Written by Amy O’Donoghue
LSESU members have formed a new Renters’ Collective, aiming to represent the needs of tenants and educate renters at LSE on their rights and resources.
In their introductory statement, they describe themselves as an organisation that exists “to represent the needs of our members through campaigns focusing on rent, conditions, and rights”. The issues renters in London encounter are well-documented, with tenants facing the highest median rents in the UK and intense competition to acquire a property. One student described an estate agent encouraging them into “bidding wars” with other potential tenants, advising the student to offer the highest amount they possibly could for the flat. Problems with mould, broken facilities and poor landlord communication are all common.
The Renters’ Collective also alleges that LSE’s Guarantor Scheme is insufficient, arguing that the criteria a student must fit to access it is too narrow. Currently, the scheme stipulates that you must be ”an international student who found their house on the UoL housing platform, with a rent that does not exceed £1,000 per month”. The Renters’ Collective wants LSE to expand the scheme so that low-income home students can also benefit from its services.
Jack Birula-Baker, chair and founder of the Collective, told the Beaver: “we started the group earlier this year in response to the dire state of both student and private rented accommodation. We wanted to provide students with a voice to fight for better rent, conditions and rights. There have been welcome developments from the government in the Renters’ Rights Bill, but they still don’t apply to student accommodation, leaving thousands of tenants in difficult conditions.
Landlords think that tenants are powerless and so act how they want, but they aren’t. There is power when renters come together and demand more. That’s why we formed this union.
We want LSE to do more for tenants, through expanding the guarantor scheme, adopting the relevant aspects of the RRB and increasing the eligibility for the accommodation bursary. If they fail to do this, they will see the power students have when when we band together. LSE has a long history of activism, it’s brought change in the past and we hope it can bring change now.”
When asked for comment, an LSE Spokesperson said:
“The Rent Guarantor Scheme, run by LSE’s Accommodation Office, is primarily targeted at international students as they tend to struggle most to provide a UK-based guarantor. It is also open to care-experienced students with ‘home’ status.
The scheme was expanded in December 2023, increasing the guarantee to £250 per week/£1000 per month. It was also expanded to include PhD students, and the terms of the scheme were relaxed so that students no longer needed to have lived in an LSE/University of London Hall of residence previously to be eligible – they just need to provide a letter of reference from a previous landlord.
While there are no immediate plans to expand this, the Residential Services team is happy to work with the LSESU and willing to listen to further proposals.”
The LSESU Renters’ Collective plans to officially launch their campaign on the 30th September, promising that further information about their plans to make change for tenants is soon to come.
