student lets in cardiff

If it's anything like what is happening in Reading, where my friend works for the University there, she is telling me that the university has been selling off it's surplus land to generate capital receipts in order to build student accommodation and generate much needed revenue for the university. It makes sense for the university to do this rather than having plots of land sitting around doing nothing. And the local authority likes it because the university is building new stuff on brown field and other derelict sites. And another thing to contend with I guess is the reducing number of students going into university as they can't afford it now. Whereas before the university numbers were ever increasing, thereby filling the halls of residence AND private landlord accommodation, with the reduction in student numbers, the majority are now going into the expanded halls of residence, which are probably in a much better condition and cheaper, than in grotty little student bedsits (that was my memory anyway).

My guess is that private landlords need to change their target audience and allow more lets out to responsible DSS tenants and also the ever increasing retired population, who, is probably much more likely to look after a place. Accommodation for older people who have the misfortune of not owning their home, or who need to move to another area of the country to be closer to relatives, but can't afford to buy again, is generally dire these days.

thats happening here in Loughborough as well. the university have agreed with the local council that they should get more students on campus so as to reduce the social problems and trouble that students cause for local residents. currently of 13,000 students about 5,000 live on campus. current plan just about to get underway sees 2,500 more bed spaces on campus.

the trouble for private landlords, at least from what the uni do here, is that by guaranteeing all first years a place, the vast majority take it up in july and august before theyve even thought about private accom. so its quite easy to see how the uni could send them packs saying "sign up for the whole length of your course now..." and private landlords wouldnt get a look in. its all about the access the uni has to the students before they arrive.

guaranteed rent contracts with the uni acting as agent seems to be the best way, then youve aligned you objectives with theirs.

Ian

It does seem that the universities are cashing in on the buy to let rush. I wonder if they can get burnt though. These blocks of flats with their CCTV cameras, electronically controlled gates and so on, seem very much geared towards overseas students, especially Chinese and Muslim country students, the ones that tend to feel quite insecure outside of these citidels. I know from my line of work as a letting agent that the number of Chinese students coming to Cardiff has taken a drop and is expected to decline, whilst the number of Eastern European students is going up. No way is a Polish (for example) student going to pay a super high rent for a tiny little room in halls, they will go out and hunt for bargains.

I'm not sure how the local council feels about these flats either. 2500 flats equates to 626 student houses, thats approximately 550 landlords. This amounts to over half a million pounds and most of these landlords live in the city and spend most of it in the city. Between them they provide work for hundreds of plumbers and painters and decorators etc. Much of the rental money circulates in the local economy. As far as I can see, the flats tend to be maintained by crews that come from all over the country, and I don't know how much of the money the university earns actually ends up being reinvested in the university itself. I have this funny feeling it gets spent or invested a long way away, but then I am a cynic.

wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

Interesting post.

What I've seen happening is private premium halls popping up in university towns. These provide halls of residence facilities, often with a little extra like secure parking, en suite, video intercom and so-on. They're built, owned and managed by private enterprises and cost a bit more than the university owned halls.

University owned halls are still more expensive than private housing for most students, so private housing shouldn't really be suffering from the expansion of halls. The foreign students, or those from wealthier backgrounds tend to be drawn to halls or moreso the premium private halls.

I think there are less students willing to put up with grotty shared housing or bedsits these days, maybe this shows the changing demographic of students these days, especially now as it's starting to cost so much to go to university.

A lot of students now have their accommodation paid for by their parents, so they're not going to want to see their son or daughter living in a total dump when it's their money paying for it. They'd rather pay a bit more for nicer accommodation.

Personally I don't think it does anybody any harm to slum it for 3 or 4 years at uni, Iquite the opposite. I think it's sad how the experience is becoming sanitised.

I have been to one of the halls of residences in Cardiff as a guest of one of the students. The first thing that struck me were the revolving doors similar to the ones at football stadiums, such that its hard to get through them without snagging your clothes. Then there was a prominent sign saying "ALL GUESTS TO BE SIGNED IN, NO EXCEPTIONS". Everywhere I looked there were closed circuit tv cameras, but the sort that are hidden inside round bulbus coloured glass so that you can't see if you are being watched. Inside the building it was a bit weird. Very clinical I would say. I saw a number of students and without exception they were Chinese or foreign but not European. None of them used the stairs, preferring the lift to ascend just one floor. They had onsuite showers.The rent was about 300 month inclusive of bills. I did speak to a few of the occupants, as I said, they tend to be foreign and have come here partly to learn the language. The unanimous reply was they are mostly upset at not meeting any British people to practise their English with. The second observation that I made was that many of them have said that they are so bored that all they do is eat chocolate and biscuits, which did seem to fit in with my observations! When asked if they would like to leave the answer is almost always "Yes but we signed a contract before we came here and unless we find somebody to take our place we won't be able to get out". And nobody wants to take their place... What a sad situation. Very annoying for me as well as I am a local landlord offering large bedrooms plus giant communal areas and garden all for 260 inclusive of rent, but my phone hardly rings....

"fishman" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Some seem to be connected to the Uni by an "Arms Length" commercial arrangement.

It's competition, pure and simple. It must have an effect.

A lot of old, Ca 1961, halls had got into a very grotty state. Very "Vinyl Tiles", very instutuional, smelling of Jeyes Fluid, and a 1961 standard of facilities to start with. You only need to consider how low end hotels have improved since 1961, and living standards at home, to realise they would only be acceptable as a distress purchase.

In particular there are a lot more females.

It's good for the soul ?

TBH I can't see how a 1957 style "Tony Hancock" bedsit could be condusive to serious higher level study.

Maybe, by rights, they should be saved for the "Sports Science" or "International Hospitality Management" wallahs who aren't there to study.

You mean - it's bad for the digestion, but it'll do them good !

DG

But this is likey to be their own fault.

When I was at college, the orientals on the course collected together in a group and declined offers to social events.

tim

Have you been to housepricecrash.co.uk ?

That may have been because they were Indonesian, and therefore Muslim, and as most college social events revolve around the JCR...

In message , stevejthejooger writes

For a start, 4,5 & 6 beds sounds like too many to me, not only would I expect more problems from students falling out with each other (or falling out of their courses!) but you could also be getting into the realms of HMO issues.

Cardiff is a bit of an odd uni and does a lot of distance stuff, which will make its student numbers look at bit odd I suspect, but try and get some figures for number of students now and, say 10 years ago.

For student houses its the norm to have anything between 3 and 6 bed houses, with a fairly large number going up to 7 and 8. It works fine, the students rarely fall out with each other to the extent that they might want to leave the house. With groups of students in private housing you in any event get a group that knows each other before they commit themselves to the tenancy. It's quite different in university owned accommodation where they stick 5-6 strangers in one flat. HMO issues don't arise at the moment in Cardiff, so long as every person in the house is on the same contract.

In message , stevethejogger writes

IME the most is about 5 people.