Petition · past parliament
Cancel third semester rent for students
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Students moving out for good in March to self isolate at home shouldn’t be forced to pay rent - for example 2.1k for April May June when university is closed and students are home without work. This should be cancelled.
Students are going home and a lot are now without work, with university closed and student finance up in the air, it is extortionate for landlords to be expecting them to pay rent when they have moved out for the rest of the school year - especially if mortgage repayments are to be suspended. There isn’t a lot of support for students as it is who have had their whole lives uprooted during this pandemic - this is the least you could do to help us during this time.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Suspending payments or providing refunds for tuition fees and rent are a matter for individual universities and landlords, and not the UK Government or Parliament.
If you want the Government to refund university rent and tuition fees due to coronavirus, you may wish to sign this petition: Reimburse all students of this year’s fees due to strikes and COVID-19
If you want the Government to encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown, you may wish to sign this petition: Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown
If you have concerns about your university's arrangements for teaching and assessment you should raise these with your university or the Office for Students, which regulates the higher education sector.
We understand that the current situation is stressful for many people. Student Minds, a mental health charity for students, is collating guidance and developing resources to support students experiencing stress as a result of the current situation, which you may find useful: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/coronavirus.html
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
If you want the Government to refund university rent and tuition fees due to coronavirus, you may wish to sign this petition: Reimburse all students of this year’s fees due to strikes and COVID-19
If you want the Government to encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown, you may wish to sign this petition: Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown
If you have concerns about your university's arrangements for teaching and assessment you should raise these with your university or the Office for Students, which regulates the higher education sector.
We understand that the current situation is stressful for many people. Student Minds, a mental health charity for students, is collating guidance and developing resources to support students experiencing stress as a result of the current situation, which you may find useful: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/coronavirus.html
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 19 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 31 Mar 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
31 Mar 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.