The Government plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation, nor does it specifically fund universities to provide such accommodation. As such, this is not an area where the Government can intervene.
However, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and private providers of ‘halls of residence’ type accommodation are required to belong to one of two Codes of Practice. These are the Student Accommodation Code http://www.thesac.org.uk/
and the Accreditation Network UK http://www.anuk.org.uk/aboutus/aboutus.asp.
These Codes of Practice protect students’ rights to safe, good quality accommodation, wherever they are studying. They outline what students can expect from their accommodation as well as their responsibilities as tenants.
Some other private providers offer student accommodation, off campus, on the basis of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST). For students in these properties, rents would be set by the landlord at the market rent achievable for that type of accommodation. Under Section 22 of the Housing Act 1988, if an AST tenant considers the rent to be excessive, he or she could apply to the first tier tribunal for a determination of the rent. Given these protections, Government has no plans to act in this area.
In addition, since 2012, the Key Information Set includes information on the average cost of accommodation for each HEI. This is available via the national Unistats website: https://unistats.direct.gov.uk/
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