“No More Guarantors” campaign

Your Exec Officer Team has been busy over the last month collaborating with the National Union of Students (NUS) on an impactful initiative—the “No More Guarantors” campaign. This campaign, designed to alleviate housing pressures on students, ties in with the new government’s proposed Renters’ Rights Bill. By engaging local Members of Parliament (MPs) and Student’s Unions, this campaign advocates for reforms that could profoundly improve the student rental experience across the UK.

Here’s what Union Affairs and Communications Officer Lucy has to say about what she’s been up to while working on this campaign:

Working alongside the Leeds Beckett Student Union in a newly formed alliance called Leeds Working Together, we have reached out to numerous MPs in support of our campaign. This united front amplifies our voice, signalling a growing consensus that student housing policies need reform to better support students’ rights.

Your Education Officer Shivani and I, partnered with Leeds Beckett Student Officers to meet with local MP Alex Sobel, a key advocate for the campaign in Parliament. MP Sobel has proposed three pivotal amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill:

Regulating the Starting Date of Lettings: Preventing early-season starts to give students fair access to housing.

Capping Deposit Time Limits to Three Months: Reducing the financial burden of holding deposits.

Abolishing Guarantor Requirements: Eliminating the need for guarantors, a major barrier for many students, especially those from low-income backgrounds or without access to UK-based guarantors.

Following this meeting, we reached out to student officers across the country involved in the NUS campaign, to encourage their MPs to vote for Alex’s amendments to the Renter’s Rights Bill.

Lobbying Day at Parliament: Voices of Change

On October 23, Felix, our International and Postgraduate Officer, joined the NUS in a landmark lobbying day at Parliament, where nearly 50 student representatives from across the UK gathered at Westminster’s Methodist Hall to bring attention to the campaign. Here’s what he has to say about what he got up to:

On 22 October, as a member of the LUU Exec, I travelled to London as part of the NUS advocacy team to meet MPs regarding the issue of abolishing guarantor fees, particularly for students. As you may be aware, guarantor fees have been a major barrier for students in accessing accommodation that is both healthy and safe.

Many of our students, especially international students, those from low-income backgrounds, and estranged students have been disproportionately affected by guarantor fees and related costs. This has led to students sharing single rooms, staying in hotels, and using guarantorship services.

I met with MP Imran Hussain and MP Samantha Kate Dixon, the Government Deputy Whip, who both showed support for the campaign and acknowledged its importance. They committed to ensuring that legislation would not disadvantage any student group, promising to carry the conversation forward in Parliament.

What’s happening as a result?

As part of the campaign’s ongoing efforts, MPs asked MP Alex Sobel to share the details of his amendment proposals for the Renters’ Rights Bill so that they can vote for the amendment if it’s selected.  As we look ahead, your Exec Team will keep working to champion safe, affordable housing for all students, supporting a vision where no student is left struggling to secure a place to live.