Over 90 King’s College students have signed an open letter which could lead to a rent strike in Easter term. The rent strike, proposed by King’s College Student Union (KCSU), has been prompted by increased accommodation costs. 

The KCSU open letter states that rent in college is increasing by 8.1%, which is above national rent inflation. This is above the 2.8% increase in funding levels for student finance maintenance loans. The Cambridge Bursary is also not set to increase.

The open letter asks students to send their rent payments to an account controlled by the Cambridge SU, where the money will be withheld from the college until a set of demands is met. One demand is that the college commits to ceasing rent increases for the next academic year and ties any future rent increases to the combined increase of student finance maximum maintenance loans and the Cambridge bursary, or a 5% cap, whichever is lowest.

The letter also calls on the college to provide support for students who are struggling financially and to pledge not to take any disciplinary action on students who engage in the rent strike.

The letter also notes disappointment with the college’s “lack of response and receptivity” regarding the cost-of-living crisis, flaws in tenancy contracts, and the “untenability” of college accommodation. It also argues that it is inadequate to advise individual students who are struggling to use the hardship fund, as opposed to addressing the rent issue more broadly.

In a statement to Varsity, Adnaan Ilyas, the KCSU’s Domus officer, called the college response “unacceptable”. He said that “rent in King’s has become extortionate to the point where the college has directed students towards hardship funding in order to afford rent. College’s encouragement of the use of hardship funds is an admission that a basic necessity such as rent is pushing students into hardship.”

He said it was the KSCU’s “duty” to “challenge this eye-watering rent rise and secure a fairer deal for all”.

All of these issues, according to the KCSU, will not only impact current students but also deter prospective students from low-income backgrounds from applying to the college. This point was stressed by the KCSU access officer, Mya Saxby, who criticised King’s for prioritising “profit over the welfare of its students”. She emphasised that it is “access students who will ultimately be affected the most”.

When contacted for comment, a representative from King’s told Varsity that the college is “acutely aware of the pressures created by the cost-of-living crisis and the ever-greater need for student support”. They said that accommodation charges had been “set in consultation with student representatives” and “seek to provide a fair rent when compared to accommodation costs at similar UK institutions”.

They also indicated that students who are struggling have access to “a range of generous bursaries, especially for those most in need”.

According to a recent press release, the open letter has gained over 90 signatures. This represents £125,000 in Easter term bills.

The strike requires the participation of over 50 students to go ahead. Students who have signed the open letter are not yet committed to participating in the strike. Students who are “on the fence” about rent striking have been encouraged to sign the letter anyway so it can be used as a “valuable bargaining tool in negotiations”.

This is not the first time that the college has gone on rent strike – King’s had successful strikes in 1995 and 2003.

College bills at King’s are due to be paid during the week beginning Monday 8th May.