UWE students still without Bristol accommodation as term starts

Students in Bristol say profit is being placed ahead of their needs as they struggle to find affordable digs for the start of the new academic year.

More than 150 first-year students at the University of the West of England (UWE) are still waiting to be housed by UWE.

International student Maryam Adama said UWE "did not show me an ounce of empathy" and has suspended her studies.

The university has advised those requiring help to contact its Student Accommodation Services.

UWE said higher-than-expected A-Level outcomes, combined with Bristol becoming an increasingly popular destination for students had "placed additional pressure on the rental accommodation market in the city".

Students say Bristol landlords have taken advantage of the situation, making renting much more difficult for them.

Maryam was due to start her second year at UWE but was unable to find accommodation after months of searching, causing her mental health to deteriorate.

She said: "Every time I would find a place the landlords and agencies would cause me unnecessary stress."

Maryam said she contacted the university for support countless times "and I would either receive no response or a response two weeks later with some really vague advice".

"As an international student, you would expect the university to help you out a little, since the UK is not your home, and if you don't have a place to live, you cannot study, but they did not show me an ounce of empathy," she added.

She said the stress of being away from her community and commuting every day would have taken its toll on her mental health, so she has chosen not to return to the UK.

Some students have moved to Bath, which is about 13 miles (20.9 km) away from Bristol.

The University of Bristol has recently housed about 100 of its students in Bath, citing a "particularly high demand" for accommodation this year.

It hosted some students in hotels because their accommodation block had not been finished in time for the start of term.

The university said students had since moved into their accommodation in St Thomas Street about a week later than originally planned, but all of its students now had somewhere to live.

President of the Students' Union at UWE Evan Botwood said the student rental market in Bristol was "problematic", particularly for international students who face extra barriers in finding accommodation.

He added: "We have been lobbying and working with UWE Bristol on how to mitigate the problems as much as possible.

"We would encourage joint planning between the two major universities in Bristol and local authorities to ensure we can house our students in safe, affordable, and viable places."

Keia Afshar, a PGCE geography student at UWE, is commuting from Swansea and was due to start a placement in Chippenham.

"This is a very stressful situation to be in," he said.

"Properties [in Bristol] were coming off the market after barely a day or so," he added.

"I've attempted to get support from the university and the best they could suggest is AirBnB. I was insulted. Like that's in anyone's budget?"

Keia said the courses were "far too oversubscribed" this year.

"I've never seen it so busy.

"I feel cheated and used like a cash cow for the university's financial gain."

UWE Masters student Calum Macleod said he was made aware more than 400 other people had applied to rent one property in Bristol he was interested in.

"I can see why people would blame the university for the problem, however, I believe this is a problem that the government would have been aware of and their inadequacies in managing the pandemic has only amplified it," Calum said.

He believes low demand for student accommodation during lockdown forced landlords to rent to families, who tend to stay for longer periods and often leave the homes in a better condition.

Another UWE student, Alex, has been looking for Bristol accommodation since July, and contacted UWE for help.

"I was greeted with a seemingly copy and pasted email telling me to look at 'resources' that I had already exhausted to no avail.

"They also told me that halls were completely booked and had a waiting list of over 1,000 students. If you do not have enough accommodation, why take in so many students?"

Alex said most landlords were looking for professionals too.

"Landlords are taking advantage of vulnerable students and cashing in on our misfortune," he said.

He is currently couch-surfing in Oxfordshire and commuting into Bristol, spending £60 per day on train tickets.

"I am being drained of money and energy as I'm having to leave the house at 05:00-06:00 to get to my lectures on time.

"I'm highly considering deferring this year as I cannot keep burning my money."

Steph, who is in her fourth year at UWE, said she and her friend pretended to be a couple to secure accommodation in Bath.

"The landlords are asking for the maximum price you'd pay. I know someone who's just spent £780 per month on a double room in an average student five-bed, not including bills," she said.

Until they move to Bath, Steph is commuting from Bournemouth twice a week and missing two days of lectures each week.

"The uni hasn't contributed to travel, or even acknowledged the problem so lecturers haven't even put some of my compulsory modules online," she said.

"I understand the uni can't magically buildings, but they should accept some responsibility for causing the problem.

"I'd like them to offer travel discounts, if possible, and more lectures online."

She said courses with compulsory attendance should not lower students' grades as they usually would.

UWE said: "We will continue to allocate university accommodation to students as it becomes available, and any student still requiring help with accommodation should contact UWE Bristol Student Accommodation Services."

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