Ten Cities Rent Survey Underway

18/07/2023

 

Unipol has launched fieldwork for a 10 City Rent Survey across Summer 2023 to assess changes in PBSA rents over the past three academic years.

This is a targeted follow-up to the Accommodation Costs Survey 2021, which runs on a 3-yearly cycle and is next due to take place in full in 2024. However, given the extraordinary financial pressures in the sector, universities in consultation with Unipol have expressed the desire to understand how these market pressures are playing out in the more developed regional markets.

The research is being done to ensure the whole sector, universities, private providers and supporting agencies alike are equipped with the latest knowledge and enabled to support students in any way possible for the forthcoming academic years.

Economic pressures and high inflation environment are impacting upon rents and levels of development of new accommodation. The impact on students is significant, and Unipol wishes to understand the ramifications for the year, and to report on this occurrence in its usual “free from spin” approach.  

Rather than run the whole survey, this is expected a targeted intervention:

  • understand the rent increases across 3 academic years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24;
  • involving a selected number of markets; and
  • only the top 10 providers within each selected market.

The research will follow the methods of a rent return and a qualitative online questionnaire so that the data is as comparable as possible with previous and future years. However, the reporting formats will be much shorter, with a view of creating a circa 40-page report with 2-page executive summary.

The Cities being looked at are:

  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Sheffield
  • Nottingham
  • Cardiff
  • Bristol
  • Exeter
  • Portsmouth
  • Bournemouth

 

For more information or any enquiries please contact Jess Carrier j.carrier@unipol.org.uk 

What is the Accommodation Costs Survey?

The survey takes place every 3 years and has been running for 39 years. It is the only freely available publication of its kind. The survey collects data from institutions and private providers alike, and provides a comprehensive view of trends and costs in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). It gives readers the facts presented free from judgement or spin, and is undertaken jointly by NUS and Unipol Student Homes. The previous reports can be viewed here:

Accommodations Costs Survey 2021

Accommodations Costs Survey 2018

Accommodations Costs Survey 2016