Could the recent growth in student housing co-operatives be one
solution to the challenge of housing students in an affordable,
fair way?
With the start of a new university term, many students will have
recently moved into halls of residence. The quality of
student accommodation has generally improved a lot over the last
few years, with many halls of residence now having en-suite rooms,
cleaners and on-site gyms. Although high standards are to be
applauded, the costs of such accommodation are often out of reach
for many students and there have been several recent news reports
about the increasingly high rents charged by universities for the
student accommodation they provide.
The 'Cut the Rent' campaign represents a group of
student activists who are holding their universities to account for
allowing rents to soar, often exceeding costs in the private rented
sector. The National Union of Students (NUS) claims that rent accounted for 73% of the
maximum student
