Things could all be so differ-rent

Influencing accommodation costs at your institution

Session objectives: • Understand some of the

history of student accommodation • Consider what it is for • Establish strategies you can

use to influence rent-setting at your institution

Student accommodation – a history

13th Century:

Students lived where they could “in taverns, private homes or wherever they could find them, or in the ephemeral houses, halls or hospices hired by some ‘regent Master of Arts’”

Harold Silver, 2004

Student behaviour largely unsupervised and undisciplined causing friction between students and communities – riots and disturbances

Student accommodation – a history

16th Century:

Accommodation seen as part of the role of the college in moulding students and forming part of their moral and academic experience

Accommodation intended as an extension of study space and brought more areas of student life under the purview of the institution

Student accommodation – a history

Mid 20th century: Seen as critical factor in student success and very desirable despite shortage of money post WWII

University Grants Committee saw it as desirable “for common life and for the interplay of mind upon mind”

1960’s – backlash against control, change to age of majority

Student accommodation – a history

1990s onwards: HE expansion – HEFCE grants no longer included accommodation subsidies

Many universities turned to private finance and partnerships with private providers

Marketing comes into play more

What is student accommodation for?

University Grants Committee 1957 found itself “unable to resolve questions about halls without first having ‘a concept of the purpose of a university’”

Question: How does your institution view accommodation and how does this fit with how it considers itself?

How does your institution view accommodation?

‘Brand’ ‘World leading’

‘Affordable’

‘Character’ ‘Demand’

‘High end’

‘Top of the range’ ‘Marketable’

‘Student lifestyle’

‘Meeting expectations’ ‘Free’

Questions to ask…

How does the institution’s accommodation strategy fit with its widening participation agenda?

Does accommodation subsidise other areas of the institution?

Is more expensive accommodation used to subsidise affordable accommodation?

Background

• Last year’s publication of NUS/Unipol Accommodation Costs Survey showed cost of living in halls has doubled in the past ten years

• NUS Pound in Your Pocket research showed over fifty per cent of students regularly worried about meeting basic living costs such as rent

• Recent decrease in student numbers and increase in private provision has led to an increasingly competitive and fluctuating market

Accommodation Costs Survey

• Research conducted every 2 – 3 years by NUS and Unipol

• Aimed at institutions and private providers of purpose-built student accommodation (or halls of residence)

• Last year’s survey covered around 85 per cent of bed spaces

• There have been huge changes in recent years to:

– The level of rent charged

– The types of room on offer

– Who is providing these rooms

Rising rents: 2006 - 2012

Rising rents: Common room types

Institution Nomination Private

Self catering

single

£97.08 £97.05 £98.31

Self catering

en suite

£122.81 £119.99 £122.33

Studio £134.40 £160.58 £188.09

Average annual rent across all providers and room types was £5,244.04

Rising rents: By region

Room types on offer

Room types on offer – by provider type

Fees charged – by provider type

Student accommodation choices

Accommodation cost: Impact on financial wellbeing

Of those living in halls, students in quintile 1 are 50 per cent more likely to work over 16 hours per week than those in quintile 5. In the broader

sample, they are 21 per cent more likely to work this many hours.

Building your case

Welfare case

• Rising faster than student support

• Harder for students to find work

• Families likely to be under increased pressure

• Can present a barrier to access

• Limits choice of students who are less able to pay

• Opportunity to join up with widening participation strategy

• Not all students have access to bursaries and rent waivers:

– e.g. estranged students, disproportionately likely to affect LGBT students

Business case

• Cost concerns may affect choice of institution

• 59 per cent of international students think accommodation cost is ‘very important’

• Empty bed spaces this year due to decreased student numbers

• More development planned for next year

• Private providers likely to market aggressively

• Returning students likely to be more cost sensitive

Planning your campaign

Analysing the issue

• Investigate rents and rent setting process

• Compare and contrast

• Consider diversity of membership

• Consult members

Developing your strategy

• Map stakeholders • Develop your ask • Look beyond headlines • Prepare to compromise • Consider tactics • Think long term

Monitoring and Evaluating

• Plan clear, measurable aims and objectives

• Assess and demonstrate your impact

Key questions to consider

If your institution offers accommodation:

• What would a progressive rent structure look like at your institution?

• Is the rate at which accommodation costs have risen at your institution in recent years in line with inflation/student support?

• Are you involved in the rent setting process and your institution’s future development plans?

• Which arguments can you utilise with your institutional management to best effect?

General questions:

• What are the obstacles for students in finding affordable accommodation options at your institution?

• How does accommodation choice impact on broader academic experience?

• How might accommodation impact on other costs, such as transport?

• How does accommodation impact on the social experience of students?

A few ideas…

• Attend open days and talk to prospective students about their accommodation choices

• An alternative prospectus featuring students’ experiences of accommodation at your institution

• Gather students’ experiences of living in expensive accommodation e.g. Kent case study, #RentAche

• Find out what students like about more affordable accommodation to influence your institution’s future strategy

• Work with your student media

Resources

• Accommodation Costs Survey report

• Accommodation Costs Campaigning Guide

• www.poundinyourpocket.org.uk

• Accommodation costs and financial wellbeing briefing

• Accommodation Costs Social Policy Briefing

Thank you!

Keep in touch:

Jo.Goodman@nus.org.uk