Rent costs for all accommodation on campus are set to rise by 6.9% in the coming academic year.
Last year the rise in rent was only 1.5%, which was deemed as too small of an increase, which is why a large amendment is needed. It is then likely that increases next year will be lower.
The increase in rent consists of a rise of 6.7% of rent costs with an addition of 0.2% for damages. However, in terms of damages anything less than £10 will be scrapped and the student will not have this docked from their deposit as a sign of good will.
The cheapest accommodation on campus at the moment is a standard room in Bowland College, at a cost of £68.95 per week. With the proposed increase, for the next academic year it will cost £73.71 per week, an extra £190.30 to pay on this year. At the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive non-catered single rooms are the superior en-suite across most colleges, coming to £105.35 per week. With the increases they will cost £112.62 per week, meaning an extra £290.77 per year.
Reaction from students has been mixed. Heather Bennett, a second year Fine Art student from County College has issues with the increase in rent. “That’s outrageous. I was on campus last year and that was expensive enough but if it goes up even more I’ll be forced to live off campus again. I wanted to go back on campus as I have a big workload but I’ll have to rethink it now.”
However, Robert Maidstone, a third year Mathematics student from Furness College is currently on campus and will be looking for somewhere to live next year. “I’m not really bothered about the increase. My rent isn’t particularly high in the first place so it will only increase by around £5 anyway. Increases in rent are inevitable and I’ll still be on campus next year.”
Head of Colleges and Student Life Hilary Simmons had more information on the increase in rent. “We provide very good quality accommodation and our rent levels are very competitive when compared to other universities with a similar offering. By clearly advertising our product and pricing earlier in the academic year, we will enable students to make an informed decision regarding their options for the next academic year and arrange their accommodation accordingly.”
Rent levels are approved by the Finance Committee every year following a discussion with interested parties, including LUSU. Changes in rent are based on a standard formula linked to the Retail Price Index. Rent policy is identical for University owned accommodation and UPP accommodation.
