Hello everyone! 

 Your fave activities officer is so BACK! Sooner than expected too! What a delightful surprise for you all XD. This time I’m going to be updating you on something big that Jiji (SU President) and I are working on. 

Can I get a drum roll pleaseeeee… … it’s about STUDENT GUARANTORS and the NUS National Lobby Day. 

Jiji and I will be going to Parliament on Wednesday 23 October to lobby our local MP Wera Hobhouse on student housing rights within the new Renters Reform Bill. We will be specifically looking to get rid of the need for guarantors in private housing and strengthening student housing rights. 

Down below I’ve got some frequently asked questions on this topic so I’ll be answering them here! 

What is the Renters Reform Bill? 

The renter's reform bill is a government draft law which is aiming to strengthen the rights which renters have when renting in a property. It was brought up by the previous government, but it wasn’t passed as a general election was called but it is not being brought up again by the new labour government.  

The bill currently includes legislation that will: 

• End no fault evictions which is where a landlord can evict a tenant for no reason. 

• Make it easier for people with pets and children to rent. 

• Ensure a certain standard of housing is met like no mould etc 

• Give local authorities stronger powers to enforce the law. 

• The removal of fixed term tenancies 

Whilst some of these terms will benefit students, it can be improved upon to actually include students in it. Things like making sure purpose-built student accommodations are still allowed to have fixed term contracts so they fit in with the academic year for example. Removing barriers to renting primarily through the need for a guarantor is also needed. 

What are guarantors? 

A guarantor is a person who agrees to pay for your rent if you don’t pay it. Usually this is a parent, close relative or guardian but it can also be done by a guarantor company. 

Why are they used? 

Guarantors are there to protect the landlord in case a tenant doesn’t pay their rent, this is on top of having a deposit too.  

Why are we asking them to get rid of them? 

Guarantor schemes can limit people’s ability to rent a house especially if they are unable to find a UK based guarantor. This can lead to homelessness, which 13% of students have experienced.  

Groups commonly impacted by this and the reasoning behind it are: 

• Students from low-income backgrounds- some families do not make enough to qualify as a guarantor. Charging low-income students more money to rent a house because their family doesn’t earn enough to be a guarantor. Doesn’t really make sense, does it? 

• Carers – carers regularly provide support who could not manage without their help. This could be a relative, partner or a friend. If the person, they are looking make a guarantor needs a lot of assistance with activities of daily living it is unlikely they earn enough to be qualify as a guarantor. 

• International students/ students whose families are not based in the UK – they don’t always know someone who is based in the UK who is willing to be a guarantor as it is a large responsibility.  

• Estranged- they are legally separated from their parents who are often guarantors for students. 

Leading them to have to pay companies a fee to act as their guarantor. This adds additional cost on top of their rent and bills. Alternatively, they can pay the full rent up front which is a large sum of money. 

There is an argument to say that students could easily damage a property or not pay rent for whatever reason. Whilst this point is a semi valid point, people literally always hand over a deposit which goes to a deposit protection scheme that cannot be freely withdrawn by tenants. 

 I have even heard the argument that international students can literally just leave their house and not pay rent by leaving the country. I’d say that again there are deposits which are handed in advance which can be taken if this is what happens. ALSO, international students go through visa checks which include proof they have enough money to support themselves and pay for their course! 

When is this happening? 

Our lobby day is happening on Wednesday 23 October in London in the Houses of Parliament along with several other SUs. 

What can I do? 

You can email your local MP, which you can discover here, or our Bath local MP Wera Hobhouse. You can tell them about your concerns regarding guarantors and student housing standards in general. Part of the new Renter’s Reform Bill includes a line about creating a housing ombudsman which would mean students and renters could complain to a designated organisation/person and have their complaints seen to fairly quickly without having to go to court. You can also show your support for this too in correspondence with your MP. The idea is to create a huge wave of support all over the country! 

Thank you for coming to my TED talk! I hope this was useful and leads to some positive change for students. I look forward to updating you, after my meeting with Wera! 

Any questions email me and I will try my best to answer in a reasonable time :)

Love your fave activities officer David xxx