.com/iZhkutc7uM

— NUS Scotland (@NUSScotland) November 14, 2024

She also called on the Scottish Government to “take heed of the harm failing to abolish guarantors or to regulate student accommodation will have”.

Saying: “If the Scottish Government wants to demonstrate that they truly care about the wellbeing of students and apprentices, they must listen to our calls and fix student housing.”

Concluding her remarks; she added: “When rent and housing costs are so unaffordable that after paying them almost a fifth of students are having to resort to using food banks, there is no excuse for us to be treated as an afterthought.”

Government ‘aware’ of crisis

The Scottish Government has responded to the calls spearheaded by the NUS, with Housing Secretary Paul McLennan noting that he was “aware of the difficulties some students have faced in accessing suitable accommodation”.

He said that he “recently chaired a meeting which brought together universities, local authorities and accommodation providers to discuss supply and affordability, and encourage more collaborative working to resolve these issues”.

Adding: “The rent control provisions in the Housing Bill, which will provide certainty for all those renting in the private rented sector, do not apply to purpose-built student accommodation, with rental costs in both university-owned student accommodation and private PBSA a matter solely for those organisations.”

McLennan also stated that “further meetings will be held in due course” and that he would “expect institutions to take affordability into account when setting rents”.

Featured image via NUS Scotland on X