BREAKING: Leeds Uni announces rent refund for students in uni accommodation

It is not yet clear how much the refund will be


The University of Leeds has announced it will offer students living in university-owned accommodation “an appropriate rent refund” for this academic year.

It is not yet clear how much this refund will be or what time period it will cover, with more details expected soon.

The decision to offer a rent refund to students has come about as a result of huge disruption to the academic year by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Recently,  students have been told to not return to The University of Leeds until further notice. Decisions like this lead to Cut The Rent Leeds starting a petition calling for a 30 per cent rent reduction which gained over 4,000 signatures.

Since then, Cut the Rent has increased its demands to a 40 per cent rent reduction and a full rebate for the periods when students have been advised to stay away from university completely.

A joint statement from the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union reads: “The University will be offering students in halls an appropriate rent refund and will send them further details as soon as possible – we are working through the implications of the latest Government guidelines.

“University and Leeds University Union colleagues continue to work together to address the issue. We understand the concerns of students at this extremely difficult time, and their health and wellbeing remains our top priority.”

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• Leeds Uni tells students not to come back to campus until further notice