Student accommodation owner Unite Students is offering a further extension to a 50% rent discount announced in January.
Unite will offer the discount for a further three weeks, taking it to 10 weeks in total, until the end of the government’s “stay at home” recommendation on 29 March. The total 10-week discount is expected to cost the company £10m.
Chief executive Richard Smith said: “We know from our own survey of students that the majority want to return and enjoy university life. This final rent discount means we will have provided a total of 10-weeks of financial support while students were asked to stay at home by the government.
“This comes on top of the waiver of rent for the third term of the 2019/20 academic year during the first national lockdown.”
Unite said that about 60% of checked-in students have now returned to its buildings. The company has collected 95% of rent due for the 2020/21 academic year.
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