S08E03: How do we solve the student accommodation supply problem?

It’s the episode you’ve been waiting for… An explosion in student numbers. A contraction in houses of multiple occupancy (HMO). Challenges to building new developments. Any one of these could have created a PBSA supply issue – but together, they’ve created a crisis in many cities. Our expert panel looks at how this came about, the ways in which this is playing out in some of those cities, what the data is telling us for a longer term picture and - most importantly - some of the potential solutions to this issue. Hosted by Jenny Shaw, this month’s panel includes: Sarah Jones, Partner at Cushman & Wakefield Iain Garfield, Director of Estates and Facilities at Newcastle University Simon Jones, Group HE Director at Unite Students Eleanor Whitford Kelly, Market Intelligence Manager at Unite Students Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 15th April 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc. Resources Cushman & Wakefield’s UK Student Accommodation Report for 2023 is available to download from their website. Unipol’s 2023 Ten Cities Rent Survey can be downloaded from the Unipol website. UCAS’ 2024 cycle applicant figures can be found on the UCAS website. More information about the joint venture between Unite Students and Newcastle University is available on Unite Students’ website.