Jesmond living is increasingly expensive with prices and pressures to find housing hiking up. But most of us pay to still live here.
Cavendish Place, student filled street. Image by: Grace Bamforth
Jesmond is the student place to be, there’s no doubt about it. According to Northumbria University one in ten students choose to live in Jesmond and Newcastle University states it is the most popular area for students, in the Chronicle Live. The appeal for students to live in Jesmond began increasing in the 1980s. Jesmond today is renowned to students, with it becoming a form of student campus, with certain streets taken over and turned into HMO ghettos. We all want to live here and are willing to pay whatever the cost is to live in famous Jesmond. So, let’s outline the struggles because there’s an increasing pressure to secure your house earlier and an increasing price.
When reaching the end of October, fresher’s week has just ended and the dreaded conversation begins with your new friends you have just made. The question of “do you want to live together?”, starts being asked and usually everyone agrees Jesmond is the ideal place to look. In my opinion this happens way too early each year and students are often forced into a house dramatically over budget, which they never really liked in the first place. Sandyford and Heaton, especially for Newcastle University students, rarely gets a mention. Realistically, what’s better than Jesmond?
The endless cafes, strip of options for bars on Osborne Road, delicious restaurants to spend your student loan in and the many shops, make it so desirable. But landlords caught on to this and now charge much more than Heaton or Sandyford. According to Map Apartments, the average price for Heaton is £70 to £100 per week and Sandyford costs around £100pppw- I wish. Jesmond prices can range from £80 to £150pppw, with higher end accommodation in Jesmond exceeding this. Hepi and Unipol (Higher Education Policy Institute and The Home of Student Housing) rightfully found, six in ten students’ loans did not cover their living costs. So, most end up paying the extra costs to live in Jesmond, which I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, seems unfair.
Hashtag Jesmond students popularity. Screenshot by: TikTok
Now I know Newcastle as a whole is cheaper and more affordable than many other cities, as Map Apartments found. But why is it more expensive to live in Jesmond? Seekers in 2022 found there was a 70% increase in Jesmond rental prices, compared to the last academic year. Some students may say they don’t mind these increased costs (those who most likely don’t have a loan), but for many, rent rises are causing stress when we still want to have that ‘Jesmond lifestyle’. The government has increased maintenance loans by just 2.8% when inflation has risen around 10%. This is simply not enough to live here: We should be able to live in the area we want when we are the ones paying the loan back. Yet rent has risen by almost 15% in the past two years, Unipol and Hepi found. When on a budget, the price increases to live here are unreasonable. Yes, you could just live in Sandyford or Heaton, but when all your friends are living in Jesmond, who wants to live alone?
Increasing rental bills across the UK. TikTok by: ITV News
That brings me onto my next point. Walton Robinson demonstrates that there has been record increases in earlier student enquiries. There’s a growing pressure to find your house earlier, year upon year. The race to sign a house begins early October. Often this results in renting a house you’re not fully set on, with people you have only just met. CBRE highlights the number of students living in HMOs has grown by 18% which could result in an even earlier start to the let cycle in the future- very concerning. Choosing so early can cost more than you intended when other areas allow more time to think. And dare I say it, I sometimes wish there wasn’t such a hype over Jesmond because it can result in radical decisions which you really pay for the following year. Yet, it’s all part of the ‘Jesmond experience’ and securing that perfect house.
All of which, everyone can relate to. There are battles we face to live in Jesmond: the ultimate student area which every first year is desperate to get to after student accommodation. It means paying extra and preparing for house hunting the following year just as you’re beginning to settle into your current house. I guess it doesn’t sound worth it but, it really does add to the university experience, despite the challenges. Maybe this will decline in years to come as more students remain home due to expenses, but wouldn’t this be disappointing? So, for the time being, look forward to the true costs of living here as a student. It’s worth it in the end, right?
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