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 never to demand a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This comes just after NSFAS acquired stories about some accommodation suppliers who demand NSFAS-funded students to pay for a deposit or top-up payment as a way to get entry to the permitted private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation vendors of your obligatory conditions, as supplied by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Arrangement among the private accommodation providers and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS said in a press release on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states which the rent will likely be paid month-to-month to the accommodation service provider (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf on the lessee (NSFAS funded student), in accordance with the NSFAS conditions and terms for personal accommodation companies’ participation on the student accommodation portal.
"The lessor may not require or allow the lessee to pay a deposit, top-up payments, or any other varieties of payment on the lessor, or any other person in reference to this agreement, which include payment of rent, while awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor get more info shall don't have any recourse towards the lessee for any default inside the payment of rent by NSFAS," the arrangement reads.
The NSFAS terms and conditions read more for private accommodation suppliers’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded because of an incorrect selection by NSFAS, the scholar will not be chargeable for payment of any arrear rent to the accommodation supplier, up till the date of being defunded."
NSFAS spelled out that exactly where the NSFAS-funded student chooses to carry on occupying here the leased premises, notwithstanding currently being defunded by NSFAS, the scholar is going to be answerable for payment of hire into the lessor in the date of staying 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; and here 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 nsfas application delay 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