People Before Profit Magee representative Aoife Kelly said,
“Many worried students have been in contact with our student representatives at Magee and other campuses seeking assistance with issues regarding private landlords and benefits.
While the university has put measures in place for courses to continue, the university and Stormont Executive have been ignoring the fact students are being backed into a corner by private landlords.
Many landlords are entitled to mortgage holidays, VAT and rates relief yet they expect student tenants to continue to pay full rent.
Despite the ongoing health crisis and government advice, landlords are demanding students pay their full rent even for houses that are no longer being lived in.
With the loss of part time work during this crisis, students have lost an income they were dependant on to meet the demands of private landlords. Students are currently excluded from applying for Universal Credit while classified as studying yet they are expected to pay landlords upwards of £75 a week.
Students living on university campus had their contracts terminated without penalty, the Stormont Executive needs to be doing more to help students currently being exploited by private landlords. We must reject any and all attempts of profiteering from this crisis, particularly when landlords are getting assistance from the public purse.
People Before Profit supports the demands of NUS- USI for a rent suspension throughout this crisis, access to sustainable financial support for students, penalty-free termination of contracts, for all supportive measures to be backdated to 1 March and as we enter economic uncertainty beyond this crisis we call for a rent freeze for a year to be put in place for all students to ensure they can continue studying.
Our representatives in Council and Stormont back the demands students are making – and we call on the Executive to take action now.”
