“They don’t care”: Students Frustrated As Landlords Hike Rents

Names have been changed.

In a straw poll conducted by The Saint, 63 per cent of 92 respondents stated that their landlord is planning to increase their rent for next academic year — a figure that reflects what students say has become the norm in one of Scotland’s most expensive towns.

Making national headlines in 2022, the St Andrews housing crisis was exacerbated by increased student enrollment after the pandemic and a shortage of rental properties. Rent prices continue to climb year-on-year, leaving many students feeling increasingly squeezed. The Saint spoke to those facing rent hikes about how the rising costs are affecting them.

Lucy and Freya, two third-year students, each pay £750 per month for a house on Argyle Street. With their rent set to rise by £50 next year, they said their sense of what counts as affordable housing in St Andrews has changed.

“At the time £750 seemed really expensive and on the higher end,” said Lucy. “Now, given that people are paying upwards of £1000 a month, I feel like we’re getting a really good deal.”

Lucy added, “I have friends who are paying similar prices in London. But if you’re a student in London, you get a higher student loan. Here, if you are trying to afford these prices that are on par with London, you haven’t got the same means to, even if you need it.”

“It just makes me feel annoyed,” said Freya. “It feeds into the bad reputation that St Andrews has of only having rich people come here, and the housing situation just makes that ten times worse.”

Mia, a third-year student, said she is currently paying £951 per month for a five-bedroom flat on North Street. Her rent has risen from £910 last year, and she expects it to jump to over £1000 next year — beyond her budget. The rise means she is now looking for a new house.

She said that letting agents have little incentive to be responsive or fair. Mia stated, “They know that if you say no, someone else will take it. They don’t have to be good letting agents because people have no choice.”

Recently, she was sent a listing for another five-bed flat at £1,040 per person per month.

“Who [...] is going to pay £1,040 for a single bed?” she said. “We gave them our budget, but they don’t care. They just sent it to us because they’re hoping someone will pay that.”

Leah, a student living on Market Street, said her flat is rising by £50 per person next year, bringing the total to £1,050 a month.

“The market for housing here is so insane that they can get away with that, and it makes sense for them. They want to stay competitive and earn a profit,” she said. “But for students, it’s really difficult. When you’re charged more but it’s technically still within your budget, you’re likely to just stay where you are and pay more — because you kind of have to.”

Celia, a student living on Hepburn Gardens, is paying £930 per month and expects her rent to increase by around £30. She said she looked at other properties but found that they were all just as expensive.

“It’s definitely a little frustrating,” she said.

In the 2024/2025 rent survey conducted by the Campaign for Affordable Student Housing (CASH), the average monthly rent for private lets was reported as £743.29, based on 86 data points. However, some students question the accuracy of this number. On the popular Facebook student housing forum ‘Get A Room’, rooms have been listed for up to £1800 per month.

Katherine Knisley, a research coordinator at CASH, said the nature of the housing crisis has shifted.

She stated: “Rents have definitely been increasing and it is due to the fact that landlords know that students need to live in town, and therefore they can take advantage of that and raise prices beyond what is normal for a small Scottish town.”

“Before, the crisis was just that there wasn’t enough housing and students were having to live out of town. I think now it’s that the prices are unaffordable for a lot of people.”

Photo by University of St Andrews