Universities see a large rise in unoccupied student accommodation due to Covid-19
By Amelia Blackham-Hayward
An exodus of students from Covid Hotspots left more than 40 per cent of rooms empty on some campuses across England, according to figures uncovered by FOI.
When Coronavirus was detected in Europe it was the early part of the spring term for many universities across the UK. As the cases began to rise many students were faced with the difficult decision of locking down at their university accommodation or returning home to spend the foreseeable future with their families. Some students who were staying in on-campus accommodation were released from their contracts early by the university while others staying in private rented accommodation remained tied to contracts and having to spend money for a house they could no longer occupy.
Then students faced a new challenge. Should they return to student accommodation in September? The virus was slowing down, and students were told that university would go ahead as usual. However, as the new term approached for many going back to normal didn’t seem possible. However, many students were now tied to contracts they had signed pre-Covid and were unable to get out of.
Many universities have seen students leave their rooms and have seen in this academic year alone many rooms go unoccupied, unlike previous years when the demand was more than what could be offered. Universities such as the University of Kent saw 147 students leave their on-campus accommodation since the beginning of the term in September to November.
On-campus accommodation at the Canterbury campus of the University of Kent ranges from £5,000 to £7,000 per year for undergraduates. Whilst postgraduates can pay between £8,000 and £12,700 a year. This is without living expenses such as food.
Greg Hood who is in his third year at the University of Kent and studies Physics with Astrophysics and having spent his first two years in university accommodation decided to stay at home for his third year: “I choose to stay at home instead of going to Canterbury as the benefits compared to the risks were not very favourable. Should there be a new lockdown I would been isolated from my family and unable to get home. For me, it was not worth the risk to leave home in the first place.”
While many students decided to stay at home, many more found themselves stuck in contracts for accommodation which they now had limited use for due to very limited face to face learning. The result: Many taking to social media to try to find new occupiers of their accommodation as landlords are unable to let them out of their accommodation. Vanessa Pereira who is in her third year studying English and American Literature at the University of Kent finds herself in this position: “I’m seriously considering finding someone to substitute me because I cannot see face to face lessons returning in the foreseeable future. I wish that there was more government support for university students, we have been massively overlooked in the midst of this pandemic.”
Elsewhere universities like the University of Essex have seen a major rise in unoccupied accommodation. Currently 41% of their student housing is empty, this result is up 38% from last years 3% of unoccupied rooms, Essex’ highest result previously.
Many international students have had to face the difficult decision of living on campus or off campus with many choosing to rent out off campus accommodation in the wake of the virus, as although they feel they would have perhaps benefitted more in university owned accommodation they couldn’t justify the extra cost alongside lessons which would almost certainly be online. One international student who wanted to remain unnamed, expressed their disappointment at their university’s approach to learning and living this academic year, after having to find someone to take over the tenancy in on campus accommodation whilst they found a room in the local area.
“With no classes being conducted in person — there is no benefit to being on campus. The university promised blended learning which helped to alleviate my concerns but upon arriving and finding out that I had no classes in person (which was what I was led to believe) this was exceptionally disappointing.”
Some universities refunded students their third terms money for the summer term of 2020, provided they left their rooms by set dates. However now students are left frantically contacting their accommodation service to see if refunds or discounts are available due to the reduced contact lesson time.
But now there is a new challenge universities face; Lockdown Three. With students now being told not to come back to campus to start the new term and all learning being moved online, many feel they should be let out of their contracts as the fault is not their own. There is such a movement for the government to do more to help students that many petitions have been streaming across social media platforms in which students demand to be heard. Their request simple. We pay so much… why are we being ignored? Vanessa said: “I don’t believe at all that students are getting value for money with virtual lessons. It’s my strongest belief that tuition fees should be reduced to reflect the significant obstacles faced by university students this year and for however long the pandemic lasts.”
As much as students are, and want to, leave the accommodation they no longer need. They do, of course, feel the strains of struggling to find the divide between home and study, something which many find much more defined being in a university environment. Greg said: “Within university you have your house or accommodation where you live but you have campus where you learn. The separation of the two really helps to build a routine and provide an opportunity for your brain to shut down for a bit once you get home. Studying from home however, you don’t have that separation. Your classroom is your home, so at times it can be difficult to distinguish the two and find those opportunities to shut off for a while.”
For now, students wait for a government announcement and lament the impact of the pandemic on their university experience. Vanessa said: “I underestimated the pandemic when I left in March for the first lockdown, I really didn’t think it would still be an issue by September. Now I’m weary that promises to return to face to face lessons cannot be taken too seriously.” Meanwhile, universities hope for a more ‘occupied’ academic year in 2021–2022.