The University of Greenwich has made one-off payments of £1,000 available to students in private-rented accommodation during lockdown if they can prove 'financial hardship'.

This comes as universities across England and Wales have come under pressure from student unions to offer at least partial refunds on accommodation, as well as a growing January rent strike among students.

Greenwich University say £244,000 is to be made available to private renters studying at the university during the pandemic.

The south east London university have made the new, £1,000 hardship fund available as a one-off payment from January 18.

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The money will help students in halls and private accommodation who can prove financial hardship.

To qualify, students need to demonstrate housing costs, such as a rent arrears statement and tenancy agreement, as well as providing three months’ worth of bank statements.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane Harrington, said: “We are committed to offering support to students during this difficult time.

"The new grant means we can help those in private accommodation, as well as in our own halls.

"We already guarantee that those in university accommodation, such as halls of residence, do not pay rent when the university becomes a completely virtual campus.

“We also offer a number of scholarships and bursaries to help students with the cost of their studies. Our awards range from sports and high achievement scholarships to bursaries for care leavers, students in financial need, and travel grants.”

Students in Wales this week demanded partial refunds from university accommodation after being told not to return in January due to surging Covid-19 case rates.

So far two universities have offered refunds, with staggered returns to be introduced to get students back safely, according to the Welsh Government.

Protests in Manchester over a lack of support which even saw some students locked in their accommodation resulted in the University of Manchester offering a 30% rent rebate for the first half of the academic year, worth around £1,000.

But organiser of the Rent Strike Now campaign, Ben McGowan, said the new lockdown means students are still paying for halls they are unable to return to which has prompted a wave of student anger.

On Twitter, campaigners listed more than 40 universities where they said students were pledging to withhold rent.

And the BBC reported last week that a growing number of students in England have pledged to withhold rent on university accommodation they cannot use during the lockdown.

Further details about eligibility and the Greenwich University application process is available here: Fees and Funding website.