As freshers’ events get into swing for Manchester Metropolitan University students this week, mechanical engineering student Karl still doesn’t know where he will be calling home for the first year of his studies.
After Karl gained a place on his course through clearing, he quickly realised securing housing would be a struggle. The 20-year-old was told by his university that they wouldn’t be able to offer him accommodation shortly after he gained his place.
“I didn’t expect first year to be like this,” Karl says. “It’s quite depressing – I see all of these freshers having fun and I’m just looking for somewhere to live.”
He has joined the waiting list for a private hall of residence but has heard nothing back. “I was really looking forward to living in halls, where other first years are – it’s way more easy to socialise,” he says.
While he was deeply disappointed not to be able to enjoy the typical first-year experience, as term approached his focus turned to just finding somewhere safe and affordable to live. He moved from Newcastle to Liverpool at the beginning of the month to stay at his aunt’s house and is sharing his cousin’s room.
Karl is flat-hunting in Manchester with two other first-years from different universities in the city whom he met through an online group. “This has put so much stress on my mental health as I’m spending all my time looking for accommodation – which is either too expensive or too far away,” he says. “I’ve given up on the expected first year experience.”
For Maanya, freshers’ week at the University of Surrey hasn’t gone quite as hoped. Instead of settling into her flatshare and socialising with new friends, the 18-year-old first year has had to commute from her family home in Sutton to attend any events, up to a 90-minute journey each way. “From Guildford, there are no trains after midnight, so I’m only going for one night when I’ll be picked up by parents by car,” she says. “It’s definitely not what I expected from freshers’ week – I’m quite upset.”
After Maanya secured her place on the university’s media course through clearing, she was told by the university that they could not offer her a room in their halls, and advised her to search for private accommodation.
She was one of about 200 students who joined a groupchat to vent their frustrations after not being offered rooms. “The university should not accept so many people on to their courses if they cannot accommodate them,” Maanya says, adding that there were others in the group who did not get their place through clearing. “Or [they should] make it clear that not everyone will get accommodated so people can look for other options earlier.”
Maanya was relieved when she finally managed to secure a studio flat, rented by a private provider – but then her move-in date, originally due to be 18 September for the first day of freshers’ week – was pushed back by two weeks because of construction work on her block. She has missed most of the freshers’ week events and will be spending her first week of lectures in a Travelodge.
Costs have been an issue too, as her studio flat costs £305 a week – twice the 18-year-old’s original budget, set when she expected to live in university halls. “I’ll be able to afford less things like going out. Because I’ll have my own kitchen, there’s the additional cost of buying everything myself rather than sharing some things. And then there’s obviously the experience of having flatmates that I won’t [get].”
Chloe Field, vice-president for higher education at the National Union of Students, called on universities to provide affordable accommodation and the government to introduce stronger protections for student tenants. “The 2023 National Student Accommodation survey published earlier this year showed that 63% of students struggle to find the money to pay accommodation costs and two in five have considered dropping out due to rent or bills.
“Universities should ensure their accommodation options are affordable, but the student housing market is broken, and urgent action is needed from the government, too. We need rent controls to stop landlords exploiting students, and we need the government to resist the lobbying of landlords seeking to water down the protections offered to students by the renters reform bill.”
A spokesperson for the University of Surrey said: “All students who applied for university-owned accommodation before the deadline have been allocated a room on campus. We regret that we have been unable to allocate campus accommodation to some students who applied for a room after the deadline or secured their place with us through clearing. Most students found alternative accommodation within days, following our guidance and support.”
A Manchester Metropolitan University spokesperson said: “There is always variability in the number of students who require accommodation. On average around 20-30% of our first year students will choose to get accommodation through university-owned or leased options. The remainder choose to seek accommodation in the private rental market or to commute from home. We provide an accommodation guarantee for all those first-year students who make us their first choice and apply for accommodation before 15 June.”
Others further along in their studies, where students usually turn to the private rented sector for accommodation, also shared their turbulent journeys in finding housing.
Charlotte, an art student in their fourth year at Edinburgh University, isn’t sure where they’re going to live for the first seven weeks of term. While the 23-year-old has a flat secured with two friends, their lease doesn’t start until November. What’s more, Charlotte’s name isn’t on it, as they and their two flatmates, who are a couple, could only manage to find a two-bed.
Classes are well under way at the university, but Charlotte is living out of a suitcase and bouncing around friends’ homes. They are worried about the impact of sofa-surfing for half the term. “I’m staying with friends for a few nights a week, an Airbnb, and then probably the occasional escape to my sister’s in Aberdeen. I am sure my learning and student job are going to suffer because I won’t have a quiet space to work on my own until the semester is more than halfway through.”
Charlotte anticipates spending abour £800 a month in September and October on temporary accommodation and travel. “I am still hoping to find someone with a spare room for the next two months, but at this point that seems like a miracle,” they say.
• This article was amended on 27 September 2023 to replace an image that showed Manchester University rather than Manchester Metropolitan University.
