11.4.4 Affordable housing for employees

Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) is committed to ensuring access to affordable and adequate housing for its employees as part of its institutional welfare policy and broader commitment to sustainable campus development.

At SWU Ongkharak Campus in Nakhon Nayok Province, the University directly provides long-term residential accommodation for academic and support staff through its dedicated employee housing facilities. This initiative is specifically designed to alleviate housing-related financial burdens and provide accessible accommodation for personnel working at the campus.

Rather than relying solely on the private rental market, SWU operates its own employee housing system, with accommodation fees governed by officially established university regulations. The University maintains a formal housing application and allocation process, residential agreements, and dedicated services for maintenance, repairs, utilities, and accommodation management. These arrangements support transparent administration and the continued provision of suitable housing for university personnel and their families.

By offering university-managed accommodation at welfare-oriented rates, SWU seeks to improve housing affordability, reduce living expenses, and strengthen residential security for employees. Living close to the workplace also helps minimise commuting needs, supports work–life balance, and contributes to employees' physical, social, and economic well-being.

1) Providing housing directly

SWU staff accommodation at the Ongkharak campus is managed by the SWU Sustainable Development Division. It is provided for staff who work at the Ongkharak campus to ease their housing difficulties. Staff apply for a room, confirm their stay and sign a contract with the university. The accommodation includes the SWU Building, three staff buildings (Kalyanamit, Jit-aree and Sriwijit) and three staff houses (Mee Namjai, Maitree Tob and Mob Kwamdee), with shared rooms and family units.

Source: https://sd.op.swu.ac.th/personnel_building

2) Monthly rates for staff housing in 2025

SWU Building: 2,500 baht per room per month, with water and electricity charged at university rates. This rate was set by the university announcement dated 5 March 2024 (B.E. 2567) and took effect on 1 January 2024. No new rate was announced in 2025, so this rate applied throughout 2025.

Staff buildings and staff houses: 600 to 1,100 baht per person per month for shared rooms, and 700 to 2,200 baht per month for family units. Electricity is charged by meter at 6 baht per unit, and tap water is free of charge. These rates are set out in the university announcement on service rates and damage deposits for staff accommodation of B.E. 2563 (2020), which remained in use in 2025.

3) Evaluating affordability against local rents

To evaluate affordability, SWU compared its staff housing rates with private apartments near the Ongkharak campus listed on the RentHub rental website (checked in October 2025). Private studio rooms within about 1.6 to 2.5 km of the campus cost between 3,000 and 6,500 baht per month:

Ongkharak Apartment (about 1.6 km): 3,800 to 4,300 baht per month

Vision 3 (about 2.5 km): 3,000 to 3,500 baht per month; electricity 8 baht per unit, water 25 baht per unit

S. Kanyanee Dormitory (about 2.3 km): from 5,500 baht per month

The Knight SWU Ongkharak (about 2.4 km): 4,900 to 6,500 baht per month; electricity 8 baht per unit, water 28 baht per unit

Example of private apartment rents near SWU Ongkharak campus: Ongkharak Apartment, 3,800 to 4,300 baht per month (RentHub).

Example of private apartment rents near SWU Ongkharak campus: The Knight SWU Ongkharak, 4,900 to 6,500 baht per month (RentHub).

The SWU Building rate of 2,500 baht per room per month is 500 baht (about 17%) lower than the cheapest private listing, and rates in the other staff buildings are lower still, from 600 baht per person per month. Staff in these buildings also pay less for electricity (6 baht per unit, compared with 8 baht per unit in private apartments) and pay nothing for tap water. Staff therefore pay less for housing than they would for a private room near the campus.

Source: https://www.renthub.in.th/อพาร์ทเม้นท์-ห้องพัก-หอพัก/ม-ศรีนครินทรวิโรฒ-วิทยาเขตองครักษ์

4) Short-stay welfare rooms for staff at Ongkharak campus

In addition to long-term staff housing, SWU provides short-stay welfare rooms at the Ongkharak campus for staff, students and pupils of the university, under a university announcement on service fees for welfare rooms dated 22 November 2022, which took effect on 1 December 2022 and remained in use in 2025. Staff pay 200 baht per person per stay (up to 3 days) for a room on the third floor of the Club Building, or 2,000 baht to book the whole room, and 700 baht per room per stay (up to 3 days) for a room on the fourth floor of the Club Building or on floors 2 to 7 of the SWU Building group. Clause 3 of the announcement also allows the University President, or a Vice President assigned by the President, to waive the fee or charge less than the set rate case by case.

This initiative demonstrates SWU's commitment to SDG 11.4.4 by directly providing affordable long-term employee housing as a core component of its staff welfare system. It reflects an institutional approach that recognises adequate housing as essential to employee well-being, workforce stability, and the development of an inclusive and sustainable university community.

Public supporting evidence

SWU Employee Housing Services, Ongkharak Campus, including official announcements on accommodation fees: https://sd.op.swu.ac.th/personnel_building

SWU Employee Accommodation Manual (LINE Official Account for staff housing): http://sd.op.swu.ac.th/Portals/31/Document/Manual/Manual%20Line%20OA%20personnel%20building.pdf