Petition · past parliament
Allow University Students to end their contracts with private landlords.
Rejected
11 signatures
What the petition asks
Students are still paying high rent to private landlords even though they were instructed to go back home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the universities have allowed their students to terminate their contracts early, private landlords are choosing not to follow this advice from universities.
Students already face financial difficulty. Graduating students are now facing even more stress in these times with not knowing how their final year will pan out. Their maintenance loan from the government would be used to help their family in this financial difficulty that they are facing due to unemployment.
Private landlords are making it extremely difficult for tenants, on average they make £3,500 a month from students in their properties, now they will be making this from an empty house.
Private landlords are making it extremely difficult for tenants, on average they make £3,500 a month from students in their properties, now they will be making this from an empty house.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Suspending payments for rent or ending a tenancy early is a matter for individual landlords, and not the UK Government or Parliament.
The Government has published an FAQ for university students on Covid-19, which includes advice on accommodation costs: https://dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/04/09/university-students-covid19-faq/
You might like to sign these petitions, which call for similar actions:
Enable private tenants early release from tenancy agreements due to Covid-19: Enable private tenants early release from tenancy agreements due to Covid-19
Refund university rent and tuition fees due to coronavirus: Refund university rent and tuition fees due to coronavirus
Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown: Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
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 can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
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: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
The Government has published an FAQ for university students on Covid-19, which includes advice on accommodation costs: https://dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/04/09/university-students-covid19-faq/
You might like to sign these petitions, which call for similar actions:
Enable private tenants early release from tenancy agreements due to Covid-19: Enable private tenants early release from tenancy agreements due to Covid-19
Refund university rent and tuition fees due to coronavirus: Refund university rent and tuition fees due to coronavirus
Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown: Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
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 can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
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: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 10 Apr 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 28 May 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
11
Status
Rejected
Rejected
28 May 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.