Cape Town - Despite soaring rental prices in Cape Town, thousands of students are turning to private accommodation mainly because of limited spaces at universities and colleges.
With the start of the academic year a few weeks away at most universities, some students might not get a space in residence, turning to privately run accommodation across the city.
UWC has 3302 beds available, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) just over 9 000, while Stellenbosch University has around 8 000 and the UCT about 6 700 beds.
CPUT has more than 34 000 students and, according to the 2018 Best Student Cities Survey, Cape Town was the best preferred African city for students from all over the world, ahead of Joburg.
While the institutions were grappling with the high demand for accommodation, private developers were filling the gap with rental prices ranging between R3500 and R11000 per month.
One private provider, StudentAtHome, described its offering as bridging the gap between home and living on your own.
The company offers 300 units in the CBD to students from across the globe including Amsterdam, Australia, Brazil, Spain and the US.
“Every developer would like to get into the private student accommodation space, but the service needs to be managed well.
“Many universities and colleges do not have enough space and we have created an environment conducive to learning and offer wi-fi and other add-ons,” spokesperson Emily Whitefield said.
A new entrant in the private market, Respublica, has opened a residence in the southern suburbs, after the company felt the market was “ chronically under-resourced and over-subscribed”.
Respublica chief executive and spokesperson Craig McMurray said the new building would cater for UCT students and others attending tertiary institutions in the area.
“We offer six different bedroom options ranging from R5 000 for a single bedroom through to R8 000 for an en-suite studio. This includes free electricity, water, parking, laundry, weekly bedroom clean, access to the gym and all other amenities, as well as unlimited wi-fi,” he said.
Although the Department of Higher Education and Training did not respond to questions on how the government would tackle limited space and rising student numbers, some universities said the issue was receiving attention.
UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder said it was constantly exploring models and options to secure additional accommodation. However, he said: “It’s an issue that requires the collaboration of stakeholders, both in government and in the private sector.”
CPUT was also in the process of the upgrading two of its largest residences in Bellville and Cape Town with the long-term objective of extending the work to other student accommodation.
Spokesperson, Lauren Kansley said the university was also busy accrediting off-campus privately owned accommodation. “This gives the student more flexibility with regards to what they prefer and does not restrict them to residences which may not appeal to them,” she said.
Stellenbosch University said due to limited space it had also collaborated with private providers to offer accredited accommodation.
“Students who could not be accommodated were referred to private accredited accommodation,” said spokesperson Martin Viljoen.
To ensure safety of students at the privately run buildings, UWC said a private accommodation oversight committee had been set up by the institution in 2015 to look at conditions where students live and learn.
“As part of monitoring conditions, students are also encouraged to inform the university if there are aspects that must be addressed with the landlord or where there is breach of agreement which the student and the service provider signed.
“While not a signatory, the university seeks to ensure that norms and standards are complied with,” Abarder said.
Respublica and StudentAtHome said they provided security guards on site and had installed a biometric access control systems.
“Most parents who seek accomodation for their children are concerned about safety. But apart from the systems in place, we also empower them with knowledge to be safety conscious,” Whitefield said.