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“We can’t find anywhere to live” The reality of Salford student accommodations

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Starting your studies in Salford can be an exciting journey. What can ruin it though is how much you pay for your student accommodation costs.

Each year Salford sees thousands of new students who are looking to start a new chapter in their lives pour into the constituency. This chapter is not an always positive change however, as it turns out that students often find it difficult to deal with the local accommodation pricing.

This is what former University of Salford student union president Kobby Ofori says students were most annoyed by during his presidency. The lack of choice and support is what Mr Ofori points out to have been the main boundary, further admitting to experiencing it himself during the initial stages of his stay in the UK.

“I am an international student myself, I came from Ghana and I really struggled in finding an accommodation”, Mr Ofori recalls his situation.

“During my presidency as well a lot of students, especially international ones, came to me and said ‘Koby, we can’t find anywhere to live. It’s very difficult.’

Having experienced this myself, I began thinking of ways to resolve this problem that so many other people seem to struggle with as well.”

Using the role of the student voice he represented, Mr Ofori took it upon himself to try and change things.

Earlier this year he mobilised a small team of people to create his start-up company “NexussHub” in a bid to tackle high accommodation prices in the region.

Mr Ofori says that NexussHub would offer students all kinds of budget accommodation providers, all in one place, all more easily accessible than they currently are.

Student accommodation costs in Salford have been gradually climbing over the years leaving many who are under budget stranded in a search for a more affordable option.

Most accommodation rooms however have stayed the same in size, meaning that current students are paying more than their previous colleagues did three years ago for example for the same amount of room space.

A private room in a shared 4-bed student flat, costing around £100 pw

Nick Saunderse, manager of a student accommodation site that is a University of Salford partner, says that their accommodation is tackling higher rates with pre-booking deals:

“Prices do go up yearly, however if you book in advance and take advantage of our offers, you could have a price cheaper than what you would pay currently.

“I can imagine it can be quite daunting for a person to settle in a new home, especially if he’s coming to the UK for the first time, but the university does plenty of events overseas promoting its accommodations.

They also do regular seminars online where students are able to talk to people live and to ask any questions you’ve got.”

Mr Ofori believes that while what the university is doing in terms of informing is great, the prices that are offered can really set you back if you are on a budget:

“Finding accommodation is very difficult if you’re not used to the environment. You don’t know where to go, you don’t know who to speak to, you don’t know who to trust.

I know the university gives you information here and there about where and how to find accommodation but it’s not that solid.”

He continued: “The prices are also very very high and if you don’t have the budget for that then you’re left on your own to make the choice, however ill-informed it may be.”

Salford student accommodation prices are still increasing despite students being unable to afford these growing costs. For the past three years, prices overall have seen a staggering growth of around 80% and don’t seem like they will stop anytime soon. Here is one of the top grossing:

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