Where your rent goes

A large portion of your rent goes directly into Rent Payable. Around half of campus accommodation is not owned directly by the University, for some residences we have partnered with Student Accommodation Providers who finance the accommodation build and manage the accommodation for a long period of time. We have agreements and obligations with these providers to pay them the rent received (otherwise known as Rent Payable). By having these agreements in place we are able to provide accommodation across a wide variety of rooms types, self-catering and catered options, and locations.

Our Student Accommodation providers do review and adjust the rents we owe them yearly, based on certain factors such as inflation. 

In addition to this we also pay ground rent on the land that some of our colleges are built on to the land owners.

This includes costs for college staff who provide support and manage college life, events and initiatives within your college accommodation.

This includes ongoing maintenance of the network in your accommodation but does not cover upgrades or cybersecurity, which are budgeted separately.

A significant proportion of rent goes toward something called “depreciation”. Depreciation is the spreading initial construction, major renovations or similar over the expected life of the space (so the cost is borne equally across the whole life of the accommodation). 

As an example, when a building is constructed such as student accommodation, it's expected to be useful for many years and to account for its gradual ageing and wear and tear, an amount of money is set aside for this. This money covers more than just the building itself, it includes initial construction costs and various elements like utilities, roofs, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, and IT infrastructure – everything that makes your living space work well. The depreciation funds ensure that there's enough cash to maintain and keep everything in good condition over the years.

This covers water, electricity, gas, and heat in our accommodation. Costs to the University or Accommodation providers can go up if there is increased activity in accommodation or higher fuel costs.

All repairs and maintenance works that have been carried out on a residential building are funded by this part of your rent. This can be anything from planned improvements to reactive work, but does not include any damage caused by residents.

For those on catered packages, this part of rent supports the costs of food, staff, and running the outlets, including cleaning and maintenance.

This part covers the staff and operating costs for services like cleaning, security (24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year), and reception hubs in accommodation. The introduction of the Real Living Wage increased costs in recent years.

The accommodation team handles tasks like allocating rooms, issuing agreements, and assisting with various needs, ensuring a smooth housing experience.