Homelessness is a real threat to Indian students studying in London

International students in the UK have been hit by a severe housing crisis, with many forced to accept unsuitable living conditions amid rising rents and expensive university accommodation.

Students from countries like India and Bangladesh said trying to find an affordable home in London was extremely difficult because they do not have references and payslips to secure a home, according to media reports.

Nazmush Shahadat, who arrived in London from Bangladesh to study law, ended up sharing a two-bedroom flat with 20 other men as he found university accommodation too expensive and couldn't find a house to live in.

"I never expected to live in a place like that -- I still have my scars. The first couple of months, I couldn't video-call my family because I didn't want them to see how I am living. That's sad," he said.

Shahadat added that he lived in a place where multiple bunk beds were crammed into a room and shift workers came and went, and he was often bitten by bedbugs, making it impossible to sleep.

With the rents in the UK going up by more than eight per cent overall this year compared with 2022-23, according to a Cushman & Wakefield survey, many foreign students are struggling to find affordable rooms.

The survey further said that less than one in 10 beds in major university cities are now affordable to the average student in receipt of maintenance loans and grants. The UK is consistently increasing in popularity among international students with 679,970 international students pursuing their degrees in the country, according to 2021/2022 statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).