Fight the Rent Hike returns for another academic year

On November 12 University of Manchester 'Fight the Rent Hike' held their first open assembly of the academic year on-campus in the Roscoe Building.

The group is a student-led campaign that wants to see the University commit to affordable student halls. The open assembly was a collaborative effort from students at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. 

Although subject to change, during the first open assembly, the leaders of Fight the Rent Hike laid out their list of five demands for the 2025-26 academic year:

University accommodation rent prices to be reduced by at least 30%.Every first year student to be guaranteed accommodation they can afford.5% of accommodations to be made physically accessible for students with disabilities.Full transparency on rent setting policies by the University.Rent refunds to be offered for every day maintenance issues are not fixed.

It was made clear that these demands are not the end goal for achieving affordable university accommodation in Manchester, and may change depending on the aims and level of involvement of students who join the campaign.

When discussing the University of Manchester’s plans for the Fallowfield Redevelopment during the open assembly, students were welcomed to voice their concerns. 

With rent prices estimated to be £235 per week, affordability was agreed to be an issue even for those eligible for the maximum student maintenance loan. Based on the proposed rent and a 41-week contract, students could expect to pay around £9,635 per academic year for the new accommodation.

Ahead of the open assembly, the Instagram account for Fight the Rent Hike announced: “The new Fallowfield accommodation will cost over double the price of Oak House. UoM is the biggest landlord in the city - if they raise prices, your landlord will too.” This year’s group are aiming to expand the campaign’s reach beyond prospective first-year students in halls, who are impacted by the increasing accommodation rent prices. 

The group continue to use the National Union of Students (NUS)’s definition of affordability as a target for rent reductions. The NUS states that 35% of rooms should be offered at 55% of the maximum student loan. 

This is not the first time students have campaigned against rising rent costs at the University. Campaigning in 2023 saw the occupation of University buildings, rent strikes, and protests. UoM Rent Strike, the predecessor group to Fight the Rent Hike, claim that over 350 students withheld their rent in January 2023, rising to 650 students by April of the same year. This figure is disputed by the University. 

This year’s campaign echoes the demands made in 2023, including a 30% rent reduction for that academic year, and that the University makes 40% of halls “affordable according to the NUS definition, within 3 years."

In 2020, students won a 30% rent reduction from the University. This was following an occupation of the now demolished Owens Park Tower by UoM Rent Strike, alongside the campaign ‘9K 4 WHAT? MCR.’ At the time, protest action was in response to high rates of Covid-19 in halls, the lack of face-to-face teaching, and what the group perceived as inadequate support for students in halls during lockdown.

Affordable student accommodation is a nationwide issue. In August 2024, research from Generation Rent revealed that only one in six on-campus university rooms in the UK have been found to be affordable for students, from an analysis of 49,161 rooms across the country. 

A University spokesperson said: “The University of Manchester is committed to providing a diverse range of accommodation and rents across the residential portfolio. There is an established and wide-ranging ladder of rents – including significantly cheaper older ensuite accommodation – and 1,245 non-ensuite bedrooms at Whitworth Park, which are some of the cheapest rents in Manchester.

“We have also introduced an accommodation bursary for September 2025 – £2,000 is now available each year for 150 low income/vulnerable applicants, identified through established means testing protocols. To ensure reasonable and competitive rents, the University benchmarks annually against both comparable UK universities and local private sector PBSA offers (purpose-built student accommodation). We are also working closely with Manchester City Council and other local HE institutions to influence the approach to affordability in Manchester.”