66 students are currently withholding over 100k in rent from Leeds Uni

66 students at The University of Leeds are currently participating in a rent strike, according to CutTheRent Leeds.

The students involved are refusing to pay a total of £109,149.25 for their university-owned accommodation.

The rent strike, which officially began on Friday, has been looming ever since the Government told students to stay where they are, so as to slow the spread of coronavirus.

This announcement meant that many students in Leeds and around the country found themselves paying for rooms they have been banned from setting foot inside. Organisations like CutTheRentLDS say that this is unfair.

Last week, CutTheRentLDS met with members of Leeds Uni Senior Management to discuss the possibility of a rent reduction for students living in university-owned accommodation.

The meeting was tense and unproductive, resulting in the student-led organisation announcing that it would be starting a rent strike.

CutTheRentLDS are now demanding a 40 per cent rent reduction for the 2020/2021 academic year, a full rebate for the time students have been told not to live in uni accommodation and permission for students to leave the accommodation contracts early without consequences.

While Leeds Uni announced it will be issuing a refund for students who  are not in their accommodation between 11th January and 19th February 2021, CutTheRentLDS believes that this is simply not enough.  A spokesperson said they are “disappointed in the University’s rent rebate for the time in lockdown”, as “it fails to take into account last term’s travel window and the fact we did not have the usual freedom to return to halls during the holiday.”

@CutTheRentLDS

How can you get involved in the rent strike?

The rent strike was officially launched on Friday, with the full instructions being on CutTheRentLDS’s ‘Rent Strike’ Instagram Highlights.

To get involved, students living in university-owned accommodation should cancel their direct debits, fill in the Join The Rent Strike Google Forms and email a copy of the open letter template with their name to [email protected].

If you are interested about joining the rent strike, signing the petition, sending a complaint to the accommodation office or just spreading the word, you can do so here.

If you are worried about striking or would like to seek guidance or support, you can contact Lotti Morton, the LUU Community officer on Instagram, email her [email protected], or speak to the union via email ([email protected]) or call them on (0113) 3801 400

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