South African students are being equipped with practical rental knowledge as a national campaign tackles unfair practices, disputes and confusion around tenant responsibilities and rights nationwide.
The Department of Human Settlements has launched its “Know Your Rental Rights: Student Edition” campaign at institutions of higher learning across the country, helping students understand what they can expect from landlords and what is expected from them as tenants.
The national awareness drive runs from 6 to 16 October 2026 and is being implemented with Rental Housing Tribunals across all nine provinces.
The campaign focuses on rental rights, landlord and tenant responsibilities, dispute resolution and the protections available to students using private accommodation.
For many students, moving into rented accommodation can be their first experience of signing a lease, paying deposits, understanding contractual obligations or challenging unfair treatment.
The Department said engagements with Rental Housing Tribunals have highlighted cases in which students have been exposed to unfair rental practices, unlawful evictions and disputes over payments and other conditions.
The campaign is designed to ensure that students understand that these situations do not have to be navigated without support.
Rental Housing Tribunals provide free dispute resolution services and can assist tenants and landlords when disagreements cannot be resolved directly.
The Department is also emphasising that rental rights come with responsibilities.
Officials have raised concerns about cases where students fail to meet their rental obligations despite receiving support through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme or other funding mechanisms.
The campaign therefore takes a balanced approach, helping students understand both the protections available to them and the commitments they accept when entering into rental agreements.
Human Settlements is working with NSFAS, the South African Union of Students and the South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training Students Association to extend the campaign’s reach.
Activities include presentations, information sessions, exhibitions and direct engagement with Rental Housing Tribunal officials.
Students will be able to ask questions about leases, payments, deposits, evictions and disputes while learning where to seek help when problems arise.
The campaign follows a commitment made by Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane during her 2026 Budget Vote speech to strengthen awareness among student tenants and landlords.
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements also called for greater public awareness of Rental Housing Tribunal services earlier this year.
Concerns around student accommodation were further highlighted at the National Student Accommodation Indaba in Durban in July, where student organisations called for more education around rental rights and responsibilities.
The first campaign engagement is taking place at the University of Mpumalanga’s Nelspruit Campus, followed by a session at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein on 9 October.
Further engagements are planned for Walter Sisulu University’s Mthatha Campus and King Sabata Dalindyebo TVET College on 15 and 16 October.
For students living away from home, understanding rental agreements can have a direct effect on financial security and academic stability.
Unexpected disputes over accommodation can create stress, interrupt studies and place students under additional financial pressure.
By taking information directly onto campuses, the Department is attempting to reach students before disputes escalate.
The initiative also creates an opportunity to strengthen relationships between government, institutions of higher learning, student organisations and the structures responsible for regulating rental housing.
Improving awareness can benefit landlords as well.
Clearer understanding of payment obligations, lease conditions and dispute procedures can reduce misunderstandings and encourage more professional relationships between property owners and student tenants.
The campaign forms part of a broader effort to promote fair rental practices and ensure that both sides of the rental relationship understand the law.
For students, the practical message is simple: know what you are signing, understand what you are responsible for and know where to turn when a rental dispute cannot be resolved.
With thousands of young South Africans depending on private accommodation while pursuing their studies, better rental knowledge can become another form of support that helps students remain secure, informed and focused on completing their education.
