Updates: Which London university accommodations have announced rent changes?

With the third national lockdown and current travel restrictions, many university students have decided against returning to their university accommodation until later in the term.

In many cases, this has meant that students are still paying rent for accommodation that they have not even set foot into this year. This is incredibly unfair!

However, there is some good news. Some universities have offered rent reductions, amnesties or refunds. Do you want to find out if your university has offered this? The Tab has compiled all the information we have below for the London universities.

SOAS 14/1/21

A spokesperson from SOAS confirmed:

“At SOAS, we do not offer accommodation. Students secure their accommodation from accommodation providers or private landlords.

“We are aware that some providers are considering options such as rent reductions, deferrals and rent freezes but they have not made any announcements yet.

“Some providers have agreed to hold new arrival rooms rent-free for 8 weeks and/or accept cancellations without any penalties after 8 weeks if students cannot arrive due to travel restrictions, We appreciate the issues facing students with accommodation rents during this time and we are continuing to support them.”

LSBU 14/1/21

A spokesperson from LSBU said:

• For students NOT currently in halls we will waive 7 weeks’ accommodation fees (4th Jan – 21st Feb) for any student with a current full-year June/Aug 2021 Accommodation Licence Agreement, who has not been able to use their room during the period of national lockdown in England. This waiver covers student accommodation agreements at LSBU halls of residence and will be applied to the third instalment to accounts which are up-to-date and not in arrears.

• For students currently IN halls, once lockdown restrictions are lifted and they wish to terminate their Accommodation Licence Agreement, this option will be made available and students can do so without penalty.

• If students are NEWLY joining us in halls for Semester 2 they will not be charged until the date that they arrive and we will keep a room available for them until they do.  They can also choose to cancel their  Licence Agreement without taking up residence.

City, University of London

City UoL does not own any of their own accommodation so most students live in private halls owned by either Unite or IQ. Both of these private partners are offering discounts. More info can be found here. 

Imperial College London

Imperial has announced a rent rebate for students who are not on courses that require face-to-face teaching. According to the Imperial College Covid-19 status webpage, students that this affects should have been contacted directly by Campus Services.

King’s College London

King’s has offered a rent rebate for full-time students who are not in halls currently. This rent rebate will be shown on your next invoice.

Students also have the option to cancel or defer their accommodation contract, but they have to submit a cancellation request to King’s Residences by 12pm on Sunday 17^th January. More information on how to do this can be found on the accommodation website.

LSE

LSE announced that they would waive rent for students until 21^st February 2021, and in some cases, students can end their contract if they have no plans to return to their accommodation this academic year.

For more information, click here.

Queen Mary University of London

The university is currently in discussions regarding rent reduction, but currently, no rent reduction is being offered.

Ravensbourne University

There is currently no information regarding the rent for university accommodation. Private accommodations are not offering a rent reduction for Ravensbourne students.

Royal Holloway

Royal Holloway has announced a rent amnesty until 22^nd February 2021, with additional flexibility for review and extension if required. Students can apply to have their fees removed between Monday 4^th January and Monday 22^nd February 2021.

Also, the principal of the university has written to private local landlords requesting contract flexibility for students.

More information on these can be found here.

SOAS University of London

Currently, SOAS are yet to make an announcement regarding reducing rent for students.

St George’s, University of London

With St George’s being a medical university, most of the courses offered will be continuing as usual (with some face-to-face teaching), so there have been no announcements regarding any changes in rent for student accommodation.

UCL

UCL has decided to relax rent payments for students who are unable to return to their accommodation, until 21^st February 2021. UCL will also reimburse students for the time they have not stayed in UCL accommodation since the winter closure period.

Students can find out if they qualify for the reimbursement, as well as information on requesting a reimbursement here. You can still get the refund if your belongings are currently in UCL accommodation.

University of the Arts London

UAL has offered a seven-week rent amnesty for students.

University of Westminster

The University of Westminster has not offered students a rent reduction.

University of London Accommodation

For student at King’s, LSE, Queen Mary, SOAS, St George’s and UCL living in University of London intercollegiate halls, they have announced that they are offering students £25 per week compensation.

The Tab is currently investigating the rent situation at the following universities, Brunel University London, Goldsmiths,  London Metropolitan University, University of East London, University of Greenwich and the University of West London.

Many university students across different universities have organised and been taking part in rent strikes. If your university is currently not offering any rent reduction or relaxation, and you wish to take part, you can find out more information here and here.