Over two thirds of student renters are worried about their ability to pay rent, with around a quarter already racking up arrears, a survey from the National Union of Students has found.

International students and students of colour are most likely to be extremely concerned.

Almost half of students live in rented accommodation of some sort, with around a third believing they will not be allowed to leave their tenancy agreement early due to the pandemic.

The Coronavirus and Students Survey phase III took place in November and involved over 4,000 students.

A quarter of students said they had to self-isolate during the Autumn or were currently self-isolating. Over half of those who had been self-isolating said they had received no support from their accommodation provider.

The proportion of students living with parents or guardians had increased since the previous NUS survey and now stands at 30 per cent – 5 per cent more than prior to the pandemic.

‘It is astonishing that the UK Government has placed students under lockdown yet is still requiring them to pay rent for accommodation that they cannot legally access’, said NUS vice-president for higher education, Hillary Gyebi-Ababio.

‘We need rent rebates immediately to ensure that students are not out of pocket for rental payments of properties they are not living in’.