0 Having recently endured the stress of securing a house for third year, I found myself reflecting on the different ways the deepening shortage of quality affordable housing is impacting upon the millennial generation. Studying at an elite university in one of the wealthiest parts of the country, it is all too easy to forget that the country is facing an unprecedented housing crisis. ‘The Exeter student bubble’, within which accommodation is guaranteed and many are treated to luxury features like 2-3 catered meals a day, an en-suite bathroom and a 5-minute walk to central campus in their first year, distorts the reality of 21st century living. As a low-income student from South London, I made do with a flat 25 minutes from campus with a few too many silverfish and a crumbling kitchen.
Once first year ends, we are thrown into the highly competitive process of securing a student house, which this year became even more of a struggle for students like me due to a hike in rent prices for 2018-19 properties. When I asked an agent at Cardens why properties seemed more expensive than last year, he told me that pretty much every property on their books went up by £5-£10 per week as landlords capitalised upon the city’s student housing shortage.
the University has revealed plans to build 3 new on-campus accommodation sites by September 2019
How is this being addressed? A walk around Exeter will tell you that there are numerous blocks of brand new student accommodation being built to address the shortage of student housing in the face of the university’s ambitious growth plans. One of which is Queen Street Studios with studio flats starting at £190 per week, and according to reviews have all sorts of problems from a faulty lift to malfunctioning lights.
This highlights that the crisis isn’t a case of just supply-side pressure on the market, it’s a crisis of quality too. In addition to such ‘luxury’ accommodation across the city centre, the University has revealed plans to build 3 new on-campus accommodation sites by September 2019, providing rooms for around 1,680 students. What they haven’t revealed, however, is whether this accommodation will be affordable, and how exactly this will help the supply-side issue in the long-run once these students enter the private rented sector after first year.
you have potentially an entire lifetime of housing insecurity awaiting you
Of course, the housing crisis and the way it will impact upon our lives transcends the bubble of student housing and will only worsen once we graduate and enter ‘the working world’. That’s right, after 2 years of worrying about the affordability and quality of student housing, you have potentially an entire lifetime of housing insecurity awaiting you. Unless, of course, you’re privileged enough to have property and other assets to inherit. The severity of the UK housing crisis varies depending on location, but is very much a national problem.
Looking at the issue from a student standpoint, a Centre for Cities report published in 2016 found that 24% of new graduates in 2014 and 2015 were working in London within six months of finishing their respective courses. Pair this with 2016 Institute of Student Employers ISE data that found that 50.4% of graduate vacancies available from its 700 members in 2015/16 were based in the London, I’m sure you can understand my concern. The ‘don’t live in London if you can’t afford it!’ demand-side rhetoric breaks down when the issue of finding a full-time job is concerned. Even if reducing the UK’s London-centricity is a long-term aim for the government (allegedly), the short-term reality is that the majority of UK graduate-level jobs are based in London, one of the top 10 most expensive cities to rent in according to Global Cities Business Alliance (GCBA, 2016).
we really ought to stop relying on hypotheticals to neglect the immediate problem
The GCBA also found that the average Londoner in the private rented sector spends around 50% of their incomes on rent per year, with other estimates edging towards the 60% mark. It is therefore no wonder that millennials find themselves unable to save enough of a deposit to get onto the housing ladder once other living expenses are accounted for. The forecast is grisly, with UK housing and homelessness charity Shelter estimating that first-time buyers will need to earn £64,000 per year by 2020. In other words, ‘generation rent’ will remain as such unless there is a serious increase in the supply of housing in the UK. The effects of Brexit are yet to push down housing prices significantly enough to rectify this like many predicted. Even if this changes in the next few years once the process and outcomes are clarified, we really ought to stop relying on hypotheticals to neglect the immediate problem: we need to build more quality, affordable homes.
As grim as this all is, it is important to know that there are things being done. A massive milestone in the private rented sector that will help our generation right now is the creation of a ‘rogue landlord’ database, which allows tenants to screen prospective landlords to check if they have incurred convictions in the past. The database was one of Sadiq Khan’s main manifesto pledges and calls are being made to make this a national resource. Also, ministers are seeking approval from parliament to widen the criteria for landlords in England, who need to secure a license when renting out a “house in multiple occupation,” along with setting minimum room sizes to address the issue of overcrowding. Although the issue of poor quality to the point of exploitation in the rented sector will not be sold immediately, the hope is that tougher regulation will raise the standards of rented properties.
Of course, it is simply not enough to rely on top-down regulation from central government to address a crisis of this scale, especially considering their lack of speed in acting upon the problem has been exacerbating it for decades now. A notable example, since we’re a student publication, is the success of ‘UCL Cut The Rent’ rent strikes last year, which resulted in UCL Accommodation agreeing to freeze its lowest rents for 2017/18 and pledged to almost double its accommodation bursary for socio-economically disadvantages students. This came after Goldsmiths students successfully negotiated a 35% cut in rent for halls following a rent strike in 2016.
I was inspired to see the enthusiasm, optimism and progress being made
More broadly, the National Community Land Trust (CLT) Network comprises of hundreds of community groups who are taking initiative and driving housing movements forward with regular people, for the benefit of regular people. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are defined as ‘a form of community-led housing, set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets important to that community, like community enterprises, food growing or workspaces. CLTs act as long-term stewards of housing, ensuring that it remains genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.’ I was lucky enough to be involved in their first ever national conference back in November, which happened the week the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Alok Sharma MP, announced the re-launch of the Community Housing Fund with a boost of over £200 million. I was inspired to see the enthusiasm, optimism and progress being made in introducing community-led housing schemes across the country.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, there are now over 225 Community Land Trusts in England and Wales, and the sector has grown six-fold in the last six years. The largest CLTs have over 1000 each, so establishing these in local authorities across the UK would provide a sustainable solution to the crisis, in addition to numerous other economic, social and environmental benefits.
making good use of the ‘rogue landlords’ database can help protect yourself against exploitation
So what can you do? Issues as broad and complex as the housing crisis can often leave us feeling helpless and overwhelmed. ‘Engage’ and ‘mobilise’ are the operative words here. As a student, this could involve putting pressure on your university to establish genuinely affordable halls of residence for students of lower household incomes. As a future tenant after graduation, making good use of the ‘rogue landlords’ database can help protect yourself against exploitation. As a citizen of any age, this could involve locating your nearest community housing scheme and supporting it, or even establishing one if it doesn’t already exist; if I can find five suitable sites in the London Borough of Lambeth, there are sites to be found in every local authority!
Even if resistance truly does seem futile, just know that solutions are there to be found. After all, our generation are going to have to clear this mess up, so why not start out sooner, rather than later?
Students, millenials and the housing crisis: is resistance futile?
Having recently endured the stress of securing a house for third year, I found myself reflecting on the different ways the deepening shortage of quality affordable housing is impacting upon the millennial generation. Studying at an elite university in one of the wealthiest parts of the country, it is all too easy to forget that the country is facing an unprecedented housing crisis. ‘The Exeter student bubble’, within which accommodation is guaranteed and many are treated to luxury features like 2-3 catered meals a day, an en-suite bathroom and a 5-minute walk to central campus in their first year, distorts the reality of 21st century living. As a low-income student from South London, I made do with a flat 25 minutes from campus with a few too many silverfish and a crumbling kitchen.
Once first year ends, we are thrown into the highly competitive process of securing a student house, which this year became even more of a struggle for students like me due to a hike in rent prices for 2018-19 properties. When I asked an agent at Cardens why properties seemed more expensive than last year, he told me that pretty much every property on their books went up by £5-£10 per week as landlords capitalised upon the city’s student housing shortage.
How is this being addressed? A walk around Exeter will tell you that there are numerous blocks of brand new student accommodation being built to address the shortage of student housing in the face of the university’s ambitious growth plans. One of which is Queen Street Studios with studio flats starting at £190 per week, and according to reviews have all sorts of problems from a faulty lift to malfunctioning lights.
This highlights that the crisis isn’t a case of just supply-side pressure on the market, it’s a crisis of quality too. In addition to such ‘luxury’ accommodation across the city centre, the University has revealed plans to build 3 new on-campus accommodation sites by September 2019, providing rooms for around 1,680 students. What they haven’t revealed, however, is whether this accommodation will be affordable, and how exactly this will help the supply-side issue in the long-run once these students enter the private rented sector after first year.
Of course, the housing crisis and the way it will impact upon our lives transcends the bubble of student housing and will only worsen once we graduate and enter ‘the working world’. That’s right, after 2 years of worrying about the affordability and quality of student housing, you have potentially an entire lifetime of housing insecurity awaiting you. Unless, of course, you’re privileged enough to have property and other assets to inherit. The severity of the UK housing crisis varies depending on location, but is very much a national problem.
Looking at the issue from a student standpoint, a Centre for Cities report published in 2016 found that 24% of new graduates in 2014 and 2015 were working in London within six months of finishing their respective courses. Pair this with 2016 Institute of Student Employers ISE data that found that 50.4% of graduate vacancies available from its 700 members in 2015/16 were based in the London, I’m sure you can understand my concern. The ‘don’t live in London if you can’t afford it!’ demand-side rhetoric breaks down when the issue of finding a full-time job is concerned. Even if reducing the UK’s London-centricity is a long-term aim for the government (allegedly), the short-term reality is that the majority of UK graduate-level jobs are based in London, one of the top 10 most expensive cities to rent in according to Global Cities Business Alliance (GCBA, 2016).
The GCBA also found that the average Londoner in the private rented sector spends around 50% of their incomes on rent per year, with other estimates edging towards the 60% mark. It is therefore no wonder that millennials find themselves unable to save enough of a deposit to get onto the housing ladder once other living expenses are accounted for. The forecast is grisly, with UK housing and homelessness charity Shelter estimating that first-time buyers will need to earn £64,000 per year by 2020. In other words, ‘generation rent’ will remain as such unless there is a serious increase in the supply of housing in the UK. The effects of Brexit are yet to push down housing prices significantly enough to rectify this like many predicted. Even if this changes in the next few years once the process and outcomes are clarified, we really ought to stop relying on hypotheticals to neglect the immediate problem: we need to build more quality, affordable homes.
As grim as this all is, it is important to know that there are things being done. A massive milestone in the private rented sector that will help our generation right now is the creation of a ‘rogue landlord’ database, which allows tenants to screen prospective landlords to check if they have incurred convictions in the past. The database was one of Sadiq Khan’s main manifesto pledges and calls are being made to make this a national resource. Also, ministers are seeking approval from parliament to widen the criteria for landlords in England, who need to secure a license when renting out a “house in multiple occupation,” along with setting minimum room sizes to address the issue of overcrowding. Although the issue of poor quality to the point of exploitation in the rented sector will not be sold immediately, the hope is that tougher regulation will raise the standards of rented properties.
Of course, it is simply not enough to rely on top-down regulation from central government to address a crisis of this scale, especially considering their lack of speed in acting upon the problem has been exacerbating it for decades now. A notable example, since we’re a student publication, is the success of ‘UCL Cut The Rent’ rent strikes last year, which resulted in UCL Accommodation agreeing to freeze its lowest rents for 2017/18 and pledged to almost double its accommodation bursary for socio-economically disadvantages students. This came after Goldsmiths students successfully negotiated a 35% cut in rent for halls following a rent strike in 2016.
More broadly, the National Community Land Trust (CLT) Network comprises of hundreds of community groups who are taking initiative and driving housing movements forward with regular people, for the benefit of regular people. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are defined as ‘a form of community-led housing, set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets important to that community, like community enterprises, food growing or workspaces. CLTs act as long-term stewards of housing, ensuring that it remains genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.’ I was lucky enough to be involved in their first ever national conference back in November, which happened the week the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Alok Sharma MP, announced the re-launch of the Community Housing Fund with a boost of over £200 million. I was inspired to see the enthusiasm, optimism and progress being made in introducing community-led housing schemes across the country.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, there are now over 225 Community Land Trusts in England and Wales, and the sector has grown six-fold in the last six years. The largest CLTs have over 1000 each, so establishing these in local authorities across the UK would provide a sustainable solution to the crisis, in addition to numerous other economic, social and environmental benefits.
So what can you do? Issues as broad and complex as the housing crisis can often leave us feeling helpless and overwhelmed. ‘Engage’ and ‘mobilise’ are the operative words here. As a student, this could involve putting pressure on your university to establish genuinely affordable halls of residence for students of lower household incomes. As a future tenant after graduation, making good use of the ‘rogue landlords’ database can help protect yourself against exploitation. As a citizen of any age, this could involve locating your nearest community housing scheme and supporting it, or even establishing one if it doesn’t already exist; if I can find five suitable sites in the London Borough of Lambeth, there are sites to be found in every local authority!
Even if resistance truly does seem futile, just know that solutions are there to be found. After all, our generation are going to have to clear this mess up, so why not start out sooner, rather than later?
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