EXCLUSIVE: UCL cancels term three rent payments for all undergraduate halls

UCL has cancelled term three rent payments for all UCL students that will not be living in their accommodation in term three, The London Tab can reveal.

An email sent to students this evening reads: “We have taken the decision not to charge accommodation fees for students who will not be living in UCL halls in Term 3.

“This applies to those residents who have already checked out from 13th March or are planning on checking out by 25 April.

The email requests that students complete a leaving form in order to be exempt from third term rent, and that they should do so and vacate their halls by the 25th April. Students who cannot return home are advised to fill out a “staying on” form.

The email references the pandemic, saying: “We are very sorry that the coronavirus pandemic is having such a far-reaching impact on our students, and that it is creating financial and logistical challenges that are not easy to resolve.

“As this is an unprecedented situation, it is hard to predict how long we will be advising students to study remotely for. However, it looks probable that we will not be able to offer teaching or other learning and assessment activities onsite for the remainder of this academic year.”

This comes after UCL’s official decision to move all teaching online due to the coronavirus outbreak, with a UCL student testing positive for the virus. This also comes just days after UCL freshers were reprimanded for trashing their halls communal areas, and throwing a microwave out of a window.