“Urgent coordination is needed on student housing” — Lewis Parrey

This year the University of York has enrolled an additional 150 first year undergrads in an effort to secure its own financial position. Despite the Student Union raising concerns around the impact more students would have on the housing market, the University has failed to actually address and mitigate this impact.

Now 150 more students will join the already overcrowded and stressful scramble for student housing. The lack of coordination between University decision making and the realities in the city is negatively impacting students’ wellbeing and ability to succeed at university.

This is a prime example of a wider problem affecting the York student housing market: no one is working together.

Many of the issues in student housing have been caused and made worse by a lack of coordination between the main players that influence the market in York. For years the council, the universities, letting agents, landlords, and most importantly students have acted independently of each other.

The result is a shortage of appropriate student accommodation, with average rent almost doubling over the last 6 years, and landlords who are able to get away with providing poor quality and taking advantage of students.

While students compete for housing, there is no competition between private landlords. They know that students are so desperate for housing that sooner or later someone will come along. This student housing shortage gives landlords all the power and leaves students paying the price (literally).

Rental markets with higher supply however, give students much more influence over landlords resulting in lower rents, higher quality and more choice. But York can only achieve this if people start working together.

The city is in desperate need of a long-term and joined-up strategy to address the major problems with student housing in York. Without getting all of these parties in the same room, students stand no chance at getting the value-for-money housing that they deserve.

Nottingham is an example of how meaningful collaboration over student housing can benefit both students and the city they live in. By actually having a Student Living Strategy to address key issues, Nottingham is years ahead of other cities in tackling student housing issues and planning for the future.

None of the main players can independently fix student housing in York; we need a collaborative approach urgently to stop things getting worse. Until that happens students will continue to pay the price for a broken and uncoordinated system.