STUDENTS may be faced with having to continue paying for accommodation they cannot use during the coronavirus pandemic, it has been claimed.
A third-year student at the University of St Andrews raised the issue of private student halls with The National after the operator of his accommodation, Hello Student, refused to allow him to terminate his lease early because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“A number of days ago I departed my accommodation due to the closure of my university, the nationwide lockdown, and on the guidance of authorities,” said Conner Armstrong.
“However, I am forced to continue to pay £192 per week for a room which is to lie vacant for the next 12 weeks.
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“Whilst some private hall companies have changed their cancellation policies to reflect the severity of the ongoing pandemic and to support their tenants, some companies like Hello Student need more encouragement to do so.
“Hello Student seems content on applying their usual cancellation policy to this most unusual of circumstances, even citing in an email that the company will be operating ‘business as usual’.”
Armstrong added that despite his efforts, correspondence with the company had been difficult.
Neither did Hello Student respond to a request for comment from The National, but Liam McCabe, President of NUS Scotland, said: “We are calling for all accommodation providers, whether they are universities or private entities, to allow student tenants to terminate their contracts early if they need to do so without question or conditions at this difficult time.”
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