Accommodation vendors urged to halt demanding deposit from NSFAS funded college students
Accommodation vendors urged to halt 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 immediately after NSFAS received reports about some accommodation vendors who demand NSFAS-funded students to pay for a deposit or top-up payment to be able to get access to the authorized private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation providers of the obligatory conditions, as supplied by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Arrangement among the private accommodation vendors and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS explained in an announcement on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states that the lease are going to be paid out regular monthly for the accommodation provider (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf of your 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 need 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, together with payment of lease, while awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor shall don't have any recourse towards the lessee for any default during the payment of rent by NSFAS," the arrangement reads.
The NSFAS conditions and terms for private accommodation vendors’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student here is defunded resulting from an incorrect decision by NSFAS, the scholar won't be answerable for payment of any arrear rent on the accommodation provider, up till the day of being defunded."
NSFAS discussed that exactly where the NSFAS-funded student chooses to carry on occupying the leased premises, notwithstanding becoming defunded by NSFAS, the scholar is going to be answerable for payment of rent on the lessor from the day of becoming defunded.
"Where the student is defunded by NSFAS here due 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 read more 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 website account," the scheme said.
The scheme emphasised that any dispute arising between the parties regarding the interpretation nsfas application delay 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