Student Properties for Sale in the UK

Why invest in UK student property?

Download our free, Guide to Investing in Student Accommodation

The UK student property sector has grown and developed into a mature and globally recognised investment over the last few years. UK university student numbers have increased to record-breaking levels as more domestic students desire higher education due to economic uncertainty, and the global rise of the economic middle class has caused a surge in foreign students wanting to study abroad (see outlook below)

Despite student numbers temporarily being hit by the introduction of tuition fees in England and Wales, they have fast recovered to a new peak, and are even set to expand further due to the removal of the cap on numbers.

On top of that, around 34% of international migrants coming to the UK do so for higher education. Tighter immigration controls may impact their overall numbers, but not those coming here to study.

With a proven track record of high-income returns and strong demand from students, we have seen record investments in the UK sector from across the globe – it’s fair to say that now is a great time to start investing.

Let’s take a look at the facts:

• Investment. The UK saw over £4.3billion of investment in student property in the first three quarters of 2015, overtaking the U.S.
• Supply. Only around 25% of students can currently be catered for in university-run accommodation
• Demand. UCAS figures show that the number of students entering UK higher education in 2015 set a new record by 3%, and the average vacancy rate of student property is typically less than 1%
• Outlook. According to the OECD, 4.5 million students studied abroad in 2012, up from 2 million in 2000. This figure is forecast to rise to 8 million by 2025. The UK is the second largest destination for foreign students after the US, and currently hosts around 388,000 – this figure is likely to therefore increase by another 300,000 over the next ten years. To put this number into context, UCAS figures show that this year (2015/16 academic year) the total number of students accepted into UK higher education was 511,730 (as at 24th September 2015) – ie an increase in foreign students needing accommodation of more than 50% over the next ten years

Top-tier university cities are all under-supplied, and simultaneously have the highest demand from both domestic and foreign students, so it should be no surprise that we at Go Global Investments have markets like these covered.

We currently offer student investment opportunities in the elite Russell Group university cities and towns.

What’s an Article 4 Direction?

In many UK cities, local planning authorities have implemented an Article 4 Direction, which restricts private landlords of some standard buy-to-let properties using their properties for student accommodation or HMOs (Houses in Multiples Occupation).

Under this Article 4 direction, certain regulations must now be met to combat poor management and/or living conditions – exacerbating the shortage of purpose-built student accommodation, and maintaining upward pressure on rents.

As a result, this is likely to drive up rents and make specialist student accommodation more attractive to students.

All of the cities that we have properties in have implemented an Article 4 Direction.

Your free consultation

If you’d like to know more about how student property investment could be for you, give us a call on 01525 381498 or email us at [email protected]. You can even book a time online here and we'll call you then, for an absolutely free, no-obligation informal chat