A survey conducted by OpenRent found that 44% of students living in Liverpool are currently in rent debt.
Just 34% of the 704 people surveyed said they were able to pay full rent for the whole of 2020. Of the 66% that struggled with payments, 59% said they had fell into arrears of over one month. 8% said they were unable to pay over three months of their rent.
The findings paint a worrying picture as to the financial stability of undergraduates across the city. On average around the UK, 11% of students are currently in rent arrears, amounting to £171 million. This averages at around £1,341 per person, indicating how steep the strain is on an individual basis.
These issues have likely been exacerbated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its impact on employment for those in the retail, recreation and hospitality sectors which many students use to generate income. 70% said they believed that the pandemic had affected their ability to gain employment. 83% believed that to be the case in Liverpool.
49% of those that responded to the survey said that they worked part-time to support their studies, while 38% said they hadn’t at all.
*The 704 responses recorded between 15th and 23rd February 2021 consisted of students that had been enrolled in university courses since March 2020.
