Students complain about extortionate accommodation fees.

Students living in the Seething Wells Halls of Residence complain about the monthly rental costs, as well as the difficulty they face with finding housing for their second year of study.

In a Zoom meeting held last Thursday, Jasmine Sandhu, a Fine Art student living in Block F at Seething Wells Halls of Residence, informed us that she and her other roommates struggle to pay their rent.

In response to the question, "Do you think the fee you pay weekly is fair?" she said, “To an extent, yes. The place is clean and looks nice. We get cleaners come every week and clean the kitchen. But we pay £194 a week for a small room and a small double bed.”

Jasmine informed us that some of her friends who attend the neighbouring St. Mary's University, pay about the same as she does (£200), but they receive dinner prepared for them every night. As a result, they are generally spending a lot less money on food and ingredients because their weekly fixed price includes all their meals.

Jasmine also shared with us how difficult it was for her to find housing for the upcoming academic year. “Every property has its catch, but luckily, after three months of searching, we managed to find the right one,” she said in her explanation. She said that the new house has much lower weekly fees than Seething Wells, with double-bed rooms costing about £135 per person and single-bedded rooms costing about £110.

She informed us that these rates are far more "student-friendly" and that she would "have the freedom to decorate my room however I want to" in addition to receiving all the amenities offered at Seething Wells.