NUS Scotland President Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan: ‘If politicians don’t support students in parliament, we won’t support them in the voting booth’

Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan: ‘Scotland’s students are struggling already and can’t afford more cuts’

NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall: Scottish Government must listen to students & close housing bill loopholes

NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall says Scottish Government must ‘take its head out of the sand’ and bring rents down

NUS Scotland is pleased that the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government for the next year will benefits students who use the train to get to class and who rent in the private rental sector, but urges the government to go further in increasing the rights of students in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and by increasing student financial support for all.

A NUS Scotland survey of 1281 international students has found that they are significantly more likely to experience homelessness than home students.

Following the government’s decision to suspend the rent freeze on student accommodation, NUS Scotland has released a report revealing the depth of the disfunction of the student housing market. 

Following the government’s decision to suspend the rent freeze on student accommodation, NUS Scotland has released a report revealing the depth of the disfunction of the student housing market. 

Download the report (PDF)

Download the report (Word)

Student rents increased by 34% between 2018 and 2021 but despite this surge in price, purpose-built student accommodation remains unfit for purpose. The report found that students were forced to live in unsafe, unfinished buildings; could not access water for up to 96 hours; or could not find housing for several months, being forced to live in hostels or sleep on friends’ sofas.  

The report recommends a reform to the Scottish student housing system that begins with a reinstatement of the rent freeze whilst a more sustainable system of fair rent setting is found. It also argues that the government introduces a PBSA regulator that affords student tenants more rights to leave exploitative tenancies and to be protected from unfair evictions. 

The Scottish Government has announced the suspension of the rent cap for student residential tenancies. The suspension will take place on 30th March 2023, but will only apply to the student accommodation sector. Students renting in the private sector will not be affected.   

NUS Scotland has warned of yet another year of student housing shortages, with a “broken housing system” driving up student homelessness.

Student activists in St Andrews have highlighted the difficulties students are having finding housing for the coming year and first-year students at the University of Glasgow have been told that there is no guarantee they’ll get accommodation.

NUS Scotland is also concerned about the shortage of affordable student accommodation in Edinburgh, particularly with the rise in short-term lets in the city.

NUS Scotland research published earlier this year found that 12 per cent of students had experienced homelessness since the beginning of their studies, with 2 per cent homeless at the time of the survey (Nov-Dec 2021).

Commenting, NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall said:

“There are students across Scotland right now struggling to get accommodation for the year ahead, facing a choice between sofa-surfing or paying sky-high rents.

“Last week we saw another record number of students from the most deprived communities accepted to university but if we don’t get a grip on our broken student housing system, we’re just setting students up to fail.

“Even before the cost-of-living crisis, 12 per cent of students had experienced homelessness – without action I cannot see how this will not increase in the coming year.

“We urgently need a student housing strategy, with rent controls and a student housing guarantee that ensures government, universities, and local authorities work together so every student has a safe and affordable place to live.”