Housing ‘crisis’ as scores of students claim they have nowhere to stay in St Andrews

Scores of students claim they are struggling to find places to stay in St Andrews – sparking a homelessness “crisis”.

The university has been contacted by 130 students this week who are facing difficulties securing accommodation ahead of the new term.

Campaign for Affordable Student Housing (CASH) claims it has heard from hundreds more – about 370 students – who are struggling to get a flat before the academic year starts in September.

The group claims research it has carried out shows 40% of them are entering their second year at the university, and trying to move from student accommodation to private lets.

‘People are desperate’

Barry Will, a third-year student who helps run CASH, believes a rise in the student population by 1,200 over the last two years has caused the crisis.

He said: “People are desperate, there aren’t enough homes.

“St Andrews is already having a housing crisis but the massive increase in student numbers in the last two years has now just meant that all these students are going to be effectively homeless in just a few weeks’ time.

“It’s been made even worse because the university is mandating all students to return in-person this time, so there’s no option to study online any more.”

It comes as a new 681-bedroom student accommodation block at Albany Park has yet to be built after the old site was knocked down.

In the last academic year, St Andrews University had 10,425 students, an increase of 2,025 from five years ago.

Barry said: “We shouldn’t have been at that number without all the student bedrooms, and really the issue is there’s been no homes in St Andrews for a long long time.

“The university has said in the past that students can just go to Dundee but Dundee has housing issues of its own.”

CASH has previously raised concerns over housing availability in the town.

What do students want?

The group has asked the university to take immediate action on the following areas:

• A reduction of student numbers to a “level that is sustainable and in balance of the needs of local residents”
• To bring forward the construction dates of any new student accommodation
• For transparency and communication for students affected by the crisis.

Barry says the housing problems are not solely the fault of the university, with a lack of HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) in Fife being highlighted.

There are also concerns that holiday lets are adding to the shortage.

Councillor Judy Hamilton, Fife Council’s housing spokesperson, says that historically,  balancing the housing needs of everyone who wants to live in St Andrews has been a “major issue” for the town.

She said: “We’ve looked at many different ways of managing these challenges over the years.

“We will work with the university to see how best we can help.”

A spokesperson for St Andrews University said: “This week, 130 students have contacted us to say they are having difficulty finding accommodation.

“We sympathise greatly with the stress students have reported flat-hunting in a housing environment that is more highly pressured than ever.

“We are listening to them, and working with our students’ association to find solutions.

“We have been working since last winter to increase capacity in our own residences, and to secure additional, affordable, university-managed beds in a modern, purpose-built student residence in Dundee, in anticipation of a potential housing squeeze, to ensure that all students have access to housing when term begins.

The reasons for the squeeze on private accommodation in St Andrews this year are entirely beyond the university’s control, and several are common to universities across the country”

St Andrews University

“Accommodation in the St Andrews Dundee residence has been available and offered to students since the spring.

“The reasons for the squeeze on private accommodation in St Andrews this year are entirely beyond the university’s control, and several are common to universities across the country.

“St Andrews currently provides more university-managed accommodation per head of population than almost any other university in the UK. Over 40% of our students live in university residences.”