about renting student accommodation in Birmingham

Birmingham is home to five universities and offers student accommodation in a variety of locations. There’s something to suit every budget – from luxury shared apartments, with high-speed Wi-Fi included in your rent, to self-contained studios that give you a big personal study area and your own en suite bathroom. You’ll also get contents insurance, electricity and heating & water all in your fixed rent payment. Plus, you can add a range of stylish Uni Kit Out products to really make your room your own.

The big picture of contractual issues in renting accommodation in birmingham For the last few years students have faced problems with both purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and private landlord lettings. Issues include poor standards of repair, landlords failing to fulfil their obligations under the tenancy agreement and late delivery of PBSA. These problems have been compounded by a general squeeze on buy-to-let investment by changes to tax and mortgage regulations, which has destabilised the whole residential lettings market and pushed up prices in areas with a large student population.

The PBSA sector is a new and highly competitive market, with a lot of capital seeking to enter the space. However, operators in the sector face a number of challenges in the short and medium term, including rising debt and utility costs, build cost inflation and future energy efficiency requirements geared towards net zero by 2030.

There’s something to know about renting student accommodation in Birmingham

It is also uncertain whether the PBSA sector will be affected by future changes to minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES), which will see it no longer be possible to let properties with an EPC below an E rating from April 2022 onwards. This could significantly impact the sector.

Student accommodation is a vital component of the educational experience, providing students with a supportive, safe, and conducive environment for personal and academic growth. By prioritizing the well-being and diverse needs of students, educational institutions and accommodation providers can create a positive and inclusive living experience. Addressing challenges related to affordability, availability, and maintenance, and embracing technological advancements will contribute to continuously improving student accommodation. By recognizing the importance of quality accommodation, we can ensure that students have the necessary support and resources to thrive during their academic journey and beyond.

One of the biggest challenges facing PBSA providers is ensuring that they have sufficient capacity to deliver accommodation on time. In the case of university-owned or nominated PBSA, this is usually managed by the university who have a direct relationship with the provider and can exert some control over timely delivery. In the case of PBSA where there is no nomination agreement and universities are relying on third party providers to supply their shared student accommodation birmingham, they have much less influence over what is being delivered and have insufficient mechanisms to communicate with providers about delays or failures to meet deadlines.

Unipol has recently created a protocol for members to request written assurances from developers and contractors that accommodation will be ready in time to start the tenancy at the beginning of the academic year. This will allow universities to communicate this with their students and, where necessary, enable them to take action to secure alternative accommodation.