Accommodation vendors urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded university students
Accommodation vendors urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded university students
Blog Article
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has urged landlords never to demand a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This comes after NSFAS obtained experiences about some accommodation providers who need NSFAS-funded students to pay for a deposit or top-up payment so as to get access to the permitted private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation providers in the compulsory conditions, as supplied by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Settlement amongst the non-public accommodation vendors and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS stated in an announcement on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states that the lease is going to be paid out regular on the accommodation service provider (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf in the lessee (NSFAS funded student), in accordance using the NSFAS terms and conditions for personal accommodation companies’ participation on the student accommodation portal.
"The lessor may not involve or allow the lessee to pay a deposit, top-up payments, or every other varieties of payment to the lessor, or another person in reference to this agreement, such as payment of hire, nsfas allowances when awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor shall don't have any recourse in opposition to the lessee for any default from the payment of rent by NSFAS," the arrangement reads.
The NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation vendors’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded as a consequence of an incorrect choice by NSFAS, the scholar won't be liable for payment of any arrear rent into the accommodation supplier, up until finally the day of being defunded."
NSFAS discussed that in which the NSFAS-funded student chooses to carry on occupying the leased premises, check here notwithstanding currently being defunded by NSFAS, the scholar will be answerable for payment of rent to your lessor in the day of being defunded.
"Where the student is defunded by NSFAS due to a misrepresentation by the lessee/guardian at here 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 here not to pay any rental to the new accommodation provider, and any such rental payments will be for the student own website 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 determined by NSFAS for this purpose.
From: SAnews.gov.za