Private Landlords – What are your Guild Officers doing about them?

This is an extremely uncertain and worrying time for many, as the Covid-19 crisis continues to plough through our very own way of life and disrupt business as usual.

For students in particular, accommodation is one of the biggest and most important factors that contribute to the university experience, but it also carries a reasonably sized financial burden. In times like this, everyone needs support and representation, which is why our Guild Officers are stepping up to the plate and providing inspirational leadership in what is a frightening topic for all.

What actions are being taken?

Many people will have returned home to be prematurely reunited with family, as our period of being under house arrest takes hold over the nation, which is why it is an absurd proposition that students should be forced to pay for accommodation that is not actually being resided in or used.

Landlords who rent property in the private sector have a moral duty and our Students Officers are working round the clock to ensure they are aware of this ethical quagmire. Advice has been set out on the Guild website about how best to face this issue which can be found here.

What can you do?

Students are directed to read through their tenancy agreements and check to see if there is a break clause within it, which allows for an early termination of the contract. If this is the case, students should follow this up with the Guild Advice Team. However, if there is no break clause in sight, students should instead make contact directly with their landlord to discuss the possibility of being released from the contract or for a reduction in rent fees.

Unions Joining Forces

Our Student Officers are joining forces and combining as one, with many others across the isles, along with the powerful National Union of Students to call on all landlords to release students from their contracts without penalty.

Alongside this heroic set of actions, the Guild Officers also took a stand against the Purpose Build Student Accommodation (PBSA) providers stating that any financial burden as a result of Covid-19 should not fall onto students, and as a result, various students took it upon themselves to contact the Private Landlord Sector so to call them out on the issue.

They send a clear message – take action and protect your tenants!

Extra Support and Information

If anyone requires assistance with anything related to this there is information on the Guild website which also contains an article with specific information on the steps taken so far, which can be found here.