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Thousands of students from over 45 universities are participating in a rent strike after they were expected to pay full rent over lockdown. Over three thousand students from across the UK are refusing to pay rent this January; this will be the biggest rent strike since the mid-1970s.
Many university students are frustrated with their universities’ decisions to charge full rent, despite some students being unable to return to their accommodations until at least February. Students had been promised that there would be face-to-face learning in semester 2, but, with another nationwide lockdown, they are left paying full price for empty rooms that they can’t return to.
The strikes come after students at Manchester University had their rent reduced by 30% in November of last year; students across the country wanted to follow suit after seeing the success of the strike. Ben McGowan, a politics and sociology student and an organiser for Manchester’s Rent Strike, spoke with The Guardian about the success of strike at his University: “It’s a big relief, it does feel like a big victory. But it’s a shame it took so much.” He elaborated, “This isn’t the end of student anger at the university. I hope it’s a moment for students on campus to see direct action work and we actually win.”
Zac Larkham, who started Sheffield Hallam University’s rent strikes and is a first-year studying applied social sciences, spoke with us about his experience in his university’s accommodation:
“We have around 500 students that have signed up to our online forum to go on rent strike at my university.” He explained, “It became apparent that a lot of students haven’t been listened to and are being ignored.” Zac believes “universities should be ensuring that the accommodations that they have outsourced should be up to standards that they say they are.”
A large number of students like Zac are fighting for the reduction of rent due to dissatisfaction with accommodation standards, while also complaining that staff give students a lack of privacy, on top of many other issues. “There was a problem with security staff as well…They sort of come and go as they please. It’s almost like they’re a prison guard more than someone who’s supposed to be looking out for students.”
Zac clarified, “My experience in halls hasn’t been as bad as others but the reason we started this was to give other people a voice.” The strikers can be found on Instagram at @shu.rentstrike.
There are also a growing number of complaints from Sheffield Hallam students about the lack of support for sexual assault victims on accommodation grounds. Zac said that there should be a revamp of his university’s complaints system to ensure everyone is being listened to.
Currently, the largest rent strike is taking place at Bristol University, as a staggering 1,400 students are continuing to demand that their rent be reduced, and no-penalty contract releases issued if they wish to end their lease. As of December 19th 2020, the university had said it would be reducing its students’ rent for seven weeks as a result of the staggered return.
With the deadline of the strike looming, rent strike pages have offered advice to those who wish to withhold their payments by cancelling their direct debit. Students who are participating in the strike will most likely be protected under The Consumer Rights Act 2015, meaning there will be no academic repercussions, but many fear that it won’t stop universities from taking other disciplinary action.