Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing support for students in rented accommodation through Government subsidies for (a) rent holidays and (b) a freeze on rent payable during the covid-19 outbreak.

We have announced a radical package of measures to protect renters, including students, affected by coronavirus. Students will continue to receive scheduled payments of loans towards their living costs for the remainder of the current, 2019/20, academic year and we understand that most universities maintain hardship funds, which can be accessed where necessary. The Government has also announced unprecedented measures to support workers, including students who are workers under PAYE, during this period by paying up to 80 per cent of their wages.

The Department is actively engaging with stakeholders across the student accommodation sector, including private student accommodation providers, to understand the challenges posed by the current crisis and to establish the most effective means of supporting the whole of the sector.

The negotiation of early releases from contracts is a matter between the parties concerned. The Government encourages student accommodation providers, landlords, letting agencies and tenants to act flexibly and adopt a common-sense approach to issues that may arise in the current circumstances.