Year: 2009

Unite Group, the student accommodation company, is to sell a majority stake in its committed future developments to Oasis Capital, a Bahrain-based bank, in a sign of appetite from overseas investors in the UK specialist property sector.

The company, which is expected to announce the deal today, is creating a £200m joint venture to hold three schemes that will be completed in 2010, totaling 1,125 new beds, all located in London.

Oasis Capital Bank will acquire a 75 per cent stake in the new vehicle. Unite, which usually retains a stake in its developments, will keep 25 per cent …

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Student accommodation is bucking the downward trend in the rental market by becoming sought-after properties. According to letting agent Braemore Property Management, student flats have become the hottest homes in the rental market, with some prospective tenants willing to sign up for a flat more than six months before moving in. A high level of demand, coupled with a traditional shortage of student properties in cities such as Edinburgh, has made student flats immune to the rent falls …  

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Plans to limit homes being rented to more than six unrelated people to prevent ‘studentification’ have been attacked by landlords and the students’ union.

Government proposals to use planning laws to restrict houses of multiple occupation, the official label for properties rented to groups of unrelated people, have been branded a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ and ‘nimby’s charter’ …

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Proposals to limit homes being rented to more than six unrelated people has been criticised by landlords and the National Union of Students (NUS). 

Under the new proposals, the Government may give councils the power to restrict the number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in one area, to prevent ’studentification’ …

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The government is considering plans to allow councils to limit the number of homes in multiple occupation – but will some areas really benefit from these proposals? 

The leafy Leeds suburb of Headingley and nearby Hyde Park have become home to thousands of students over the last 20 years.

But the influx has led to discontent among some residents who say their communities have been transformed by surging numbers of takeaways, letting agents and bars …

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Under plans suggested by a new consultation document from the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), permission would have to be sought if a landlord wants to convert a home into a residence for three or more unrelated occupiers.

At present, the regulation of houses of multiple occupation (HMO) is relatively loose and only considers cases where there are at least six residents …

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Over the past decade big private sector players have muscled in on the student accommodation market, which was once housing associations’ territory. But with the UK’s student population growing fast, there are still opportunities for the social sector.

Last month, Derwent Living made its first push into London’s lucrative student market, sealing a deal to build 136 studio flats near the capital’s City University.

The £17 million project was phase one of the Derby-based housing association’s plan to move beyond its traditional territories of the midlands, south Yorkshire and the south east …

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Soaring above the roundabout at the end of Ecclesall Road, the sleek glass column of apartments has quickly become a city centre landmark as one of Sheffield’s tallest buildings.

It was always intended that the Velocity Tower near Moorfoot would have a neighbouring ‘sister’ development but now the plans have been changed to accommodate up to 292 students …

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An elderly community is fighting plans to site a house for 10 students in the middle of a street full of pensioners.

Residents living in and around Christian Street, Everton, say they fear their quiet enclave of bungalows will be overrun by students holding wild parties and causing mayhem into the early hours.

But despite a petition of more than 80 names and opposition from ward councillors, city bosses are planning to approve the application …

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