The hit the students will take will be minuscule compared to what the landlord would take regardless of compromise. If a complex has 40 tenants and they pay half that is still a 20:1 burden being placed on the landlord.
Despite the feudal title, landlords are seldom wealthy individuals. They are long-term investors who do a lot of DIY. a 20:1 hit against them for one or two months will be catastrophic. A couple of months of student rent is a drop in the bucket.