Potential providers of off-campus accommodation to students have until 31 January 2020 to apply for accreditation at the University of the Free State (UFS).
This is according to the spokesperson of the UFS, Lacea Loader, who also said that information regarding this can be obtained at the recently established office for off-campus accommodation at the university.
She explained that to date, the UFS has a total number of 2 338 fully accredited beds around the Bloemfontein and South Campuses of the UFS.
Students took to social media to express their grievances regarding not receiving funding to pay for unaccredited off-campus accommodation. Bloemfontein Courant spoke to a landlord who requested to stay anonymous. She said they are also feeling the pinch with the students since this matter has arisen.
She explained that she has been in the business for eight years and said the problem is that the communication to landlords from the university is extremely poor and not clear at all.
“We were not prepared well and the list of documents that they require takes a long time to acquire. Because this has been dropped on us, we do not have the time,” she said.
One of her main issues are that the students have already started arriving and as landlords they try their utmost best to provide safe and clean accommodation.
She told Bloemfontein Courant that the landlords also have to pay a lot of money when doing the application, which also takes time to get together. “We are willing to work with the university; they are welcome to come and do unannounced inspections but it is not fair as even their requirements are not always met by themselves.”
Meanwhile, Loader explained that their accreditation process entails a list of primary requirements, drafted with the cognisance of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in terms of off-campus accommodation to which private providers must adhere in order to be accredited by the university. She said these requirements are in line with the Policy on the Minimum Norms and Standards for Student Housing at Public Universities.
“The safety and living conditions of students of the UFS living off campus is of great importance. Student accommodation is a significant aspect of the success of the university,” Loader said.
Bloemfontein Courant has put in an inquiry to the NSFAS media unit but did not receive any comment by the time of going to print.For more information, landlords can contact Ms Portia Arodi at [email protected].
Sazly Hartzenberg
[email protected]
