Information and Advice on Coronavirus in Student Accommodation for Housing Supplier – New Updates

Updates have been made to the information and advice on coronavirus in student accommodation for housing suppliers page. New content includes:

• Students, Government Advice and the Summer
• Government Advice: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Student Satisfaction 2020-2021

Accommodation Costs Survey 2021 Now Live

The Accommodation Costs Survey 2021 is now LIVE and available for all providers of accommodation to complete.

Unipol and NUS would like to thank members of the ACS Student Advisory Group & Sector Steering Group for their invaluable help and support in developing this years survey.

If you are a University or Private Accommodation Provider and haven't received the launch email, please email [email protected]

More information on the launch and how to take part can be found on the Accommodation Costs Survey Homepage.

UK Student Accommodation Forum – Summer Events Available to Book

Although the UK Student Accommodation Forum is taking a break until autumn, we are bringing you specific Forums to provide updates on Covid-related developments and how this is impacting on accommodation demand from students:

Thursday 19th August 2021 11am -12pm - The 2021-2022 Academic Year: What is Likely to Happen? The forum will look at how universities are planning to open up campuses and what arrangements they have in mind for the first term and what implications this will have for student residents. Click here to book

Consultation on the Review of the National Code for Non-Educational Establishments

The consultation on the changes to the Non-Educational Code is now open and welcomes views and evidence from all interested stakeholders including students, Code members and other interested parties.

The updated standards include new standards that members must comply with, including:

• Where new PBSA buildings open late, affected incoming tenants will be provided with pre-determined compensation payments to reflect the inconvenience experienced at an important time of the academic year
• Charges for rooms that have been designed and significantly adapted for students with mobility/physical impairment should not exceed the lowest room rate available in the Member’s portfolio within the relevant local authority area, as there is evidence that these students have significantly higher living costs
• Members will provide copies of fire risk assessments for high rise buildings to the National Codes Administrator
• The provision of gender neutral toilets in communal areas
• A number of other updated requirements.

For full details on the consultation and to submit your response, click here.

New Buildings for September 2021

The National Codes are collating data on new developments for 2021 and monitoring the progress of any late developments across the sector. According to the current data, there are 57 new student accommodation developments within the Code for 2021. Of these 57, 8 have already opened within the first 6 months of the year.

The New and Late Buildings protocol requirements are now available to view as part of the National Code document.

If you are opening a new site in September 2021 and have not yet notified the National Code, please email [email protected]

How to Rent Guide

MHCLG have updated their How to Rent and How to Let Guidance:

• The How to Let guide for landlords
• The How to Rent guide for tenants
• The How to Rent a Safe Home guide for tenants

An important point to note is the legal requirement to provide a copy of the How to Rent Guide, and the implications should this not happen. The requirement on this is worded as follows:

“You must provide your tenants with a copy of the latest version of the How to rent guide at the start of a tenancy, either as a hard copy or, if agreed with the tenant, via email as a PDF attachment. You cannot rely on a section 21 notice to obtain possession from the tenant if you have not provided these documents.”