Students’ rent on the rise
Students are paying almost 20% more for accommodation than they were four years ago, according to new research.
The credit crunch is being blamed for rent hikes that mean the average weekly student rent is now £61.62, according to accommodationforstudents.com, up from £52.44 in 2004.
The huge variation in rent prices across the UK could be a factor for students choosing universities through clearing later this week.
The most expensive place to live while studying is London, where students pay £102.65 per week, 67% above the UK average. Other expensive student towns include Cambridge, Middlesex, Oxford, Surrey, Exeter and Brighton.
St Andrews students pay the highest rent in Scotland, at £82.23 a week, compared to £71.06 in Edinburgh and £69.34 in Glasgow.
Some traditional redbrick universities still offer rent below the UK average, namely Liverpool (£52.36), Birmingham (£54.78) and Manchester (£57).
However, the cheapest places to go to uni are Middlesbrough, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Crewe and Bradford, with average weekly rents of between £40 and £45.
Simon Thompson, director of Accommodation for Students, said:
“The student accommodation situation has been worsened by the current credit crunch. Not only are costs going up but availability has been reduced as many former student landlords are now renting to young professionals who can no longer afford to get on the property ladder.”
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