“The lack of student accommodation is a crisis that has deepened every year. This year, eleven university cities cannot even guarantee their students accommodation after six months – that is close to a doubling in two years. As students, we need to put our feet on the floor and demand reforms of the housing market”, says Rebecka Stenkvist, president of the Swedish National Union of Students, SFS.
Many different cities are found on the “red list”. Big cities such as Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö, the traditional university cities Uppsala and Lund, as well as smaller towns such as Karlskrona, Gävle and Växjö – the crisis has spread all across Sweden. In the last few weeks, media in the whole country has reported on the insecurity of homeless students.
The housing shortage hits especially hard on students that are new to Sweden or students that move to a new town. Local contacts, a Swedish personal identity number or many months in queue can be crucial, yet are hard to come by for those who are newly arrived. Many universities have housing guarantees, but they often exclude groups, such as part-time students, exchange students or students already living in the municipality.
With only weeks to the general elections, Rebecka Stenkvist hopes that the housing report will put pressure on politicians to act.
“We have already heard some parties promising more student housing, but we doubt they can fulfil their goals without serious reforms. We don’t need campaign goody, we need somewhere to live”, Stenkvist concludes.
SFS’ report on student housing is a yearly mapping of the availability of accommodation in student cities at the start of the fall term. The student unions and the biggest lessors of student housing in each city are asked to describe the situation, and get evaluated according to a number of criteria, ensuring a secure and long-term living situation for the full length of the studies.
Cities on SFS ”red list”:
- Gävle
- Göteborg
- Karlskrova
- Linköping
- Luleå
- Lund
- Malmö
- Stockholm
- Umeå
- Uppsala
- Växjö
Criteria for a student housing guarantee according to SFS:
- All students studying at least half time included – regardless of your previous whereabouts.
- Tenency at will or periodic tenancy guaranteed for the full lenght of the studies,
- At least one private room in a separate or shared appartment or house,
- A reasonable rent in relation to the Swedish national study allowance,
- Located within 30 minutes travel from the university with good public transport access,
- Access within 30 days from registration or at the start of the term.