Reading about Student’s Accommodation

Article 1

Students have protested about university-owned accommodation rent (tiền thuê nhà) increases amid criticism too many students rent in the private sector.

Councillors have refused permission for a private six-flat student house (nhà có 6 căn hộ có sự riêng tư cho sinh viên) for Durham University students.

The meeting was told there was “already enough in Durham City and they’re starting to spread to the villages”.

The university said a rise in rent for in-house university rooms (phòng trong khuôn viên trường) was proposed by not formally agreed.

Pro vice chancellor Owen Adams said the charges covered “much more than just accommodation”.

“Students benefit significantly from being part of a unique collegiate community (cộng đồng sinh viên đại học) for the rest of their lives,” he said.

Durham University Students’ Union (SU) said the fees had increased from £4,854 in 2010-11 to £7,171 in 2017-18.

President Megan Croll said a single room now cost more than a mortgage repayment (tiền trả góp) on a two-bedroom new-build house in the same area.

“To many living in County Durham, they’ll look at those prices [over 30% of the average yearly salary for the county] and get the message loud and clear, that Durham University, the world-class, historic university and the centre of their city, isn’t a place for people like them,” she said.

Financial help was available for students from low-income families, the university said.

Fees paid for staff, communal spaces for clubs and social events, and, in some cases, hot meals, it added.

At a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the private flat application Liberal Democrat councillor David Freeman said the university had “very limited interest in how students behave when they’re not living on their own accommodation in colleges”.

The university said it took residents’ concerns “very seriously”.

Article 2

A third of UK students have gone without heating or running water in their properties, a survey has suggested.

The state of accommodation is among a list of 10 biggest concerns among young tenants, (người thuê nhà) the survey of 2,196 students by website Save the Student suggests.

But noisy housemates remains the biggest gripe (sự kêu ca phàn nàn) in the annual survey.

It also highlights concerns about the cost of living away from home for the first time.

The findings suggested that typical upfront costs, including fees, the deposit, (tiền cọc) and a month’s rent (tiền thuê nhà) in advance, totalled £970.

Average rent stood at about £125 a week, of which parents contribute an average of £44. One in five students receive more than £100 a week from parents to help cover the cost. 

Two in five turned to overdrafts, (thấu chi, chi đến âm số dư tài khoản) loans, and credit cards to pay the rental bill, Save the Student said.

Previous research by student housing charity Unipol and the National Union of Students suggested that the average price of student accommodation in the UK had risen by nearly a third in six years.

Where to go for help

Student finance: What you need to know, from the independent Money Advice Service

Save The Student website

Maintenance loans and grants information in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland

Money and funding, from the National Union of Students

Join the conversation in the BBC News Affordable Living Facebook group

About 30% of those asked had started to look for the following academic year’s lodgings (nhà ở) by November in an attempt to find a decent deal and to spread the cost over time.

In addition to the cost, poor conditions in student accommodation were a major concern.

One student in Portsmouth said that on the day she moved in there was no front door on the property and there was no heating for two months. Another in Newcastle said she had no hot water for the entire year.

“I had to boil the kettle and fill up the sink that way to wash my face,” she said.

Damp, (ẩm ướt) a lack of water or heating, disruptive building work, and rodents (loài gặm nhấm) and pests (sâu bọ) all featured in the top 10 list of complaints, according to the Save the Student survey.

Jake Butler, from Save the Student, said: “Too many people – including students – seem to believe that poor living conditions are just a part of student life.

“While the laws around renting are constantly improving there needs to be a much easier way for students to report and resolve problems with their accommodation.”

Updated legislation, which takes effect on 20 March, is designed to ensure that all rented accommodation is fit for human habitation and strengthens tenants’ means of redress against landlords (chỉnh sửa uốn nắn) who fail to keep their properties safe.

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