Imperial College students to set own rents

Students in Imperial's Wilson House

Imperial is introducing a new model for rents in student halls, which, in a first for the College, has been established by students.

The move comes in the wake of the College’s commitment to partnering with students on implementing the recommendations of the 2014 residential experience review. The review identified the difficult resource decisions faced by the College in providing a range of first year homes that give all students an affordable start to university life and that create a welcoming community for first years to live in.

Approved by Imperial’s Provost’s Board at its meeting on 27 February, the new rent structure will be implemented for the academic year 2015-16. For that year rents will start at £94 per week for an en-suite twin room in the new Woodward Hall and will set the price of nearly 800 bed spaces at £130 per week or less, compared to fewer than 100 previously. The framework used to calculate these rent levels is intended to be in place until the 2020-21 academic year, with annual increases in line with the costs of operating the halls only.

The decision followed recommendations by Imperial College Union to adjust rent costs across Imperial’s accommodation portfolio to better reflect the range of provision at different halls. Imperial College Union (ICU) Council passed the resolution at its meeting on 10 February welcoming efforts to rebalance the rent profiles to ensure that students are able to access affordable accommodation. The Council supported the proposed rents which were subsequently agreed by Provost’s Board.

Eastside Hall

Vice Provost (Education) Professor Debra Humphris said: “Being in the centre of London is expensive and this brings a lot of challenges to the residential experience we’re able to provide. We’re determined to provide the very best residential experience to our students but we also have difficult decisions to make about the best use of our facilities and resources, both now and in the future. We haven’t always got it right in the past but we are absolutely committed to partnering with students where we can to make these decisions.  

“There’s been some important progress in this. Thanks to working closely with the Union we have reached the point where rent setting is in the hands of students, which is important progress.”

How the Union set rents for the first time

In deciding on their preferred structure, members of ICU’s Council were presented with three possible pricing structures developed by ICU President Tom Wheeler and the College to reflect student feedback on the disparity of rents between halls. 

Tom Wheeler said, "It is fantastic that as a result of our lobbying and campaigning we have secured lower rent for over 1,000 future students with the new approach to College accommodation. 

"It is indicative of the improved relationship that we now have with College that we are being given these figures, let alone that we are engaging on these difficult decisions."

The move is part of the ongoing work to implement the recommendations of the residential experience review which took place last year. The decision to move to a student led model of rent setting is part of a drive towards greater transparency in rent costs for students living in halls – providing clear information about the costs associated with them and how rents are set . 

The College has already established a new system for the Hall Activity Fund, previously the Student Amenity Fund, placing decisions about allocations in the hands of the student hall committees. The fund, now set at a flat rate of £2 per student per week by ICU, will be overseen through their e-activities system.

The Provost’s Board also agreed the following:

Pembridge Hall

To keep Pembridge Hall open as part of the undergraduate accommodation portfolio for at least the next three years. 

Weeks Hall

To close Weeks Hall from the beginning of the next academic year. 

Due to the structure and layout of the building and the difficulties associated with its listed status, it would be a significant challenge to conduct the refurbishment work that is essential for its continued use as student accommodation and would result in a high increase in rent. The Provost’s Board has therefore commissioned a feasibility study to establish potential future uses for 8-15 Prince’s Gardens, including Weeks Hall, to improve the provision of both academic and non-academic space.  
ICU resolved to accept the need to close Weeks Hall at their Council meeting on the 10 February. Since then a student petition has gathered the required number of signatures to recall the issue to a forthcoming Council meeting on 10 March for further consideration.  

In addition, the Board noted that the discussions with Evelyn Gardens’ landlord over its future are continuing and agreed to continue exploring future options to meet future accommodation needs of the student body.