University of the Highlands and Islands releases students in Inverness, Dornoch, Elgin, Perth, Fort William, Oban and Sleat from tenancy contracts during coronavirus crisis
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Students who have left their accommodation in Inverness won't be charged rent from the end of this month.
The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) has announced that students who have chosen to leave their residences will be released from their contracts at the end of April.
It comes after Inverness College UHI stopped its face-to-face lessons due to coronavirus.
Earlier this week, we reported that some students were paying more than £500 per month for term-time rooms, with one parent asking why the UHI is not following in the footsteps of other universities and cancelling the payments.
But this morning, UHI issued an update stating that those who are still living in residences in Inverness, Dornoch, Elgin, Perth, Fort William, Oban and Sleat will be able to remain and stay longer than their tenancy agreement if they need to.
The move aims to help students whose plans may have been affected by the movement restrictions implemented during the coronavirus crisis.
Professor Crichton Lang, principal and vice-chancellor of the UHI, said: “Our student residences across our university partnership, both those owned by the university, or by our academic partners, remain open in line with advice from the Scottish Government and many students continue to live on campus. We understand this is an extremely difficult time for our students and we’re working hard to ensure they are supported and safe and have access to hardship funding if they need it.
“Students who need to extend their tenancy agreement due to the Covid-19 crisis can and will be accommodated. In addition, we’re currently in discussions with NHS Highland and NHS Grampian about the use of our residences for essential workers, should this be required.”
Related article: Students paying rent of £500 per month for rooms in Inverness that are no longer required due to coronavirus
