On the 11th December myself and the SU President attended a meeting where proposed rent increases were brought up.

Rents are predicted to go up between £2-6 per week depending on accomodation (3.8% across the board); this is all despite costs predicted to decrease excluding the costs of 3rd party provider Gwalia, who by the way report a £2.5 million surplus from student accomodation they manage in Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea.
To be fair it is clear that Residential Services are not making a profit however the gap is smaller than in previous years, to put it simply it seems they have plugged the gap of costs yet still feel the need to increase rents.

Some key points:

Expenditure from 2014/15 to 2015/16 will reduce by £1,446,560.
All of the proposed rent increases are above the current rate of inflation and have been for a number of years.
No real justifications are given for the differentials between halls and rooms, with some being almost five times inflation (5.7% Cefn Bryn).
It is concerning that one of the justifications for increases is in some part health and safety which should be addressed via the maintenance schedule with Gwalia.
Due to the phased closing down of the student village disruption and potential loss of facilities is expected yet residents will be paying more than in previous years.

I will continue to fight these rent increases internally to the best of my ability but your help would be invaluable by addressing any of your concerns with Residential Services directly at accommodation@swansea.ac.uk.

Joel