'Significant' housing shortages for university students set to 'worsen' from September

'Significant' housing shortages for university students are set to worsen from September when thousands more will flock to cities across the UK.

Student housing charity Unipol has warned that many students will struggle to find affordable housing this year and that in some cases, supply will 'simply dry up'.

It comes as school and college leavers across the UK are preparing to start university in September after receiving their results this summer.

J oin our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link .

Last year, a property expert warned the ‘dire’ student housing crisis in Manchester was ‘only going to get worse’, with fears that Salford could also face a shortage in available accommodation this year.

As of last November, there were 4,000 more students than there were rooms available in halls of residence, shared houses, and private purpose-built student accommodation according to data from StuRents, a student property search site.

Martin Blakey, chief executive of Unipol, said in a blog for the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank, said that there were 13,543 new bed spaces in purpose-built student accommodation this year, compared with 29,048 in 2020.

He added that only 9,000 of the 13,543 beds are 'actually new' as many rooms are returning to the market following refurbishment or building works. A similar picture is expected in 2024 and the charity is predicting a 'virtual standstill' in new provision in 2025 and 2026.

“Unless there is currently a ‘spade in the ground’, actual building is unlikely to happen: developers are struggling to maintain viability because of volatile build and funding costs,” Mr Blakey warned.

The blog on HepI’s website highlights