Accommodation providers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded students
Accommodation providers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded students
Blog Article
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has urged landlords never to require a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This arrives right after NSFAS acquired stories about some accommodation providers who require NSFAS-funded students to pay for a deposit or top-up payment in order to get usage of the permitted private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation suppliers of your compulsory conditions, as supplied by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Settlement concerning the personal accommodation providers and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS reported in an announcement on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states that the lease is going to be paid month-to-month into the accommodation company (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf from 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 require or allow the lessee to pay for a deposit, top-up payments, or almost every other forms of payment to your lessor, or every other person in reference to this agreement, read more like payment of rent, even though awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor shall have no recourse from the lessee for any default within the payment of rent by NSFAS," the arrangement reads.
The NSFAS conditions and terms for private accommodation providers’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded resulting from an incorrect decision by NSFAS, the scholar won't be responsible for payment of any arrear rent for the accommodation service provider, up until finally the day of being defunded."
NSFAS explained that in which the click here NSFAS-funded student chooses to continue occupying the leased premises, notwithstanding getting defunded by NSFAS, the student are going to be accountable for payment of rent towards the lessor from your nsfas login date of currently being 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 will nsfas application delay 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 here 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