UCL Accommodation have announced that rents will rise by 3.91% on average across all rooms from 2025/26, with rooms being raised between 3.1% and 4.5%.
This was successfully negotiated down by our Sabbatical Officer team, who have worked closely with UCL, from an initial flat 4.5% increase across the board. This will save students circa. £230,000 compared to the proposed flat 4.5% increase.
55% (N=2,429) of rooms will rise 3.1%, in line with the 3.1% rise in student maintenance loans next academic year. Accounting for the increase maintenance loan this is an effective rent freeze across more than half of all rooms. 27% (N=1,182) of rooms will rise by 3.8%, 12%(N=552) of rooms will rise by 4.3% and 7% (N=292) of rooms will rise by 4.5%
However, while that reduction is welcomed, we know that this will only provide some relief for you. We have been working with Hall Community Officers and UCL Accommodation to address issues across accommodation at UCL and we believe more should be done to ensure students are getting quality accommodation at a fair, affordable price.
A spokesperson from the Students' Union said:
“Rental costs have increased rapidly, greatly above the value of maintenance loan uplifts and the rise in rent prices only means it is becoming more challenging to afford a place to stay while studying. So far this year we've seen our highest level of demand for our financial support funds.
While we have successfully negotiated to reduce the overall cost of all rooms for students, there is still significant work to be done to secure further reductions, increased financial support, and better provisions to ensure students are not priced out of their education. We will continue to work with UCL to address these issues and fight for accessible, secure, and reasonably priced accommodation for all students."
We want to hear from you
We know that the rise in living costs makes it more challenging to afford a place to stay while studying. Your voice matters here and we want to hear from you to help us to continue to influence these decisions to better support you.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Students' Union UCL is a charity, led by students, which exists for the advancement of education of students at UCL for the public benefit.
- We represent approximately 50,000 students from more than 150 countries who study at UCL.
- We allocate more than £200,000 per year to students facing financial hardship. Details on our hardship schemes can be found here.