Post 51 – 04/03/24 – Miracle Occurs in Egham & Englefield Green: Student ASB Stops And Is No Longer A Problem – Part 2 (5 Minute Read)

So why would it be in RHUL’s best interest for student ASB reporting to remain opaque? (Indeed why is it in their interest for all the other recognised problems associated with student HMOs to be under-reported.)

Well without evidence, without reports recorded in the correct place, the people that will be looking to justify putting in place an Article 4 Direction (or other measures for that matter) will not be able to.

Let’s turn briefly to look at RHUL’s current thinking on student accommodation…

We know Rusham Park Student Village is being put on ice whilst they have a rethink to its purpose. (The rumour here is that RHUL is financially up against it – a large capital expenditure project in this current economic environment along with a lower student number forecast in the short-to-mid term we imagine now longer makes the project that appealing.) Rusham Park was set to house 1400 students. 

And Kingswood Halls (200 beds) is due to close shortly for renovation with no advertised date for re-opening. We’ll monitor that.

So where does RHUL want to house their students?

Well it would appear that RHUL’s current thinking is to lean on the private sector even further: one idea that is in RHUL’s melting pot is for a head lease scheme to give landlords more security and stability. IE We believe RHUL fears that the Renters Reform Bill may lead to landlords leaving the market. Underwriting the risk would help ensure that this type of accommodation is maintained going forward.

But if I were RHUL, I would not be too concerned. Landlords will continue to come here. They are ‘having it away’. Renting out a student property in Egham is now the third most profitable place to do so in the country. Average prices for a room are £630/ month. 

https://propertyindustryeye.com/which-is-the-most-profitable-area-for-student-landlords/

But that is the average; this one is being marketed at £1050/ month. (But it does come with an ensuite.)

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143978882#/floorplan?activePlan=1&channel=RES_LET

If I was a student studying at RHUL I think I might be a bit miffed. I think I would be asking some of my own questions to the senior management team. ‘Great to offer us a nice shiny library and a nice new drone hanger but why are you happy for us to pay over the odds by not providing us with enough affordable accommodation?’

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To conclude, please continue to report ASB to the authorities, arduous as it can be. We think our templates make it simple and increase the likelihood of resolution – it may not be what the authorities want but at least your reports will get recorded in the right place and it is easy for you to use. Hopefully someone soon will have the gumption to recognise the problem and address the reporting issue.

https://weneedtotalkaboutroyalholloway.com/reporting-asb/

As RHUL tries to increase student numbers (the root cause of the problem) it is a fair assumption that the associated issues will increase too – but if RHUL’s plan is now to become increasingly dependent on HMOs to accommodate its students, well this would take us into new territory.

Ideally RHUL’s expansion needs to stop. And I am pretty sure the community does not want Egham & Englefield Green to become RHUL’s very own student village.

Best wishes,

We Need To Take Direct Action Against Royal Holloway

PS If you have a story relating to the handling of RHUL student related issues, good or bad, we would like to hear from you.

Please send an email to enquiries@weneedtotalkaboutroyalholloway.com with a brief outline and someone will get back to you.