Why the UK’s student accommodation market is top of the class

Record numbers of students in Manchester and Salford are looking for high quality accommodation like Riverside House – with demand continuing to grow across the two cities.

And that increasing call for modern, luxury living spaces, which is being seen across the country, continues to drive investment in the UK’s student accommodation market, according to the latest research seen by Portergate Property Management.

In fact, experts at real estate advisors Savills are predicting that investment in the UK’s market is set to exceed the USA for the first time ever.

The prediction was carried in Savills’ World Student Housing Report, published recently and which attracted widespread publicity in the property media.

According to reports, the UK saw an investment of $6.5 billion, excluding land sales, compared to just over $3 billion in the USA, with the new figures showing the UK’s record numbers were driven by foreign investment.

Marcus Roberts, Savills’ director of Student Investment and Development, was also reported stating that the UK remained the second most popular destination for international students.

There was more bullish news in Savills’ 2015 Spotlight on UK Student Housing report published in November, which also confirmed the market is witnessing record levels of investment.

It said: “With a proven track record of returns and strong demand from students, the first five months of 2015 have seen record investment into the sector from across the globe.”

The report also had good news for the Manchester student accommodation market. It remains buoyant, as seen by the fact Riverside is attracting the attention of students from educational establishments across the city.

Manchester has been promoted to the top flight of Savills Development League Table which considers the potential for future development of direct led purpose built student accommodation.

The report says: “Manchester is promoted into the First league, reflecting both strong demand and a need for more supply.”

Karen Preece, managing director of Portergate Property Management, says the company has witnessed first-hand how that demand for quality student accommodation in Manchester and Salford continues to grow.

She said: “You only have to look at the demand we saw in September from students studying in educational establishments across the area.

“The fact is that in both Manchester and Salford we are seeing record numbers of students looking for high quality accommodation like Riverside.”

It all adds up to make student accommodation an increasingly attractive investment prospect.

As Savills reports: “The student housing market has come of age and is no longer a specialist or alternative investment class.”

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