Archive - Thursday, 9 February 2012


Find by date

Other ways to search

Also look for

Never miss anything again. Sign up for our RSS news feeds and Newsletters.

Students 'pressured' to sign up for homes months in advance

STUDENTS in Oxford are signing expensive leases almost a year early to secure their homes because of pressure from landlords and letting agents, it was claimed last night.

Oxford Brookes students who are calling for a new ethical code of practice Oxford Brookes students who are calling for a new ethical code of practice

About 1,500 students at both universities have signed a petition calling on agents to adopt a new ethical code of practice.

It follows accusations that companies rake in thousands of pounds by urging students to sign up for houses as much as 10 months before they move in, and charging hefty holding fees.

Brookes student union adviser Jo Cox said first year students were pressured in October and November to sign up for houses for the following academic year, before they had time to decide who they wanted to live with.

She estimated students were paying up to £775 each towards their following year’s housing by the end of February, when they could pick up cheaper deals if they waited until later in the year. Most have to pay an administration fee, a holding fee, a deposit and at least the first month’s rent up front. Some international students, without UK-based guarantors, are asked for six months rent in advance.

Fine art student Evelyn Jones, 19, signed up for a house for her second year just a month after starting at Brookes.

She said; “Everyone was urged to sign up straight away or lose out. They pretty much pressured us to sign up for a house and we had to pay all the fees up front.

“Now I know I have moved in with the wrong people, and should have waited to find people more suitable.”

Wendy Dant, from the Brookes student advice centre, said: “It really is not fair on the students to make them make big financial decisions when they’re not ready to. No-one else would be asked to sign up for a property 10 months in advance.”

The proposed ethical code of practice would ask letting agents not to pursue students to sign contracts early, and not to advertise properties for the next academic year until February 1.

Chris Shahab, of letting agents Hutton Parker, said: “I know of one letting agent this year who put their list of properties (for the following academic year) out at the beginning of October, when tenants had only moved in in September. Landlords are scared they’re not going to let their properties out.”

He said the company would be happy to sign up to an ethical code of practice, but it needed all firms in the city to agree for it to work.


Comments (10)

09/02/12

oafie says...

It's the same for everyone else too though, because of the demand made worse by the numbers of students.
Many agents totally exploit the situation.......with their publicity stunts by making students lists only available on one day. (NOPS)
Agents apply the same rules to anyone trying to rent in Oxford, we all have to pay the over the top admin charges, renewal fees, lose about a third of a deposit, as well as rents being at levels that even if you work,many have toclaim housing benefit on top and if you fail their credit check or are selfemployed they askfor sixmonths rentup front, and quite cheerily tellyou that if you can't manage it, there are plenty who can.How many of these agents check where the great piles of cash come from that 'foreign students' bring, and they certainly don't care about the numbers who keep lettings on after they have finished and then sublet them.

09/02/12

Shaun the Faun says...

Common-practice in university towns and cities across the UK and has been for some time. Fact of life. Nothing special about Oxford in this regard.

09/02/12

xjohnx says...

If there is enough housing then I can't see how the students can be pressured. If there isn't enough housing then how are this years students managing?
Could this be a not story, promoted by an interest group?

09/02/12

CoggesResident says...

I think the agents need to take a good long look at themselves, as soon both the Universities in Oxford will be housing more students in halls, the myth of the lack of housing will die out and the agents will be left with property on their hands. Maybe they will deal with other residents more fairly then!
The Shelter campaign has it right, the Government needs to take action agains rogue landlords for all members of society which includes students.

09/02/12

davyboy says...

CoggesResident wrote:
I think the agents need to take a good long look at themselves, as soon both the Universities in Oxford will be housing more students in halls, the myth of the lack of housing will die out and the agents will be left with property on their hands. Maybe they will deal with other residents more fairly then!
The Shelter campaign has it right, the Government needs to take action agains rogue landlords for all members of society which includes students.
totally agree. all students should be housed by the university or college they attend, then rent prices will fall and more houses will be available for regular tenants. agencies do rack up rents and charges for students, knowing they will have to pay or have nowhere to live. deposits should be held by the secure landlord deposit association, so there cannot be any rip-offs.

09/02/12

Olivia E says...

Shaun the Faun wrote:
Common-practice in university towns and cities across the UK and has been for some time. Fact of life. Nothing special about Oxford in this regard.
It's not common practice in all university towns, there are those out there that don't have this problem because they have great accreditation schemes that weed out the bad agents and landlords. Even if it were true, why be apathetic about it? As Oafie says the locals get a rough ride too, so this is an issue that needs looking at all round.

10/02/12

SNJ says...

The agent ratchet things up and imply there will be no houses left if students don't sign up by Christmas for the next academic year. This then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

10/02/12

faatmaan says...

a sign of the times , when driving around Oxford , there are increasingly more signs 'To let - students only', it use to be a very rare sight, so perhaps things are getting better.

10/02/12

SNJ says...

Students don't want to live in purpose-built halls of residence, especially if they have cars.

Only this week planning permission 11/02946/VAR was granted to vary condition 15 of planning permission 09/02802/VAR to allow occupation of the development at the Slade Barracks by students in full-time education on courses of one academic year or more.

I thought the original idea was that it was going to be filled with Brookes students.

12/02/12

GPOWELL says...

davyboy wrote:
CoggesResident wrote:
I think the agents need to take a good long look at themselves, as soon both the Universities in Oxford will be housing more students in halls, the myth of the lack of housing will die out and the agents will be left with property on their hands. Maybe they will deal with other residents more fairly then!
The Shelter campaign has it right, the Government needs to take action agains rogue landlords for all members of society which includes students.
totally agree. all students should be housed by the university or college they attend, then rent prices will fall and more houses will be available for regular tenants. agencies do rack up rents and charges for students, knowing they will have to pay or have nowhere to live. deposits should be held by the secure landlord deposit association, so there cannot be any rip-offs.
What will happen is that all the landlords who have rented out their poor quality accomodation to students will be left with empty houses. Rental prices will fall on poor quality houses but demand for good quality houses will remain high as most student houses are not suitable for occupation by families.

If you believe that the secure landlord deposit scheme stops rip-offs then you obviously haven't rented property in Oxford. Landlords still regularly withhold a proportion of deposits and agencies close ranks with them when a complaint is raised. Whilst a complaint is investigated the deposit is frozen. Most renters can't afford a second deposit so are forced to take the deduction as they need the deposit money for their next rental.