Liverpool’s Student Officers ask landlords to cut rent due to COVID-19

You can request them to contact your letting agents too


The Liverpool Guild’s Student Officer team has “joined forces” with other teams to send a message out to all private landlords in an attempt to protect students from the financial burdens caused by COVID-19.

They’ve extended their campaign for rent cuts from just Purpose-Built Student Accommodations (PBSAs) to all types of private rental properties, including student houses rented by student letting agencies.

The Officers have asked for landlords with student tenants to: offer a no-penalty release for 19/20 and 20/21 contracts; refund upcoming rent, as well as deposits; ban evictions; reduce or waive rent for those impacted by COVID-19.

 

The requests have been sent to all of the city’s Purpose-Built Student Accommodations (PBSAs) as well as several student letting agents operating student houses.

Here’s what the companies had to say (information is correct as of April 1st 2020):

Most PBSAs have not responded, but some tenants will be hearing positive news from their accommodation companies. Hello Student have confirmed that students won’t be charged for rent from April 25th, and iQ Student Accomodation have also agreed to cut contracts short, but also extend them if needs be.

Unite and Student Roost have already released information on their website allowing students not to be charged from certain dates, and Liberty Gardens Liberty Living (which is now owned by Unite Students) has updated its policy on early leavers, as they have allowed students to leave with no financial penalty.

St Andrews Place Management have not promised to cancel, suspend or decrease rent for all of their students, but they compromised by offering students who have encountered financial hardships to email them requesting a refund or rent reduction.

On the other hand, Campus Living Villages and Downing Property Services have both confirmed with LJMU that they will not release students from the final rent instalment.

Homes for Students have also confirmed this, however, as Homes for Students are a third-party owner, it is up to individual landlords to make these decisions, so the message has been passed on.

None of the student letting agents contacted so far – Accomod8, Golding Estates and Urban Bubble – have responded to the message yet, and other agents are in the process of being contacted by the Guild.

So far, only five private accommodation companies out of 28 have responded to the Student Officers with positive news. Whilst this holds out hopes for other companies to follow in their steps, there is still little that has been done by PBSAs and other private landlords to help out student tenants during these difficult times.

You can email [email protected] if you feel your accommodation has been missed out, or if have any questions on the information provided.

Head over to The Guild’s website to follow the latest news on the accommodation campaign.

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