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Next up - Accommodation and rent.
This one is a long but before we want to give a shout out to the incredible power of students to fight back against their University landlords.
We send out solidarity to @rentstrikeUoM and @RentStrikeBris on their rent strikes.
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This one is a long but before we want to give a shout out to the incredible power of students to fight back against their University landlords.
We send out solidarity to @rentstrikeUoM and @RentStrikeBris on their rent strikes. 1/
Covid19 highlighted cracks in our student accommodation system.
Students coaxed into halls & student houses, only for the majority of courses to go online demonstrating again how our education system has been moulded into a business model fixed on making profit > education.
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Students coaxed into halls & student houses, only for the majority of courses to go online demonstrating again how our education system has been moulded into a business model fixed on making profit > education.
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A quick 
on rising rents and student accommodation that you might find useful on #NationalStudentsDay2020
@nusuk and @Unipol conducted a fantastic survey into the cost of accommodation in 2018. Here are some of their findings and recommendations:
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on rising rents and student accommodation that you might find useful on #NationalStudentsDay2020@nusuk and @Unipol conducted a fantastic survey into the cost of accommodation in 2018. Here are some of their findings and recommendations:
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Findings:
Average weekly rent increased by 31.3% between 2011 and 2018.
Annual rents have consistently risen above inflation and the total maintenance loan amount.
Bed spaces provided by the commercial sector reached 50% in 2018. Up from 39% in 2012 and rising.
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Average weekly rent increased by 31.3% between 2011 and 2018. Annual rents have consistently risen above inflation and the total maintenance loan amount. Bed spaces provided by the commercial sector reached 50% in 2018. Up from 39% in 2012 and rising.4/
In 2011 rent accounted for 58% of the maximum financial support. In 2018 it was 73%.There's been a huge rise in rent as every penny is squeezed from students witnessing a commercial takeover of the sector.
Check out their recommendations
https://bit.ly/32RUmHk
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These statistics will not come as a surprise to students who increasingly:
Find themselves having to spend more energy working just to afford to study, and 
Taking on obscene amounts of debt just to get by.6/
There's been a lot of notice taken to this particular area so if you want to find out a bit more here are some good articles
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“Students have accumulated so much debt and their quality of life has deteriorated so much it was impossible not to notice,”
8/ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/15/autumn-of-student-activism-begins-over-rising-cost-of-university-halls
8/ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/15/autumn-of-student-activism-begins-over-rising-cost-of-university-halls
“An investigation found that the cost of the cheapest halls at Russell Group universities jumped by an average of 41% between 2008 and 2018, despite maintenance loans rising by as little as 13%.”
9/ https://bit.ly/36DGMIU
9/ https://bit.ly/36DGMIU
"As a result, students may become increasingly dependent on their parents, in addition to working extra hours while studying to cover these costs, which can affect their mental and physical health."
10/ https://www.studyinternational.com/news/the-high-costs-of-student-accommodation-in-the-uk/
10/ https://www.studyinternational.com/news/the-high-costs-of-student-accommodation-in-the-uk/
"The cost of student housing in Great Britain has increased by almost a quarter in the past seven years, outpacing inflation and price rises in the private rental market."
11/ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/26/cost-of-british-student-housing-has-risen-by-a-quarter-in-seven-years
11/ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/26/cost-of-british-student-housing-has-risen-by-a-quarter-in-seven-years
"The numbers speak for themselves. According to a spokesperson from the [NUS], the average rent for a student is the equivalent of 85% of their maximum loan and grant. This is for a student from a particularly poor background, too!"
12/ https://www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk/blog/the-rising-cost-of-student-accommodation-in-the-uk
12/ https://www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk/blog/the-rising-cost-of-student-accommodation-in-the-uk
“the government and the higher education sector [need] to wake up to the reality that students are being priced out of housing and their education.“
13/ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jan/20/17000-uk-students-university-accommodation-rent-arrears-debt
13/ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jan/20/17000-uk-students-university-accommodation-rent-arrears-debt
But what can we do about it?
Know your rights https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/sep/28/covid-19-what-are-uk-students-rights-over-accommodation-and-courses
Join a Town Hall at your Uni Students Union and make your voice heard https://bit.ly/3lDOfOx
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Know your rights
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/sep/28/covid-19-what-are-uk-students-rights-over-accommodation-and-coursesJoin a Town Hall at your Uni Students Union and make your voice heard
https://bit.ly/3lDOfOx 14/
Organise a rent strike! There's some amazing action being taken by students across the country to change how students are treated.
@rentstrikeUoM and @RentStrikeBris are both currently withholding their rent until their universities met their demands.
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@rentstrikeUoM and @RentStrikeBris are both currently withholding their rent until their universities met their demands.
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@RentStrikeBris are asking for support in writing letters to their Vice-Chancellor. Whether you're a student or a member of the public we encourage you to use one of their templates and read more about their demands
16/ https://twitter.com/RentStrikeBris/status/1328260842366889984?s=20
16/ https://twitter.com/RentStrikeBris/status/1328260842366889984?s=20
You can read more about @rentstrikeUoM demands here https://twitter.com/rentstrikeUoM/status/1319224414999818242
and @9k4whatMCR are leading an occupation to protest the way their VC has dealt with the pandemic. More here https://twitter.com/9k4whatMCR/status/1326906646761779205
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https://twitter.com/rentstrikeUoM/status/1319224414999818242and @9k4whatMCR are leading an occupation to protest the way their VC has dealt with the pandemic. More here
https://twitter.com/9k4whatMCR/status/132690664676177920517/
Their demands still haven't been met but we know that the power of students can win this fight. Solidarity to all
If you want to organise a Rent Strike, @rentstrikenow have a guide on how to do it in the middle of the pandemic https://bit.ly/2Kim1Lp
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If you want to organise a Rent Strike, @rentstrikenow have a guide on how to do it in the middle of the pandemic
https://bit.ly/2Kim1Lp End/
