Durham University: “There has been enough accommodation in the city”
By Elizabeth McBride
The University’s assessment of the housing market is that there will be enough student accommodation in Durham to meet predicted demand for the 2024/2025 academic year. On their website, Durham also claims that, according to their figures, “there has been enough accommodation in the city for everyone who wanted it this year.”
Over the past year, Durham has worked with City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy, Durham Students’ Union, letting agents, landlords, City of Durham Parish Council, and Durham County Council to change the market, after images of students queuing up overnight outside letting agents made national news in 2022.
As a result of their work, the University has launched their ‘Housing Hub’ – a portal on which students can find resources to help them find a home in the city – and some landlords and letting agents have signed a new Student Lettings Code of Practice.
Information about different areas, signing a contract, and what to check before renting is on the Hub.
“There has been enough accomodation in the city for everyone who wanted it this year.”
durham university
The site tells students, “Durham has a variety of rental properties with varying rent rates and it is therefore possible to pay a reasonable rent if you are prepared to consider all the options.”
Rent prices in Durham have risen considerably over the last few years. A catered room with a shared bathroom in University-owned college accommodation currently costs £234.77 per week, after the University approved a 10.3% increase in both accommodation and catering charges last year.
Maintenance loans, however, have only increased by 2.8%. Outside of University-owned accommodation, in 2022 StuRents (a student accomodation listing site) estimated that the average rent prices for HMOs in Durham is increasing by 19% year-on-year.
Durham has recently increased their Durham Grant Scheme, which financially supports students from low-income families, by 13.6%. Undergraduates with a household income of less than £30,000 as assessed by Student Finance England (or equivalent) can receive a Durham Grant of £2,500 under the scheme.
Those with a household income of between £30,001 and £47,2500 can receive a Durham Grant with a value of between £780 and £2,495.
Ben Charles, Evermore Properties, Fresh Student Living, GM and J Properties, Jaggers Student Living, Moran Douglas, Nicholas Humphreys, Rise Estate Agents, Student Castle and The Mansion Group have agreed to “work together for a student housing market in Durham which meets the needs of all parties – students, landlords, residents, and agents.”
All signees have committed to help eliminate the need for students to queue overnight outside of Letting Agent offices.
The agents and landlords mentioned above have agreed to not issue contracts for properties to multiple groups simultaneously; allow at least 2 working days for students to sign contacts; allow at least 5 working days for students to sign contracts if students need to arrange a non-standard guarantor (for example, for international students, care leavers or those estranged from their parents); and to work “sympathetically and collaboratively with students” without putting “undue pressure” on them.
All signees have also committed to help eliminate the need for students to queue overnight outside of Letting Agent offices.
This year Durham has also altered their 10 year strategy concerning student numbers. The University now has a target to “further rebalance our student population so that at least 36 per cent of students are from outside the UK by 2026/2027”.
In a press release Durham said that, “In coming years the University will not grow its student numbers significantly, but will diversify its social and international mix.”
These new measures come after images of Durham students queuing overnight outside letting agents to secure housing made national news last year. While Durham had been increasing their student population as part of the institution’s ten-year strategy, the 2020 and 2021 intake was especially high due to shifts in A-level grading.
“The Student Lettings Code of Practice is a good step forwards, and we would encourage all letting agents and landlords to sign up.”
durham university
The 2023 intake is a reduction on these years; the University also claims that they have assessed the amount of housing in Durham, and it is sufficient for the next academic year.
Durham told Palatinate that they remain committed to their aim for 40-45% of students to live in University-owned or -managed accommodation by 2027. However, the original goal, laid out in the University Estate Masterplan in 2017, was to have 50-55% of students living in university-owned or -managed accommodation within 10 years. The development of four to six new colleges by 2027 was planned to help manage this change.
Jeremy Cook, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Colleges and Student Experience) at Durham University, said: “What we want students to know is that we’ve analysed the student housing market in detail and we fully expect there will be enough housing in Durham to meet demand for 2024/25.
“We’re grateful to partners for working with us on ensuring a student housing market that works for everyone. The Student Lettings Code of Practice is a good step forwards, and we would encourage all letting agents and landlords to sign up.”
Mary Kelly Foy, MP for the City of Durham, said: “I hope that this detailed work on the student housing market, carried out by Durham University, reassures students looking forward to coming to Durham that there is plenty of student accommodation in the city, and that the new online Housing Hub will help navigate the process of choosing accommodation for your second year.
“This new Code of Practice is the first important step in making sure the student housing market works properly for everyone, and I look forward to working in the future with the university, the students’ union and letting agents to make sure this is a success.”
Image: Emily Doughty
