Self-isolating students told to move out

STUDENTS have been left confused and concerned after being asked to leave their homes while they were self-isolating.

Two students who shared a house said they had reached the end of their tenancy when their landlord UWE Houses said they had to move out.

The students, who did not wish to be named, said they were told they had “no right” to stay in their homes after their tenancy ends, regardless of whether they’d tested positive for Covid-19 or were self-isolating.

One student said it left them “worried” at the thought of exposing other people to coronavirus. They said: “They put us in a really difficult and stressful situation.”

UWE Houses says it has “acted upon the advice given by those whose job it is to advise us,” adding: “Covid is a fast-moving situation and the guidance is rewritten frequently.”

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said this week tenants should be given extra time at their homes if they’ve been told to self-isolate.

An email sent by UWE Houses to its tenants this month states: “We have checked the legislation and sought advice from our professional trade body, and it is clear that you do not have any right to stay in the house even if you are self-isolating or suffering from Covid, so in these circumstances you should arrange to go to your next accommodation in the safest way possible and self-isolate there for the required period.”

A spokesperson for the NRLA said this week: “Where tenants have a confirmed Covid diagnosis or have been told to self-isolate by the NHS landlords must respect the required isolation period during which households should not move.

“We also encourage landlords to show as much flexibility as possible to support their tenants and help efforts to halt the spread of the virus.”

The official advice on the government website reads: “If you are contractually committed to move home, you should seek to delay your move until all members of your household have come to the end of their selfisolation period.

“All parties involved in home buying and selling should prioritise agreeing amicable arrangements to change completion dates where someone in a chain or their family member is self-isolating or has tested positive for coronavirus.”

It continued: “Tenants’ safety should be letting agents’ and landlords’ first priority.”

Meanwhile the University of the West of England (UWE), which says it is not linked to UWE Houses, says it’s allowing self-isolating students to remain in its housing at no extra cost in order to complete their quarantine period.