Lewes Court and other on-campus accommodation to have their rent reduced for 2018/19

The University of Sussex has revealed today the weekly rental rates for on-campus accommodation in 2018/19. The University and the Students’ Union worked ‘in close consultation’ in order to negotiate and arrange on-campus rent ahead of the planned release of the new East Slope residences.

The Students’ Union praised the work of the last president who worked closely with the student-led group, Cut the Rent, to secure cheaper rent for certain accommodations.

According to their press release, they state:

“Rent for three of the University’s on-campus accommodation will be reduced from September 2018.

“Lewes Court Phase 1 will see its rent cut by almost 10%, with the cost of living in Park Houses and Park Village also being reduced by almost 5% and 8.5% respectively.

“This will mean that 29% of accommodation at the University of Sussex will be under £120 per week (all inclusive) in 2018/2019.”

The rent for 2018/19 are as follows:

Brighthelm                                                   137.00

Kings Road                                                  130.00

Lewes Court 1                                             119.00

Lewes Court 2                                             151.00

Northfield                                                     156.00

Park Houses                                                111.00

Park Village                                                  90.00

Stanmer Court                                             150.00

Swanborough                                              156.00

East Slope                                                     TBC

Lewes Court Phase 1 will have its rent cut from £128.74 to £119. In addition, Park Houses will go from £115.83 to £111, and Park Village will be cut from £98.53 to £90 each week making it the cheapest accommodation for 2018/19 as of yet.

Whilst rent will be reduced for some of the on-campus accommodation, for many, it will still rise.  Northfield will increase from £151.86 to £156 each week, Stanmer Court will increase from £146.74 to £150, Swanborough from £153.01 to £156, Lewes Court Phase 2 from £147.82 to £151, and finally Brighthelm from £133.92 to £137.

Northfield is set to have its rent increase

Speaking to the University, Dean Spears, Head of Housing commented:

“We’re really pleased to be able to offer our students a range of accommodation options while ensuring that we retain a good proportion of lower cost rooms.  It’s been really good to work through this with the Students’ Union elected officers and we will continue to discuss our housing plans with the Students’ Union.”

Dean continued: “Our housing team both on campus and at our Lewes Road shop are here to help all our students with their housing needs every step of the way.”

The University offers qualifying students with a £2,000 funding package, known as the First Generation Scholars Scheme (FGS) that many use towards their accommodation.  Last year 62% of those students who qualified for the scheme used the funding towards upgrading their accommodation preference, representing over a £3.5M investment by the University.