Changes in the Conditions of Renting an Apartment Expected by Students after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Relation to their Activity in the Labour Market

Abstract

The article presents students’ expectations regarding changes in the housing market after the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to switch to remote teaching was very often associated with the need to change the place of residence or return to the family home of students. This was related, directly or indirectly, to their economic situation, which deteriorated due to the loss of their job or the need to change jobs. When preparing the research tool, the focus was therefore on the subjective expectations of students regarding rental conditions after the pandemic, regarding not only rental costs, but also changes in lease agreements. During the survey period, respondents were already studying remotely, so it can be assumed that they have already developed some strategies and tactics regarding the issues covered by the survey. The article aims to signal and illustrate with available data the diversity of expectations regarding fees and provisions in lease agreements, taking into account the demographic and economic characteristics of respondents. The aim of this study was not only to demonstrate the diversity of expectations of changes in residence, rental conditions, or the amount of fees caused by the pandemic, taking into account the employment and gender of the respondent, but also taking into account their activity in the labour market. The analysis of the relationship between the expectations declared by respondents and their demographic characteristics was carried out using a correlation analysis. The analysis made it possible to verify the research hypotheses on the existence of correlations between the respondents’ characteristics and their (1) assessments of changes in the place of residence, (2) expectations regarding provisions in rental contracts, and (3) changes in the level of housing fees caused by the pandemic situation.