Renters Reform Bill - groups still lobbying for further changes

A coalition of higher education and student housing organisations have called on the government to make further changes to the Renters Reform Bill to safeguard student housing supply. 

In letters to the government and the Labour Party, organisations including Universities UK, Unipol, and Nottingham Trent University warned of the detrimental impact of the legislation on student housing if the sector is not consulted further.

This comes after concerns about the shortfall in student housing have grown, with industry figures from Savills last month claiming that more than 230,000 beds are needed to meet the demand for purpose-built student accommodation.

SAPRS (Student Accredited Private Rental Sector) – a coalition of second- and third-year student accommodation providers across Britain and a signatory of the joint letter – also recently commissioned a YouGov poll suggesting that 53% of the British public believe the government should be doing more to support students find housing.

The letter expresses concern at government plans to end fixed-term tenancy agreements for private student housing. This would threaten the availability, affordability, and quality of student housing across the country as a result of the Renters Reform Bill which has returned to Parliament.

SAPRS believes that the Bill must be amended to ensure parity between purpose-built student accommodation and private student housing to avoid worsening the student housing crisis, provided that landlords sign up to an approved code of conduct with quality standards and protections for students.

In late March, Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young confirmed that the Bill would be amended further in an attempt to resolve concerns about the legislation’s impact on the student housing stock in England.

However, SAPRS insists the changes proposed by the government do not go far enough.

“Anything less than parity with the way the Bill treats the purpose-built student accommodation sector is just not enough” says a spokesperson for SAPRS. 

He continues: “These predictions paint a grim picture of what the future holds for student housing if we don’t see urgent steps to address the student housing crisis. With the pressure of end of year exams and coursework, the next few months will be incredibly challenging for students as it is. The government must ensure the Renters Reform Bill recognises the situation and offers security for private student housing.”