Rents crunch hits students
Report after report has pointed to a rapid rise in rents for students, and poor levels of maintenance. Universities have added to the housing crisis, with a move to private providers rather than in-house accommodation, so direct control over rents is removed. In any case, university-owned accommodation rents have risen more than maintenance support. A report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) on ten university cities found rents up 14.6% 2021-22 to 2023-4, and private sector rents up 19%. Meanwhile the maximum student maintenance loan in England rose 5.2%. In 2023-4 in England...