May 2013 marks two important dates for anyone living in the private rented sector.
Tenancy Information Packs (TIP)From 1 May landlords in have a legal duty to provide new tenants with Tenancy Information Packs.
This will have information about the rights and responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord. A web hub has been launched to provide more easily accessible information for tenants with specific guides aimed at tenants …
A developer’s plan to house 200 students on a Falmouth industrial estate has not found favour with Cornwall Council officers.
Andrew Risely, of Penryn-based Sustainable Developments (SW) Limited, requested pre-application advice from Cornwall Council on his proposals to build student flats on land to the north of Tregoniggie Industrial Estate.
Office space and a coffee shop – part of a so-called “private Innovation Centre” – are also part of the scheme. Yet Mark Dawes, of CAD Architects Ltd, argues in his supporting statement for Mr Risely that “the development as designed will be disproportionately expensive to fund” as it was “conceived in a wholly different economic climate.” …
A disused Lincoln pub could be demolished and turned into student accommodation if planning proposals are approved.
The former Lord Tennyson pub, which has been closed for a few years, and land surrounding it on Rasen Lane, will be demolished and replaced by flats for Lincoln students.
The two replacement buildings will be three stories high, containing nine student apartments with 54 bedrooms …
Developer Wildmoor Properties has tabled ambitious proposals for a four-screen cinema, six retail units, four restaurants or cafés, student accommodation and a facelift for the pedestrian areas around Brewery Court.
The New Brewery Arts centre would also undergo a major overhaul to create a multi-purpose facility for educational, performing arts and gallery use, with an adjoining sculpture terrace.
Wildmoor’s plans, which have been submitted to Cotswold District Council, set the development on the north edge of the Brewery car park, and include provision for an occasional weekend market. The accommodation will cater for students at the Royal Agricultural University, from freshers up to post graduates, and will be linked to the campus by a special shuttle bus …
Housing co-operatives give students more control over their standard of living and cheaper rent.
The average weekly rent for students is £69 in the UK, with those studying in London forking out an average of £5,574 per year for dingy box rooms, a figure that dwarfs their £4,968 maintenance loan.
It’s a problem that’s pushing students from low-income backgrounds out of higher education, says James McCash, president of Edinburgh University students’ association. “Housing is becoming the next access issue. Up and down the country, already straddled by debt, students are struggling to pay extortionate rents.” But there may be a solution. Through projects such as Students for Co-operation and the University of London Tenants’ Union, young people are setting up their own housing co-ops. This is an arrangement where a group of people live in and collectively manage their accommodation. Because they’re the co-owners of the business that runs the accommodation, they don’t have to deal with a landlord …
The construction of some 1,300 new student residential places for the University of Exeter is incorporating a variety of sustainability features, and has led to the installation of waste water as well as the rainwater systems manufactured by Marley Plumbing and Drainage, proving their versatility.
The construction of the new four, six and seven storey accommodation buildings at Lafrowda on the University of Exeter’s Streatham campus in the city is part of a wider development, and is being undertaken by Cowlin Construction, with Kingswood Limited being the specialist installer of the Marley Deepflow guttering and down-pipes.
Meanwhile, the M&E contractor has employed pipes and fittings from Marley’s soil and waste range to route run-off from the roof into the rainwater harvesting systems that then store water for toilet flushing. …
Hyde based student accommodation provider Njoy Student Living has spent £7m adding to its portfolio in the past year.
The business is the trading name of Njoy Property which is owned by Jason Worrall and Richard Tkaczyk.
It has added 300 beds to its portfolio with the acquisition of six buildings in the Victoria Park area of south Manchester, including Carfax Court and Langdale Hall …
The University of Winchester is close to completing new student housing in time for the next academic year.
Burma Road Student Village is due to be finished by the time new students start in September.
It includes 350 en suite bedrooms arranged into flats of six-eight rooms. The development also has seven bedrooms adapted for wheelchair users and facilities for the hearing impaired …
The student accommodation market seems a good match for social housing providers, but there are dangers out there. Our experts share their advice
Peter McCormack is chief executive at Derwent Living
Tread carefully: The market is changing as student numbers fall but it is a sector where registered providers can bring high quality management and maintenance. Whatever you do have a good look at the location, existing provision and rents and the university’s prospects …
The Victus European Student Accommodation Fund has bought land with full planning permission for a 215-studio scheme that will be valued in excess of £20million upon completion.
The scheme is located on Pitt Street near Newcastle University Business School and is the first acquisition in the fund’s strategy to target acquisitions within the European student accommodation market.
Victus is the first open-ended student accommodation fund to identify the pan-European opportunity and will invest in a blend of existing properties and new developments in major university cities across Europe …
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