UK rental companies supplier Housing Hand has shared detailed insights into the scholar rental market, figuring out a spread of areas the place college students would profit from further help throughout the rental course of. The agency’s Understanding Renters in 2025 report exhibits that, whereas 71% of scholars think about themselves financially literate with regards to renting, there are important data gaps that would result in smoother rental experiences if stuffed.
“There are basic variations between scholar renters and different tenants. Our newest analysis supplies distinctive insights into the nuances and stunning variations of the scholar rental market, displaying clearly why a tailor-made method is so vital when renting properties to college students.”
Graham Hayward, Managing Director, Housing Hand
Housing Hand surveyed 932 college students, asking them a few vary of points of rental funds. The corporate’s analysis revealed that 48% of scholars don’t know the way their credit score rating pertains to renting a property, whereas 20% don’t know what a credit score rating is. 70% don’t learn about depositless rental schemes and 38% didn’t know what a guarantor was on the level they had been requested to supply one. Moreover, 53% of scholar renters don’t perceive how tenancy deposit safety schemes work and 67% don’t know the way lengthy it takes to get their deposit again by the tenancy deposit safety course of.
These data gaps spotlight college students’ explicit vulnerabilities from the very outset of the rental course of, that means securing a property is more likely to be extra traumatic and time-consuming for them.
As soon as they’ve discovered a property, scholar renters’ lack of information continues to impression their expertise. 53% don’t know the right way to arrange utilities contracts, 28% don’t know the right way to arrange a direct debit and 53% don’t know that contents insurance coverage is the tenant’s duty. Wanting forward, 33% don’t totally perceive what’s going to occur on the finish of their tenancy and 44% don’t know the way a lot discover they should give.
Additionally worrying from a authorized perspective is that 33% of scholars don’t know if their tenancy is on a joint or particular person foundation and 35% don’t perceive the distinction between the 2. Given the modifications to tenancies proposed by the Renters’ Reform Invoice, that is significantly regarding. Certainly, the Housing Hand survey discovered that 76% of scholars don’t perceive how the proposed Renters’ Rights Invoice could impression them when it comes into drive.
“We have to be certain that scholar renters perceive their authorized commitments and obligations by way of contracts and see intervals. With the proposed Renters’ Rights Invoice shifting quickly in direction of changing into regulation, there is a chance that we should not miss to higher help college students all through the rental course of. Offering them with well timed, related data in a transparent, simply digestible format ought to be a core a part of the rental service that each one these within the sector ship, from landlords and letting brokers by to purpose-built scholar lodging operators.”
James Maguire, Gross sales and Enterprise Improvement Director, Housing Hand
Housing Hand already gives complete help to assist renters perceive their monetary and authorized commitments. The workforce supplies step-by-step steering and clear directions all through the applying course of for its guarantor service and by way of its on-line assist centre. It additionally supplies devoted buyer help, guaranteeing each scholar renter has a direct, educated contact for any questions they could have. The corporate’s companies are additionally designed to help scholar renters. Its guarantor service covers all prices incurred from a rental default, together with damages exceeding the deposit, whereas its Solely My Share providing protects college students from joint and several other legal responsibility agreements, guaranteeing they’re solely chargeable for their share of the lease.
Additional particulars of scholars’ rental monetary literacy might be discovered within the Understanding Renters in 2025 report, which is now obtainable for obtain.
Characteristic picture by Jens Neumann from Pixabay
