Student landlords have had their fair amount of criticism over the past year with pressure brought upon by the pandemic. This has led to increased burden on private landlords to support students during these difficult times, particularly as student incomes have been hit with jobs losses in the hospitality and retail sectors.
Following the national lockdown imposed on 6th January, students have largely been at their home accommodation with online learning provided by their Universities. Many have faced the prospect of paying their January rent payments in full with no known date of when they can return and live in this rented accommodation.
Sulets announced on 21st January a substantial rent discount to all students in leased housing equivalent to roughly 4 weeks rent. At the time Sulets CEO, Irving Hill said,
“We are very aware of the impact that the current lockdown is having on students. As an educational charity, with a clear mission to do the best for students, we are committed to helping where we can at this time, as we did in 2020.”
Following this Sulets has reached out to its Leased Service landlords informing them that the discounts will come from a surplus that Sulets had projected to achieve this year. However numerous landlords have now contributed to the scheme out of their own generosity, and more are expected to do so.
This is welcome news for all stakeholders and promotes landlords in a more positive light, particularly with endless negative press regarding landlords over the years. Sulets would like to thank all landlords who have been in touch and donated to the discount scheme. It goes hand in hand with the Sulets mission and values to raise student housing standards while being fair and transparent.