Posts with tag: students

Best Way to Prepare Your Property as a Landlord to Rent to Students

Published On: November 1, 2016 at 11:38 am

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Renting property to students is a path trodden by many landlords for several reasons. Firstly, students tend to rent for the entire duration of their programme. This translates to constantly occupied property and consistent income for landlords. Secondly, there is a lower risk of rent default amongst students, as the norm is to include rent in calculated academic expenses for the year.

However, as much as renting your property to students might be profitable, only properties adequately prepared to cater to the student audience will be inhabited.

It doesn’t matter whether you are planning to rent your property to students for the first time, or you’ve had student tenants for decades and your property needs to be renovated, here are the best ways to prepare your property:

  1. Provide white goods

You student tenants will prefer properties with items such as washing and drying machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and others. Providing them with such items increases comfort and makes cleaning easy. In addition, this helps the students save the money they would have spent on cleaning and maintenance bill at the end of the year. Most students will ignore your property if they have to use a laundrette or go through the inconvenience of doing laundry at a friend’s house.

  1. Embrace quality furnishings
Best Way to Prepare Your Property as a Landlord to Rent to Students

Best Way to Prepare Your Property as a Landlord to Rent to Students

For the modern day student, shabby and chic no longer work. Your property will command more attention if it has higher quality finish. You should focus on providing simple, easy to clean and modern furnishing.

Look beyond installing the typical furniture (think bed, wardrobe and desks) and consider adding utensils and gadgets. Extras like flatscreen TVs are not out of place. They are now common in modern student accommodation, especially where rent is marketed as all-inclusive. These little extras will not eat deep into your income and can impact positively on the attractiveness of your property on property advert sites like The House Shop. You can also comfortably charge a little bit more on a monthly basis.

  1. Consider providing free wifi

You can stay on top of your competitors by offering free wifi for your student tenants. Fast and cheap broadband is a big draw for tenants. The internet is more important than ever for modern day students. Saving them the hassle of finding their own internet service will surely impress most of them.

  1. Stick to dark colours

It’s a good idea to choose darker paint colours for students, even though it is common knowledge that using neutral colours may appeal to the average tenant. You can avoid wear and tear while keeping your property looking clean and smart by using dark colours such as dark brown and grey.

  1. Keep privacy in mind with layouts

In many student properties, the physical layout is very important. Even when students live in large groups, they do not want any compromise on privacy. This is why properties with separate suites and multiple bathrooms are more appealing. However, this shouldn’t rule out a well-furnished communal room for housemates to converge in. The room can be a recreation room or a standard large sized living room.

  1. Incorporate electric instead of gas

As mentioned above, student life is a new experience for most of your target audience. Incorporating electric instead of gas into your property will reduce accidents that may occur with people cooking for the first time for example. Regardless of what the insurance policy looks like, you don’t want to hear about a fire incident at your property at any point.

  1. Make the flooring easy to maintain

Wooden floors are regarded as the best option for the average tenants, but for students, it is not a practical option. Cheap and easy-maintain options such as linoleum will help you avoid expensive maintenance while reducing your initial spending. Do you have wooden flooring in the living areas already? Consider using lino in the bathroom and kitchen. These are two points that see the highest degrees of wear and tear, as they require regular cleaning.

Follow the above guidelines to help you prepare for your student tenants, keep you property fully rented at all times and keep maintenance costs at affordable levels.

Student check-ins drive rents to record highs

Published On: October 13, 2016 at 8:53 am

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Rents in England and Wales soared to record highs in August, as a result of a surge in student check-ins. Average rents now stand at £887, according to the latest Your Move England .

Seasonal soars

This figure is the highest recorded by the firm, with the pre-referendum slowdown all but over. There was definitely a seasonal influence driving the rents upwards, caused by a rise in students returning to their studies.

In particular, this rise has been noticeable in London, the South East and the North East.

August rents were 8.7% greater than those seen at the same period in 2016. This is in contrast to June, when average rents fell by 2.4%.

Capital increases

The Index also found that it is on average 30% cheaper to rent in the South East than in London.

While the capital has long been the catalyst of rent increases in the UK, other regions are now starting to surpass London. Rents in the capital rose by 6.9% year-on-year to August, to hit an all time level of £1,391.

However, this performance was bettered in the South East, with data suggesting that students drove this record high. With this said, it is unlikely that rents will continue to rise at the same level until the end of the year.

Surprisingly, the North East also saw more increased rental growth than the capital. Rents in this region were up by 12.3% year-on-year.

Student check-ins drive rents to record highs

Student check-ins drive rents to record highs

Moving forwards

Adrian Gill, Director of lettings agents Your Move, noted: ‘The rental market appears to have left any uncertainty about the market behind with prices across England and Wales again reaching record highs. London continues to be home to the highest rents but other areas such as the North East and South East are witnessing even stronger levels of growth over the year-demonstrating the seasonal impact of the student market.’[1]

‘Yields have picked up following a gentle decline in recent months, something which landlords will no doubt watch with interest over the next couple of months,’ he added.[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/students-drive-up-rents-to-record-highs.html

 

The Most Expensive University Cities in the World by Property Price

Published On: September 23, 2016 at 8:36 am

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Oxford may have knocked the California Institute of Technology off the top spot in the latest world university rankings, but where are the most expensive university cities in the world by property price?

The Most Expensive University Cities in the World by Property Price

The Most Expensive University Cities in the World by Property Price

Online estate agent eMoov.co.uk has reshuffled the top 100 list to find out which university cities are home to the most expensive property prices. It has taken the average property price per square metre across all 100 universities, finding that buying a home in a city boasting one of the world’s most prestigious universities will set you back around £5,245 per square metre. In the UK, the average price rises to £7,496.

Although it has traditionally fuelled the UK property market, London is not top of the list for property prices.

Hong Kong is home to the most expensive property price in the top 100 university rankings, at an average of £17,646 per square metre. Its top universities include the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

At £16,331, London is the second most expensive city in the top 100, with Imperial College London, University College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science and King’s College London all making the list.

The University of Tokyo is the eighth most expensive, at £14,221 per square metre, with the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, also in Singapore, competing the top ten, at £13,664.

Of the other UK universities in the list, Oxford was 39th (£4,410), Cambridge was 45th (£4,061), Bristol was 56th (£3,502), Warwick 62nd (£3,000), Edinburgh 63rd (£2,879), Manchester 71st (£2,467), Durham 75th (£2,300) and Glasgow 78th (£1,995).

The ten cheapest university cities to buy a property included in the top 100 is dominated by the United States of America, with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign coming in at just £783 per square metre.

The founder and CEO of eMoov, Russell Quirk, says: “The latest results are certainly testament to the quality of higher education available in the United Kingdom, with more than 10% of the entrants located here and for that, we should count ourselves very lucky. That said, the escalating cost of fees when attending university has seen it slip out of reach for many, and even the cheapest on the list, Durham, would cost well over £1,000 per square metre to purchase a property in the area.

“One silver lining that this research does highlight, however, is that at least London isn’t the most expensive where the average property price is concerned.”

Landlords, do you invest in student property? Perhaps you can use this list to find your next UK or overseas investment – it’s probably best to avoid Hong Kong!

Shortage of student housing sees rents rise

Published On: September 16, 2016 at 9:08 am

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Interesting new research has revealed that student rents have increased by up to 10% over the last year, as the housing shortage across Britain countries.

Spiralling student demand is driving rents higher in some of the UK’s largest towns and cities. These include Cambridge, Surrey, Oxford and Edinburgh. In these regions, there are five students competing for each available room.

Southern squeeze

The shortage of housing for students is particularly concerning in the South of England and London, where more universities naturally means more demand.

Data from the report by Spareroom.com also reveals that nearly one-third of rooms for rent in top university towns and cities are not available to students.

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom.co.uk, noted: ‘students aren’t just battling rising rents, they’re also affected by a private rental market struggling to cope with demand.’[1]

Regional differences

Continuing, Mr Hutchinson observed that there are regional disparities in rental values, meaning that where students choose to go to university could have a massive impact of their post-degree debt.

‘The difference between rents for students at Imperial College in London, compared to those studying at St Andrews in Scotland, is a massive £792 a month. Over a three-year course the difference is eye watering. Even choosing Durham over Oxford could save you more than £7,000 in rent over three years.’[1]

Shortage of student housing housing sees rents rise

Shortage of student housing housing sees rents rise

Information shown below shows the average room rents in 30 of the UK’s top university towns and cities. Data is taken from Q2 rental data from SpareRoom.co.uk.

Rank University  Location Ave monthly room rent Q2 2016 (£) Ave monthly room rent Q2 2015 (£) Annual % difference No. of people looking per room available Q2 2016 Current % of rooms available to students
1 Cambridge Cambridge £541 £509 6% 3.5 60
2 Oxford Oxford £557 £507 10% 3.2 64
3 St Andrews Kirkcaldy £339 £329 3% 1.8 67
4 Surrey Guildford £574 £526 9% 3.8 62
5 Loughborough Loughborough £350 £339 3% 1.2 77
6 Durham Durham £362 £367 -1% 0.9 92
7 Imperial College London SW7 £1,131 £1,086 4% 3.9 85
8 Lancaster Lancaster £371 £353 5% 0.9 82
9 Warwick Coventry £388 £369 5% 1.7 80
10 Bath Bath £448 £438 2% 3.2 62
11 Exeter Exeter £434 £417 4% 1.9 59
12 London School of Economics London WC2 £1,034 £1,094 -5% 5.2 86
13 Birmingham Birmingham £405 £413 -2% 3.1 63
14 UCL London WC1 £870 £833 4% 4.6 85
15 Coventry Coventry £388 £369 5% 1.7 80
16 Leeds Leeds £374 £353 6% 2.8 64
17 Southampton Southampton £436 £417 4% 2.5 54
18 City London EC1 £920 £904 2% 3.2 71
19 York York £400 £379 6% 2.4 63
20 Sussex Brighton £511 £492 4% 3.7 63
21 Edinburgh Edinburgh £469 £438 7% 5 70
22 Kent Canterbury £418 £422 -1% 1.9 81
22 UEA Norwich £401 £374 7% 2.4 62
24 Nottingham Nottingham £374 £358 4% 1.8 69
25 Glasgow Glasgow £390 £376 4% 3.9 75
26 Heriot-Watt Edinburgh £469 £438 7% 5 70
27 Dundee Dundee £323 £311 4% 1.6 93
28 Aston Birmingham £405 £413 -2% 3.1 63
29 SOAS London WC1 £870 £833 4% 4.6 85
30 Manchester Manchester £414 £385 7% 3.7 74

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[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/9/student-housing-shortage-sees-rents-soar

 

 

 

Cleaning costs most common cause of student deposit deductions

Published On: September 14, 2016 at 1:46 pm

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Fresh research from independent comparison website money.co.uk has revealed the most common reasons why students’ deposits are withheld by landlords.

Results from the survey show that cleaning costs and damage to fixtures and fittings are the most common reasons why landlords hold some or all of a student’s deposit.

Holding

With young adults across the British Isles heading to University this month, many will have to face up to not getting their full deposit back at the conclusion of their agreement. In fact, data from the report shows that 38% of students will not receive their deposit in full.

Of those students, landlords typically keep 29% of their deposit, amounting to an average deduction of £164 each.

Cleaning amounted to over half of landlords’ reasons for not returning a deposit (52%), with students failing to return a property in an acceptable state of cleanliness for a full deposit return.

24% of landlords cited damage to fixtures and fittings as a reason for not returning deposits. Excessive wear and tear (22%) was also a popular reason. However, only 5% cited unpaid bills.

Cleaning costs most common cause of student deposit deductions

Cleaning costs most common cause of student deposit deductions

Unfair

Unsurprisingly, two out of three students felt that their tenancy deposit was retained unfairly. Alarmingly, roughly one-quarter of students did not receive prescribed information on the tenancy deposit scheme their deposit was registered with. One in ten claimed that their landlord did not even protect the deposit!

Despite, two-thirds of students claiming that their deposit was held unfairly, only 15% disputed the decision and got money back.

Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief at money.co.uk, observed that this is the first time that many students will have lived alone and rented out a property.

She noted, ‘landlords are not the enemy-students must make sure they keep the property in a decent state so there’s no reason for their landlord to keep their cash-this is money they’ll be relying on getting back.’[1]

‘With over half a million students in private rented accommodation the scope for problems is huge,’ she added.[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/9/cleaning-costs-biggest-cause-of-deductions-to-student-rental-deposits

Demand for student property in North West rises

Published On: September 9, 2016 at 9:02 am

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Another day, another report on student property investment. Today’s comes from The Mistoria Group and reveals that a growth in the student population has driven demand in the North West.

According to data from the investigation, students looking for high-quality, shared accommodation in the North West has rising by 48% year-on-year. Investor demand has risen further still, by 55%.

International influx

The report suggests that a rising number of international students attending University North West locations such as Salford, Manchester and Liverpool is pushing demand for accommodation upwards. In addition, the chance of substantial rental yields coming from affordable property in the North West is luring more investors to the region.

Separate research from Property Partner also saw the North West rank well for student investment. This investigation took 86 university towns and cities across Britain and ranked each property market by net rental yield. Results found that all three of Greater Manchester’s higher education establishments-the University of Salford, the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan-were in the top ten.

Reasonable returns of 4.4% can be generated in some parts of Manchester. In Salford and Liverpool, landlords can enjoy excellent yields of 8% in some regions. Both these locations have experienced substantial regeneration in recent times, with further alterations to business and transports links promised in the near future.

Demand for student property in North West rises

Demand for student property in North West rises

Northern lights

Mish Lynange, Managing Director of The Mistoria Group, said, ‘we have achieved almost full occupancy for all the HMO properties we manage on behalf of landlords for the 3rd consecutive year, achieving 100% in Salford and 98% in Liverpool. We are inundated with enquiries still and have a long waiting list for students wanting high spec, shared accommodation.’[1]

‘We have also experienced a surge in investors wanting to buy our HMO properties in North West university cities. A combination of excellent yields and full occupancy is attracting investors. Post Brexit, we have also seen a 35% rise in international investors, particularly from India and China who are taking advantage of the weak pound. Our Manchester corporate office was set up recently to deal with our international investor and provide a one stop solution for all their investment needs,’ he added.[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/soaring-demand-for-student-property-in-the-north-west.html

 

 

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