Student Accommodation: First-Time Renters Are 'Vulnerable'

Students renting their first property are vulnerable as landlords unfairly withhold deposits, do not carrying out repairs, and enter properties without notice, according to a new poll. Shelter teamed-up with YouGov to survey almost 5,000 people to discover students are finding renting difficult, in terms of affordability, poor conditions, and a lack of bargaining power with landlords. Full-time students were around twice as likely to have experienced a landlord or agent entering their home without permission – when compared with non-students – and 41 per cent of student renters said they were forced to borrow money from their parents in order to meet monthly rental payments in the last year. Another third admitted to having used up their savings to meet rent payments in the last year. Read more on the Independent website.