Student lets – ambitious tie-up and most expensive ...

StuRents, one of the UK’s largest student accommodation search platforms, is to provide users with all-inclusive utility packages directly through its site after an ambitious partnership.

The firm has teamed up with utility specialists Glide and The Bunch, enabling property managers and tenants using StuRents to take advantage of 100% renewable electricity and carbon-offset gas energy tariffs, as well as high-speed broadband and water.

Tenants will benefit from the simplicity of a single monthly bill comprising all the utilities commonly used by occupiers, resulting in a smoother and more efficient customer experience, safe in the knowledge that they are helping the fight against climate change by reducing their carbon footprint.

The new functionality adds to a broad range of services already available on the StuRents platform, including market-leading online contract signing and rent collection, referencing, deposit protection, and more.

Tom Walker, director at StuRents, comments: “The fact that both Glide and The Bunch offer sustainable energy tariffs was one of the key considerations for StuRents – we wanted to encourage our customers to make environmentally friendly choices with the help of our platform.”

“In addition, both of our new partners will be able to offer competitively priced utility packages, which we expect to appeal to students. Introducing this new functionality will help eliminate the frustration often associated with handling multiple bills, making a transition to independent living a lot easier for many people.”

Alex Back, sales and marketing director at Glide, adds: “By integrating Glide into the StuRents sign-up journey, we are now able to help more property managers offer an all-inclusive rental package, which, as a result will make life easier for students and give them more time to focus on their studies.”

Founder of The Bunch, Elliott Herrod, says it was set up precisely so that university students can better navigate the world of utilities, through the offer of more competitive prices and a simpler way of managing household bills.

“We are thrilled to be working with StuRents and hope our service will make a difference to the day-to-day lives of its users across the country,” he concludes.

Students are paying up to 26% more in rent while at university – study

While the cost of renting for the average student has increased by 8% over the last five years, this climbs to as much as 26% in some regions.

That is according to Manor Interiors, which found the average student in Britain pays out £132 per week in rent, although in London, it’s as high as £152 per week – the most expensive of all British regions.

However, when analysing the cost of renting for students over the last five years, the research shows that London is one of just two regions to see the cost paid per week actually fall.

In 2017, the average London student paid £182 per week in rent but this has since fallen to £152 per week – a 16% drop.

Scotland has also seen the cost of renting fall for students, with a 2% decline meaning they now pay an average of £127 per week.

Unfortunately for the nation’s students, this is where the good news stops as every other area of Britain has seen the average level of student rent increase.

The East Midlands has seen the largest increase, with students now paying £129 per week - a 26% increase in just five years.

The North West and Yorkshire and the Humber have also seen student rental costs increase by more than 20% since 2017, up by 23% and 21% respectively.

The South West (16%), Wales (14%) and South East (11%) have also seen a double-digit increase, with the North East (9%), West Midlands (7%) and East of England (3%) witnessing a rise, too.

Farhan Malik, chief executive officer of Manor Interiors, comments: “An extra £11 a week might not seem that significant but every penny counts when you’re a student and over the course of a year, they are now paying a considerably higher price in rent compared to just five years ago.”

“The good news is that an increased cost of renting and changes to student financing have not dampened the appetite for university education and we’ve seen a record number of students choose to pursue a degree this year.”

He adds: “Of course, more students looking to rent a limited level of accommodation is likely to keep rental prices buoyant. Great news for landlords or PBSA providers, but not so great if you’re a student.”