University rent increases are dangerous and deeply unfair

Earlier this month, I met with a group of students from Stirling University.

Like so many other people across Scotland, they were really concerned about the cost of living crisis.

They told me about students who are really struggling, forced to rely on foodbanks to ensure there was a meal on the table at the end of the day.

It was a deeply sobering conversation – young adults in Scotland, often leaving home for the first time, are in seriously precarious circumstances.

And it’s not just in Stirling where this is an issue.

Thirty-seven per cent of students surveyed by NUS Scotland in 2023 have considered dropping out for financial reasons, with the cost of living crisis cited by one in five folks who responded as a key factor.

More than half of those surveyed have skipped a meal because of lack of money, and one in 10 had used a foodbank.

But despite this desperate situation, the University of Stirling has decided to increase the rents in their university owned student accommodation for the next academic year by up to nine per cent.

Let’s put this plainly – as students struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis for a generation, the University of Stirling has chosen to make student accommodation more expensive.

The University of Stirling has the final say on what they charge as rent in student accommodation.

And whilst we’ve seen a new three per cent rent cap to protect tenants in private rented accommodation from excessive rent increases during their tenancies, this doesn’t apply to university-run student accommodation.

Even if it did, as tenancies in student accommodation are only ever for one year, the university would still be able to increase rents as each new academic year comes around.

Universities say that they need to raise rents to cover increased costs due to inflation.

Yet the University of Stirling has financial reserves of over £134million, despite making the right decision during the pandemic to freeze rents in student accommodation.

Yet, Stirling’s social housing sector – which are also not covered by the emergency rent cap – have agreed a much lower 2.9 per cent rent increase, despite facing similar inflationary challenges.

Shunting increased costs onto students who are already struggling is not only dangerous, it’s a deeply unfair decision.

Two weeks ago, I asked the First Minister in the Chamber about the rent increases we were seeing in university accommodation.

In his response, he reminded universities in Scotland about their duty of care to students who are struggling during the cost of living crisis.

Alongside the Minister for Higher and Further Education Graeme Dey, I have written to the University of Stirling to remind them of this responsibility.

The University of Stirling cannot be allowed to plunge their students further into poverty.

They must urgently reverse their decision to increase rents today, before it’s too late.

They must urgently reverse their decision