Photo: Gumtree

Students feel the pinch of a creaking housing market

By Graham Moore 5 years ago

Graham explains some of the impacts the moratorium on new HMOs for students

Desperation sets in for freshers Miles Lonergan and Darcy Peake, who have spent the last month or so frantically attempting to find a suitable home for the next academic year. So far, the results do not appear promising.

“It just feels impossible to get a house,” Miles groaned after his latest unsuccessful house viewing.

Like countless other St. Andrews students, Miles and Darcy have discovered the complex and frustrating maze that is the St. Andrews housing market.  This year, additional uncertainty has been thrown into the mix as the moratorium on new HMO permits has begun in earnest.

Much ink has been spilled over HMOs in the last year; previously sleepy town hall meetings have become contentious battlegrounds over housing policy that often result in a “town vs gown” mentality.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile, members of the Fife Council as well as the Community & Housing Services Committee (CHS) continue to argue that a moratorium on HMOs will actually attract more young families and other tradition tenets. Proponents of the moratorium insist that it will curb the anti-social behavior, predominately public drunkenness and unkempt homes, that can be a regular occurrence in student-dominated populations.

Many members of the student government, university faculty, and even a certain few on the Fife Council claim that the moratorium will actually have an adverse effect on the housing effect. Contrary to what is hoped for by its proponents, the moratorium will instead make housing in town less affordable and less attractive to traditional tenants.

While the full effects of the current ban won’t be clear for another few months,  students say they feel frustrated with the current situation. Students are particularly concerned with increasingly unequal relationships between landlords and tenants despite persistently high rents. Students have complained about poor maintenance within rented properties, unkempt front yards, and landlord negligence in their residences.

One student who wishes to remain anonymous in fear of souring her relationship with her housing agency has complained that her rented property is constantly neglected, stating that “the landlord often is slow or fails to address [problems]. There are issues with our pipes and heat, and the rent is over 600 a month.”

Other students consulted during the writing of this article consistently complained about the issues associated with absentee landlords. Many of the landlords in St. Andrews use local housing agents to manage their properties. These agents could have little to no sense of personal responsibility for the property, which often leads to unhelpful tenant-landlord relationships.

On the other hand, students in University-managed accommodations report much higher satisfaction with their housing. In last year’s Student Accommodation Survey 2017, four University halls were commended for being among the best in the country including St Salvator’s Hall, St Regulus Hall, John Burnet Hall, and McIntosh Hall.

Photo: University of St Andrews

Another pressing issue is St. Andrews’ persistently high rents. According to a Bank of Scotland study reported in Fife Today, St. Andrews residents pay some of the highest rents in Scotland, with “the average monthly rent for a student in the town stuck at £509.44, putting St Andrews at number three in the list.”

In the rest of the United Kingdom, the average rent spent across the 35 universities of the survey was £448 per month.

Darcy, the previously mentioned fresher, stated, “It feels like I’m paying too much for not much.”

The particularly high rents within St Andrews might be due to an explosive growth of the size of the student body in the last 17 years. According to a study by St. Andrews’ Ross Brown, the student population has changed rapidly; “from around 3,000 students at the turn of the century, the University has now expanded its numbers threefold to a figure of 8,790 in 2017.”

The increase in the number of students has raised demand for housing and driven up rent.

While the situation is contentious, there is wide agreement that there needs to be some sort of change. Recently the Fife Council has issued a survey seeking to gather residents and student views on the HMO policy. You can participate in the survey here.

As for Freshers Miles and Darcy, they are thinking of more creative ways to navigate St. Andrews’ confounding housing market. According to Fresher Darcy, “We’ve heard married couples have an easier time getting homes, so I keep asking Miles when he’ll pop the question.”

Comments

comments

Tags: , , ,

212 thoughts on “Students feel the pinch of a creaking housing market”

  37. You really make it appear really easy together with your presentation however I find this matter to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It sort of feels too complicated and very extensive for me. I’m looking ahead on your next submit, I will try to get the hold of it!

    Reply

  39. I’ve been looking for photos and articles on this topic over the past few days due to a school assignment, baccaratsite and I’m really happy to find a post with the material I was looking for! I bookmark and will come often! Thanks 😀

    Reply

  40. The following time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I do know it was my choice to learn, but I truly thought youd have one thing fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you might repair in case you werent too busy searching for attention.

    Reply

  43. Hi there very nice blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Superb .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionallyKI am happy to search out so many helpful information right here within the post, we want work out extra techniques on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .

    Reply

  45. Good – I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs and related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, website theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task..

    Reply
  49. Pingback: Leandro Farland
  50. Pingback: Chirurgie esthétique Tunisie
  51. Pingback: National Chi Nan University
  52. Pingback: Campus facilities
  53. Pingback: مرافق جامعة المستقبل
  54. Pingback: Values and ethics
  55. Pingback: نظم المعلومات الإدارية
  56. Pingback: Faculty of political science Contact
  57. Pingback: Large Lecture Halls
  58. Pingback: الكيمياء التحليلية الصيدلانية
  59. Pingback: Emergency Dental Care
  60. Pingback: Supplementary General Sciences Department
  61. Pingback: Biomedical Engineering
  62. Pingback: التدريب العملي
  63. Pingback: preparing young engineers qualified to work
  64. Pingback: Entrepreneurship Opportunities
  65. Pingback: Computer Networking
  66. Pingback: Communications and Electronics
  67. Pingback: Vice-President of the Board of Trustees
  68. Pingback: ماجستير طب الأسنان
  69. Pingback: جراحة الأسنان التعليم
  70. Pingback: Faculty of dentistry
  71. Pingback: MBA curriculum in Egypt
  72. Pingback: future University application process
  73. Pingback: public administration degree
  74. Pingback: برامج البكالوريوس في جامعة المستقبل
  75. Pingback: Department of Microbiology and Immunology
  76. Pingback: Top dental master's programs
  77. Pingback: Changing World
  78. Pingback: https://www.kooky.domains/post/how-to-choose-the-perfect-web3-domain-name
  79. Pingback: وظائف خريجي ماجستير إدارة الأعمال في مصر
  80. Pingback: Environmental Policy
  81. Pingback: Higher education in Political Science
  82. Pingback: 21st Century workforce development
  83. Pingback: Computer Maintenance
  84. Pingback: Degree Requirements
  85. Pingback: fue
  86. Pingback: MSc in pharmacy
  87. Pingback: ما هي الجامعات الخاصة المعتمدة في مصر
  89. Pingback: Maillot de football
  90. Pingback: Maillot de football
  91. Pingback: Maillot de football
  92. Pingback: Maillot de football
  103. Pingback: SEOSolutionVIP Fiverr
  104. Pingback: SEOSolutionVIP Fiverr

  106. You really make it appear really easy together with your presentation but I in finding this matter to be really something that I believe I would by no means understand. It seems too complicated and very vast for me. I’m taking a look forward to your next publish, I will try to get the hold of it!

    Reply
  118. Pingback: cage mma
  122. Pingback: cortexi
  126. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  128. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  129. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  131. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  132. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  134. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  135. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  139. Pingback: kos daftar sdn bhd online murah ssm
  141. Pingback: dallas frenchie
  144. Pingback: french bulldog puppies
  146. Pingback: chocolate french bulldog
  147. Pingback: boston terrier vs french bulldog
  148. Pingback: morkie dog
  150. Pingback: isla mujeres restaurants
  153. Pingback: Professional Piano Disposal
  154. Pingback: Local Piano Movers
  155. Pingback: Top university in Egypt
  156. Pingback: Best university in Egypt
  157. Pingback: golf cart rentals isla mujeres mexico
  159. Pingback: cancun airport transportation
  160. Pingback: blue french bulldog
  161. Pingback: mini french bulldog for sale
  162. Pingback: rescue french bulldog
  169. Pingback: mini frenchie for sale
  171. Pingback: french bulldogs puppies for sale texas
  175. Pingback: french bulldog for sale houston
  178. Pingback: drip beanie
  179. Pingback: embroidered vintage sweatshirt
  188. Pingback: frenchie puppies
  191. Pingback: best university Egypt
  194. Pingback: Piano tuning and maintenance
  195. Pingback: Grand piano moving
  199. Pingback: MBA programs in Egypt
  203. Pingback: Classic Books 500
  212. Pingback: Coach

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

THE STAND