Are Imperial College students paying too much for their rent?

The differences between the various Halls of Residence of Imperial College were recently brought to my attention. A resident of Fisher Hall commented to me that on a recent visit to Holbein Hall he had been amazed at the difference between the standards of repair. He gushed on about the mirrors, the pastel shaded walls and the up-lighting, then said: "God, they must be paying a fortune." This sounded like a challenge to me, so after a bit of wrangling I managed to get hold of all the rents for the halls (see table below).

Like me you’ll probably have noticed that Holbein and Fisher Halls have the same prices, as do the halls in Prince’s Gardens. But why should this be so? Why is Garden Hall cheaper than the rest of Prince’s Gardens? Time for a quick call to the Accommodation Office. Sadly this was not too useful. Sharine Brown, the Residences Manager gave the new prices for halls next year. Those costing Ł47.53 are going up to Ł49.00 and the halls costing Ł58.31 will go up to Ł60.06, except Fisher which has been reduced to Ł53.13, but apart from that, nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

I was referred to Piers Williams on the grounds that she didn’t "know enough about (the subject)" and "only wanted to deal with facts". Piers explained that this year the accommodation levels were being set by himself and the Union Accommodation Officer. They had duly traipsed round all the halls and set the levels accordingly.

Fisher Hall was apparently refurbished 7 years ago and Holbein, 3. These cosmetic renovations have justified an increase in rent. Speaking as someone who didn’t get a choice into which hall I went into, I find it a little unfair that. Why should I be forced to pay Ł10 pw more than other residents in Evelyn Gardens for no noticeable difference? The rooms are generally accepted to be smaller and, to quote a visiting friend, "crap". Frankly speaking, the whole building is in a state of disrepair. I cannot actually recall having seen a wall with paint not discoloured and peeling off.

If Fisher is better than Southwell and Willis Jackson then I don’t mind paying more but I REALLY object to paying as much as Prince’s Gardens. What does Evelyn Gardens have compared to Southside? A shop? A Pizza place? A student bar? Proximity to college? Connections to the college Computer network? No. The only link to College is the single telephone line up to the main campus, but since the internal phones don’t work with the ACC discount phone cards it is of no use.

Suitably riled, my partner and I ‘acquired’ a copy of the Confidential Strategy for the Future Development and Management of Student Residences. We began to skim read through it looking for juicy titbits to highlight.....

Interestingly enough, the Powers that be seem to be aware of the problems, concerning Imperial’s bedstock, as well they should. To quote the report, Imperial College is aware that the rents are high "relative to competitors, both London based and provincial". They also accept that IC halls offer "questionable value for money in certain residences where there is a severe maintenance backlog."

Back in 1993, however, an exhaustive plan to "overcome perceived competitive weaknesses in the physical condition of the residences and excessive variations in standards of maintenance between residences and increase value for money" was drawn up.

This resolved to "establish minimum acceptable and targeted standards for all student accommodation in terms of furnishings, equipment, decorative order, cleanliness and all round value for money, and ensure that all existing residence meet the minimum standard by the end of 1993/4 and targeted standards by 1995/6". Included in this is a "rolling programme of redecoration - three year internal cycle, five years external". Hmm, has this happened? First impressions say not.

On a more serious note, Fisher Hall (together with other halls in Evelyn Gardens) is under Leasehold for the next 50 years. Although the report resolved to begin negotiation with the relevant landlord for outright purchase, the report also highlights the College’s relative lack of funds and inability to raise finance at acceptable rates. This may explain the discrepancy between the ‘three year plan’ and reality. Worryingly, they seem to be overly concerned that the poor condition of halls reduces their chances of "profitable disposal". In other words, they seem to give priority to getting halls in a condition fit to sell, rather than fit to live in. Furthermore, sections discussing the possibility of halls being forced to close if they could not meet Health and Safety standards (and forming suitable contingency plans) does nothing to inspire confidence in housing standards.

Through further acquisitive activities, we found ourselves in possession of the NUS Accommodation Costs Survey 1996/97, which covers private sector and university rents at all universities in the UK. The main findings were as follows:

•The average weekly costs across all types of institutional accommodation in 1996/97 was Ł48.37.

•The average weekly rent for private accommodation in 1996/97 was Ł40.12.

•The average cost of institutional accommodation increased by 4.7% between 1995/96 and 1996/97 (actually Imperial only increased by 2.6%, hurrah).

•Average, non-institutional rents increased by 3.8% between 1995/96 and 1996/97.

•A student living in institutional accommodation in receipt of a full grant and student loan did, on average, spend 63% of their weekly income on rent.

•A student living in the private rented sector did, on average spend 52% of his her weekly income on rent.

My conclusion is mixed. Imperial College is aware of the problems they face with their bedstock. Union input into accommodation charges may help matters. Given the exclusivity (read cost) of our Kensington location and the crippling lack of funds, things could be worse. On a more subjective note, however, there is a need to address the imbalance of rents charged within Imperial’s halls. Perhaps some money should be spent on the residences that need sprucing up. After all, happy halls = happy students = happy uni