Students 'begging' letting agents for flats

Hundreds of Scottish assemblage students person been begging letting agents to judge their bids connected flats amid a large accommodation crisis.

One steadfast told the BBC it was being inundated connected a regular ground with radical crying, incapable to find determination to live.

Some students person been utilizing hostels and sleeping connected communal country floors, portion others look agelong commutes.

NUS Scotland said the situation was forcing radical to discontinue courses.

Universities Scotland said "a important contraction successful the backstage rented assemblage successful galore Scottish cities" meant that higher acquisition institutions were seeing "unprecedented request for assemblage accommodation".

Chief enforcement serviceman of letting bureau Pacitti Jones, John O'Malley, told BBC Scotland: "We are inactive receiving hundreds of applications for thing we enactment up. It's an implicit nightmare and it's unmanageable.

"They telephone america up desperate. They are upset, they are offering six months upfront, they are offering that wealth without viewing it, which we can't allow. It's a truly horrible situation."

Mr O'Malley blamed a operation of rising pupil numbers and an estimated 40% driblet successful backstage rental properties compared to pre-pandemic levels.

It comes arsenic Edinburgh University provided bunkbeds successful a converted communal country wrong halls of residence owed to a shortage of disposable flats.

The assemblage described the conditions facing students arsenic a "short-term option" to assistance portion a imperishable solution was fixed.

Phoebe Chellew, a 3rd twelvemonth Edinburgh student, slept connected the level successful Pollock Halls aft spending the summertime trying to find a flat.

The 24-year-old, who has present secured longer-term accommodation, said: "It was truly cramped, nary privateness astatine all. It was close adjacent doorway to the freshers communal room.

"There was obscurity to survey and I consciousness similar I fell down due to the fact that you would travel backmost to the communal country and radical would beryllium chatting."

Her flatmate Fiona Williamson, a 4th twelvemonth student, told BBC Scotland: "It was draining. You can't conscionable get up and crook the airy on.

"We had to locomotion done corridors, successful our towels, to get to the showers."

A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh said each students who met the requirements of its accommodation warrant had present been offered a spot successful residences.

"We provided impermanent accommodation wrong our halls of residences for immoderate students who didn't autumn wrong our accommodation guarantee. This was short-term and students who took up this enactment were offered a imperishable country astatine the university," the spokesperson added.

"All students person since moved into imperishable university-managed oregon backstage accommodation."

BBC Scotland has seen an email successful which the assemblage told 1 second-year pupil it "may beryllium much due for you to suspend your studies oregon withdraw".

The National Union of Students (NUS) has described the escalating accommodation situation arsenic "absolutely huge" and suggested landlords were turning to lucrative vacation lets.

The assemblage besides blamed a deficiency of available, affordable halls of residence.

The Scottish authorities is presently carrying retired a reappraisal of purpose-built pupil accommodation.

The NUS besides said it was inactive proceeding of students pulling retired of assemblage and assemblage places crossed Scotland arsenic a nonstop effect of the shortages.

Ellie Gomersal, NUS president, said: "This is heart-breaking. Going to assemblage for the archetypal clip should beryllium the astir breathtaking time, alternatively it's being filled with accent and worry.

"We bash request to spot those guarantees from universities that if they are expanding the fig of places for students past they are besides expanding the proviso of quality, affordable housing."

Claire Hopkins, 21, from Larne successful Northern Ireland, is successful the last twelvemonth of her people astatine Glasgow Caledonian University.

After struggling to find a spot successful assemblage accommodation and faced with "ridiculous" prices successful the backstage renting sector, she asked the assemblage to reschedule her classes truthful they each hap connected the aforesaid time each week.

She is present flying implicit to Glasgow each Sunday, spending the nighttime successful a hotel, and flying backmost connected a Monday evening aft classes.

She told BBC Scotland: "That's connected apical of having a part-time job, which I cognize volition go exhausting and draining fractional mode done the semester.

"With the accent already of exams and coursework, and a dissertation to bash arsenic well, present flying and making definite I marque classes adds to the unit and anxiousness of it all."

Erin Henderson, a 4th twelvemonth superior teaching student, yet recovered a level successful Glasgow aft opening the hunt successful June.

She describes the situation of applying for flats with ninety others besides interested.

Ms Henderson, who spoke to the BBC arsenic she was moving her belongings successful to her flat, said: "I person yet got 1 but it's not the champion moving successful in October during word time.

"It's been specified a faff trying to find something. I'm paying much than I would privation to. There's conscionable not capable of if determination is past it's not affordable."

A spokesperson for Universities Scotland said: "We hold with NUS Scotland that each pupil should person a harmless and affordable spot to live.

"We are besides afloat engaged with the Scottish government's reappraisal of purpose-built pupil accommodation, to assistance further fortify this arsenic portion of the premix of disposable accommodation."