More than 500 rental applications have been made for a flat in central Glasgow within hours of it being listed as desperate students continue to struggle to find accommodation.
Some students have resorted to temporary accommodation in hostels, with others living hours away from their chosen universities.
Glasgow University has said it can no longer guarantee accommodation for students, with some urged not to enrol if they cannot find anywhere to stay.
The flat in central Glasgow was listed for £895 a month and was leased hours after the first set of viewings. The one-bedroom property, listed by the estate agency Pacitti Jones, received offers from tenants willing to pay hundreds of pounds over the asking price.
John O’Malley, the chief executive of Pacitti Jones, told The Times that a reduction in rental stock, heightened demand from a greater number of students and a lack of housing development had led to the housing crisis.
Advertisement
“These three factors have resulted . . . in further price rises in new tenancies and wealthier students and or young professionals offering substantial amounts of money upfront to secure somewhere to live,” said O’Malley, who warned that viewers offering above the asking price would not receive preferential treatment from Pacitti Jones.
Rosie Hampton, a student and teacher who is a representative of the University and College Union, told STV News that numbers at Glasgow university had “massively increased”, and said that she has 50 per cent more students than last year.
The housing crisis is affecting students all over Scotland. Students at Edinburgh have been temporarily put up in bunk beds in a common room. Students in St Andrews were told to find accommodation in Dundee.
Ellie Gomersall, the president of the National Union of Students Scotland, said: “[Scotland’s housing system] is broken, and without action there is a serious risk that more students will fall into homelessness and poverty.”
Glasgow University said the number of students at the university had not significantly increased.
Advertisement
“Like most urban universities, we cannot guarantee accommodation for returning students,” it said. “We understand the concern about finding accommodation and we want to reassure students that colleagues are continuing to work to find solutions.”
