'Fair rent' campaign launched by Scots university students

The Herald Scotland

7 hours ago

And they are calling on the Scottish Government to tighten student housing regulations.
Justine Pédussel is the Vice President for Communities at Stirling University Student Union, an elected and salaried full-time position.
She explains how student activists banded together to start the campaign, which is part of the National Union of Students (NUS), telling The Herald: 'A group of different sabbatical officers across Scotland who were really passionate about housing came together to deal with the crisis collectively. We identified some of the key problems and how to then fix those.'
Student housing is currently not included in rent control protections. (Image: Supplied) Ms Pédussel says that lack of robust regulation is one of the key issues facing student renters.
'When the 2016 Tenancy Act was passed at Holyrood, student tenancies were explicitly excluded within the definition and scope of the bill,' she notes, referring to paragraph 5 of Schedule 1 of the Act, which exempts student housing from normal tenancy rules.
'And so we thought, if we can change that, then a lot of the things that are happening to students regarding their deposits and how long they can stay and the conditions that they live in would all change, because there would suddenly be many more rules and regulations that student accommodation providers would have to follow.'
Asked to pinpoint some key issues facing student renters, Ms Pédussel digs out an extensive list of statistics.
For example, the price of bespoke student accommodation has increased by over 34% in recent years, she informs me. Furthermore, 93% of student renters reported issues with housing, 42% had mould or mildew, 41% had issues with heating or cooling, and the flats of 22% were infested with mice and rats.
Glasgow Caledonian University Student Association President Oluwatomisin Osinubi, or 'Tom Tom,' has also been involved with the campaign.
She adds: 'A common theme for students across Scotland is the fact that students don't really have a place in terms of renting rights. The government doesn't have the right view; they just assume that students are people that live with their families or have the money to pay for purpose built student accommodation. But that's not true for everyone.
Indeed, NUS figures suggest international or estranged students are at greater risk of becoming homeless.
Students gathered at the Scottish Parliament. (Image: Supplied) Ms Osinubi says: 'The rental options available to students are just ridiculously difficult. You're either paying extreme prices for student accommodation, or you're having to sign contracts that are also very difficult. If you're going to private rent from landlords, they ask you for guarantors and they treat students poorly, generally.
The term 'hidden homelessness' comes up, which refers to a situation where someone might not exhibit the conventional signs of being homeless.
Ms Osinubi explains, noting: "If you are sofa surfing, if you're having to sleep on anybody's couch or stay with a friend because your landlord has evicted you, then you are homeless.
'One particularly big problem that we are always seeing is landlords who take advantage of students. You know, a new student comes to Glasgow who doesn't know anything about Glasgow, and they pay money to a strange person who just disappears with the money.'
Ms Pédussel agrees. She says the current rules, which often force students to provide a UK-based guarantor, are driving people into homelessness.
'The guarantor system is a bit of a vicious cycle because in order to rent privately, you have to have a UK-based guarantor or pay up to six months up front,' she says.
'If you can't afford to do that because you don't have a UK based guarantor, for example, if you are a low-income student or an international student, then essentially you have no choice but to apply to student accommodation.'
'If you can't access that because it's really expensive, that's how we end up with a lot of homeless students. In order to avoid that situation, students will stay in really horrible housing without heating or infested with mice and rats.'
According to Ms Osinubi, some students have been forced to stay in abusive relationships or unsafe living situations to keep a roof over their heads.
She says: 'We've had cases where students were living with family members that were abusive, or with people that 'took them in,'' she repeats this phrase for emphasis, 'and then did stuff like locking them out of the house or giving them times when to come into the flat.'
'Housing is a human right', reads a sign outside McEwan Hall in Edinburgh. (Image: Supplied) Ms Pedussel says the campaign has received a mixed reaction from political parties as the NUS lobbies ahead of crucial votes on the Scottish Government's Housing Bill in the autumn.
'We're trying to give students a voice and highlight a lot of these issues,' she says.
'Some of the political parties have been really interested in engaging with us and listening to what we have to say and have recognized that there's a lot of issues that students are facing. And then there are others who have refused to meet with us and are consistently against the idea that students need to be protected.
'The narrative seems to be very focused on how protecting students will be bad for landlords.'
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The Scottish Government's Housing Bill was lodged in March 2024, and has slowly made its way through the parliamentary legislation system.
One of the bill's amendments, which would include rent control and leaving notice protections for students residing in university halls and purpose built accommodation, has been praised as a key win for campaigners.
In May, cross party MSPs added the amendment to the draft bill over the objections of then-Housing Minister Paul McLennan.
Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer said at the time: 'Far too many students pay sky high rents for halls and other purpose-built accommodation. They deserve the same rights as other renters, and I am glad that MSPs have backed plans to crack down on the accommodation operators ripping off students.'
A final vote is expected later this year.