Accommodation suppliers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded university students
Accommodation suppliers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded university students
Blog Article
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has urged landlords not to require a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This arrives following NSFAS received experiences about some accommodation providers who demand NSFAS-funded students to pay for a deposit or top-up payment so that you can get use of the permitted private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation providers from the obligatory conditions, as furnished by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Settlement among the private accommodation providers and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS explained in an announcement on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states that the rent might be paid every month into the accommodation company (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf of your lessee (NSFAS funded student), in accordance with the NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation companies’ participation on the student accommodation portal.
"The lessor may not call for or allow the lessee to pay a deposit, top-up payments, or another forms of payment towards the lessor, or almost every other person in connection with here this agreement, which includes payment of hire, although awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor shall have no recourse from the lessee for any default inside the payment of rent by NSFAS," more info the arrangement reads.
The NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation suppliers’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded resulting from an incorrect determination by NSFAS, the student will not be responsible for payment of any arrear rent for the accommodation supplier, up right up until the date of being defunded."
NSFAS defined that exactly where the NSFAS-funded student chooses to continue occupying the leased premises, notwithstanding staying defunded by NSFAS, the student is going to be liable for payment of hire into the lessor from the day of becoming defunded.
"Where the student is defunded by NSFAS due to a misrepresentation by the lessee/guardian at any stage, the student must immediately vacate the leased property; click here and will be liable for payment of all rent due to the accommodation provider.
"Where the student moves, accommodation providers without the prior approval of NSFAS, NSFAS may elect not to pay any rental to the new accommodation provider, and any such rental payments will be for the student own account," the scheme said.
The scheme emphasised that any dispute arising between the parties regarding the interpretation or implementation of the agreement, must be dealt with in nsfas document submission deadline accordance with any dispute resolution procedure determined by NSFAS for this purpose.
From: click here SAnews.gov.za