Unite Group sees improved overseas demand for student housing
Demand for student rooms is picking up again after the huge uncertainty triggered by the Coalition’s introduction of £9000-a-year tuition fees, according to the boss of the UK’s biggest accommodation provider.
Unite Group chief executive Mark Allan said reservations for the 2013-14 financial year stood at 62% of its rooms — up from 59% this time last year — as overseas students flock to the UK from Asia to study.
In London, where Unite has 20% of its rooms, international students account for three-quarters of occupants — some paying as much as £350 a week for its smartest studio flats in Bloomsbury …