Student housing co-operatives would take the pressure off

Students across the country continue to be faced with an accommodation crisis.

Between overpriced private housing, limited university accommodation (compounded by the lack of university government funding, leading to constant rent increases) and the country-wide housing crisis, students are often left in the lurch when trying to secure accommodation for the next academic year.

If they do manage to secure accommodation, things aren’t much better. Rent levels in student accommodation swallow up almost all of students’ maintenance loans, leaving them with an average of £24 for any other living expenses all year.

In Edinburgh, private PBSA rent ranges from around £900-1,500 per person per month (Unite or Student Castle, for example), which is far above the city’s average market rate of between £600-800pppm.

As well as the financial pressures, the student housing crisis impacts students’ wellbeing. The Russell Group Students’ Unions found that 75 per cent of student respondents fell below the UK poverty line after housing costs, and NUS Scotland’s Cost of Survival Report (2023) survey showed that 66 per cent of students feel that rent pressures have impacted their mental health.

It’s clear that the housing market is a major factor in students’ stress.

This rise in mental health awareness is partnered by post-pandemic behavioural changes. Most notably, more young people than ever are not drinking alcohol, or are drinking significantly less, instead opting for a more tranquil approach to life.

This is part of a wider trend of “slow living”, which is becoming a popular lifestyle for young people.

This movement, focusing on activities that require more time commitment and patience, is growing in popularity – for example, YouTube videos with “slow living” in the title increased by 4 times between 2019 and 2020.

Speaking from experience, young people are feeling overwhelmed by the hyper-online, instant-gratification and information-overload world we live in, and are turning to a more disconnected, purposeful living style.

Could student housing co-ops be a modern-day solution to both the housing crisis and young people’s desire for connection, community and “slow living”?

A Student Housing Cooperative (Co-op) is a building owned and democratically run by its student residents. Members are responsible for the up-keep of the property and are expected to contribute to the community.

Student co-ops are more affordable than traditional accommodation for several reasons.

Firstly, they are not profit-driven, only need to maintain basic running costs and a small surplus for refurbishments. This means that the rent can be kept at a much lower level than in the private sector.

Secondly, as all the tenants are members of the co-operative organisation, there is no landlord looking to make a profit. All the money made is reinvested into the co-op and directly benefits members.

Finally, members all take a level of responsibility in the property and do their bit to ensure the place runs properly. This means that there are no costs for external cleaners and other smaller tasks that do not require a contractor to complete.

Humans are naturally community-oriented beings, and there is evidence that social connection helps to combat mental health issues. It is not surprising that after experiencing the pandemic where social interactions were extremely limited, many people are reacting by making a strong effort to connect with each other.

With the growing trend of young people and student taking a more self-care-oriented approach to their wellbeing, it’s clear that rebuilding social communities should be a major priority.

Having lived through my own experience of poor quality and overpriced student accommodation, and as VP Community at Edinburgh University Students’ Association — where I have been campaigning on issues from unfair rent increases in University-owned accommodation to changing the law in Scotland to better protect student renters — I believe we need to invest more in student co-ops:

For many students, housing co-ops are more affordable than other housing options. They are also an opportunity to create a community environment where collaboration and working together benefit the entire house or building.

The co-op is such a great space because of the great communal atmosphere that it helps to foster […] With the wide variety of people here, you find yourself learning from each other and developing new mindsets and becoming more understanding. (Alix (any pronouns), a student living in the Edinburgh housing co-op)

The more we see accommodation as key to students’ mental health, the clearer it is that the current model is not working.

Students who are struggling with high rent often need to work unmanageable part-time hours to afford bills and food.

Both the university and Edinburgh council need to consider student co-ops as a real and positive option for student accommodation, as without this pressure, they could spend that time building a sense of community and investing in their student experience.