A recent survey has discovered a sharp national increase of 22% on student accommodation payments since 2006-07.

The review, undertaken NUS and Unipol Student Homes, reveals an unprecedented increase – a rental rise 13% above the average rate of inflation. The report released this month expresses both the concern at the snowballing rental costs and what needs to be done. Wes Streeting, president of NUS concludes a gloomy prospect for students should the rise be allowed to continue, “Students are already graduating with tens of thousands of pounds of debt, and soaring accommodation costs will only make the situation worse. With graduate job prospects at an all time low, things are looking very bleak for many students.”

However, with a 23% swell in applicants for university places this year according to UCAS, this increase seems unlikely to cease. Wooster and Stock, a leading estate agent based in South East London that caters for students have seen this rush to secure housing at any cost. Jenny Holland, Head of Lettings at Wooster & Stock, explains: “The number of university applicants has had a significant knock-on effect for the rental market. Since house prices picked up in January many landlords are selling their properties, and this shortage coupled with the sharp rise in demand for student housing will see rents increase even further. For many undergraduates, securing rental accommodation is becoming extremely difficult and the potential consequences are terrible.” At a recent Goldsmiths University Open Day they experienced the shortage first hand, with 11 groups of tenants for every four bedroom properties available to rent.

Students throughout the UK have suffered as a result of these price increases, Katharine Clissold a second year student from Exeter said “We looked at one place that was above a fish and chip shop that smelt badly of fat and had tiny rooms and was £85 a week without bills” and Morgan Lewis a third year archaeology student from Durham told me “Last year I lived in a house that was £79 a week, this year the same house with no changes costs £85 a week”...>> Read more

Source: The National Student
http://www.thenational student.co.uk/2010/04/20/survey-shows-accommodation-cost-rise/