International Students In UK Struggle To Find Housing Due To Rise In Rent: International students who are studying in the UK are grappling with a severe accommodation problem.
Students are forced to accept the poor living conditions due to the escalating high cost of institute accommodation and rents.
International Students In UK Struggle To Find Housing Due To Rise In Rent
According to the BBC report, many students from countries like Bangladesh and India find it difficult to secure affordable housing in London as they need more references and payslips for rental agreements.
Nazmush Shahadat is a student who came from Bangladesh to London to pursue a law degree. He shared his distressing experience of living and sharing a two-bedroom flat with 20 other people.
He resorted to this poor arrangement because the accommodations of the colleges and universities were prohibitively expensive, and he could not find appropriate housing elsewhere.
He told the BBC that these harsh living conditions, including constant turnover of residents, overcrowded bunk beds, and bed bug infestations, made sleep impossible.
The housing crisis for international students is heightened by increasing the prices of rent in the UK.
Also, as per the Cushman & Wakefield survey, the prices have increased by more than 8 percent compared to last year.
As per the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) report of 2021/2022, around 679,970 international students were pursuing degrees in the UK.
Also, it is becoming increasingly famous among international students. Indian students, numbering more than 1,20,000, include one of the biggest global student communities in the UK.
Rishabh Kaushik, also a student from India studying law, highlighted international students’ financial stress.
Kaushik revealed that he and his roommate were required to pay £16,000 in advance and find a guarantor to share a bedroom.
It is a common problem for international students who struggle to find suitable housing arrangements.
According to Nehaal Bajwa of the National Union of Students (NUS), universities are enrolling more international students for higher tuition fees. Still, the local housing market cannot keep up with the demand.
It puts international students at risk of being taken advantage of and experiencing financial difficulties, as they may not know their rights and could become homeless.
The NUS has supported rent controls, especially for students, recognizing their vulnerability in the accommodation market.
Universities UK acknowledged students’ housing challenges and urged them to contact their university housing teams for help.
According to a report from The Guardian, the average annual rent for private sector housing outside of London has increased to over £7,600. This amount accounts for 77 percent of the maximum student maintenance loan allowance.
With the rising number of international students in the UK, universities and policymakers are increasingly concerned about the housing crisis and working to find solutions.
So, it is all about International Students In UK Struggle To Find Housing Due To Rise In Rent.
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Source:- economictimes.indiatimes.com
