Accommodation suppliers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded college students
Accommodation suppliers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded college students
Blog Article
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has urged landlords not to demand a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This comes after NSFAS obtained reports about some accommodation suppliers who need NSFAS-funded students to pay for a deposit or top-up payment to be able to get entry to the permitted private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation suppliers with the obligatory conditions, as supplied by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Arrangement among the private accommodation providers and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS reported in a press release on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states that the lease will be paid regular to your accommodation service provider (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf in the lessee (NSFAS funded student), in accordance using the NSFAS conditions and terms for private accommodation vendors’ participation on the student accommodation portal.
"The lessor may not involve or permit the lessee to pay for a deposit, top-up payments, or every other types of payment to your lessor, or some other person in connection with this arrangement, like payment of rent, when awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor shall don't have any recourse against the lessee for any default inside the payment of rent by NSFAS," the arrangement reads.
The NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation suppliers’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states nsfas student allowances that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded because of an incorrect selection by NSFAS, the scholar won't be responsible for payment of any arrear rent to your accommodation provider, up right up until the day of being defunded."
NSFAS stated that exactly where the NSFAS-funded student chooses to continue occupying the leased premises, notwithstanding getting defunded by NSFAS, the student is going to be chargeable for payment of hire into the lessor through the day of staying defunded.
"Where the student is defunded read more by NSFAS due read more to a misrepresentation by the lessee/guardian at any stage, the student must immediately vacate the leased property; 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 website 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 accordance with any dispute resolution procedure more info determined by NSFAS for this purpose.
From: SAnews.gov.za