A shocking number of students who are living with rent and mould say they are limiting how often they turn on their heating to keep bills down.
Results of a study found that over half of students surveyed had experienced damp or mould on walls and ceilings in their privately rented student accommodation.
Students Organising For Sustainability, working with Universities UK, surveyed 800 UK students about their living conditions as for the Homes Fit for Study report. Given the ongoing cost of living crisis, students were asked about their experiences with energy bills too.
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A staggering 70% of the students said they have limited the length of time they have their heating on to save money on energy bills. A majority have also said they have experienced condensation.
However, despite these figures, 61% are satisfied or very satisfied with their current accommodation, which could suggest apathy from tenants about poor conditions.
The report also dove into specific concerns with rising energy bills. 70% of students said they have limited how long they have the heating on to save money, while 59% have said they have felt uncomfortably cold in their current accommodation.
11% of those surveyed studied in the north west. Commenting on the report, Chloe Field, National Union of Students Vice President for Higher Education and former student at the University of Liverpool, tweeted: “Landlords, universities and politicians expect students just to accept poor quality housing because that's just the 'student life'.”
She added: “With students becoming ill living in damp and cold housing, this should NOT just be accepted.”
Responding to the survey, a spokesperson from the National Residential Landlords Association said: “No tenant should ever have to put up with unsafe or unhealthy accommodation.
“If condensation or damp is an issue in a rented home, tenants should immediately contact their landlord so that they can investigate the source of the problem before it leads to mould or conditions that can cause harm. Damp conditions can have a range of causes, from leaks or structural problems, to poor ventilation or low internal temperatures.
They added: “Working together, landlords and tenants can find suitable solutions to address problems of this kind. These could include minor repairs, improved ventilation, or greater awareness of the sources of excess moisture in homes.
“If this isn’t possible, and where rogue and criminal landlords are not meeting standards, we urge local authorities to use the enforcement powers at their disposal to deal with those individuals robustly.”
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