Over the past year our Officer team have been advocating Hallam students and submitting evidence to both the APPG for Students and directly to MPs on the impact of the student housing crisis.
More recently we've met with Abtisam Mohamed MP in Parliament to ask her to back an amendment to the Renters' Rights Bill, arguing for the abolition of guarantors. Landlords requiring guarantors often has a significant impact on the ability for students to secure accommodation, affecting in particular international students, estranged students, and those from working class backgrounds. We're pleased to say that in November, Abtisam signed the amendments and spoke with the Minister on the two amendments on rent in advance and the student letting season. Whilst the amendment itself hasn't been adopted, circumstances in which landlords can require a guarantor looks likely to be restricted. We'd like to formally thank Abtisam for her continued advocacy for students on this issue, and for signing for and speaking to the Minister on the following amendments:
- Banning landlords from requiring more than one month's rent in advance.
- Stopping landlords from asking people to sign tenancy agreements over 6 months in advance of the tenancy start date.
We're delighted that the Government have committed to these two amendments, and we hope that once implemented will go some way to addressing the financial barriers to accommodation faced by many students, as well as alleviating the pressures of signing a tenancy contract just weeks after the start of semester one.
Our priority now is to work with NUS to continue putting pressure on the Government to support the amendment to abolish guarantors altogether, and we're asking for Abtisam Mohamed's support to ensure students' voices continue to be heard.
Chat to MPs
Join us at the Sheffield Students' Assembly at the Crucible on 21 February where you can chat with Abtisam, Olivia Blake (MP for Hallam), and Clive Betts (MP for Sheffield South East). This inclusive space encourages open and respectful discussions on the issues that matter to you.
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