Petition · past parliament
Encourage the offer of early releases from student housing and utility payments
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
As a result of students returning home due to both the need to be with their families and the loss of income from their part-time jobs as a result of the ongoing pandemic. We ask the government to encourage landlords to offer penalty-free early release for student renters.
Many student’s loans do not cover the costs of private lets, leaving students reliant on zero-hour contracts to pay the rest of their rent and for their living and studying costs. Students are now facing a loss of income and so we ask the government to encourage letters to allow students penalty-free releases from their contracts if as a result of the pandemic they lose this income. This is something Bishop Grosseteste University and several others have already offered to on-campus students.
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
| 27 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 1 Apr 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
1 Apr 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.