Around 215 University of Manchester first-year students are set to withhold over £300,000 as part of a halls of residence rent strike.
The issue was raised due to Students feeling a lack of University support and a general feeling that they wouldn’t have come to Uni if they’d known it would be like this.
Along with rent strike, students are asking for a reduction in accommodation fees for the rest of the year.
According to The Manchester Tab one student said ‘being at uni feels like worse than being at home’ – her halls room has bad WiFi, no access to a printer and a small desk, so it feels like they’re ‘paying to be at uni, have access to fewer things and have a worse experience’.
There are other issues with online learning, such as lecturers still not being able to work
out how properly to use Zoom.
In general, she says she, along with many other students, have felt ‘massively unsupported’ since the start of term. “We were promised a situation which would be Covid-secure and with stuff in place for online learning,” she says, but that hasn’t exactly happened.
The organiser of the strike formed a group of about seven freshers to plan the rent-free strike.
Understandably it’s harder to organise without being face-to-face however, they have still managed to get their message out onto social media. With 215 participants taking part in the rent strike, hundreds
of thousands of pounds will be withheld.
Their demands include a minimum of 40 per cent reduction in accommodation fees for the remainder of the academic year; to offer all students no-penalty early release clause from their tenancy contracts for both this year and the next academic years; improve the standard of support for students in halls of residence (this includes day-to-day support such as mental health, and also comprehensive COVID support packages for flats isolating); no penalties for those rent-striking.
A spokesman from the University from Manchester said: “We have put in place a comprehensive support package for all students who are self-isolating, which includes a partnership with a major food retailer, delivery of parcels, wellbeing support, and assistance with practical matters such as arranging for laundry and prescription medicines.
“All students have been sent this information which includes clear guidance on the circumstances under which they are able to leave their accommodation whilst self-isolating.”
