Estate Living Magazine The Slow Movement - Issue 39 March 2019 | Page 19

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high. These are the cities where student numbers will always
remain consistently high and, consequently, where the demand
for student property will always be the most sustained.
Vita Student chooses Russell Group university cities with
the lowest levels of available PBSA stock, meaning that their
investors can capitalise on undersupplied markets in cities
where demand will always be high, thereby guaranteeing the
long-term performance of their investment.
Vita Student has PBSAs in 22 cities within the UK, all of which
offer great investment opportunities, but you’re a bit late for
most of them – unless you’re looking for a resale. So, rather, look
to future developments, one of the most promising of which is
Vita Student Cardiff.
Cardiff
Cardiff University has about 37,500 students of which about
a quarter are international. It was ranked in the top 100 by the
Academic Ranking of World Universities in 2017, which has
helped to drive international student numbers. Cardiff University
has seen a 31% and 18% increase in EU and non-EU students
respectively since 2010/11.
This growth is having a dramatic impact on Cardiff’s student
property market. As international student numbers increase, so
does the demand for high-quality PBSA, providing homes close
to the university and Cardiff’s key city centre landmarks.
And this is making it the UK’s strongest investment location for
student property.
Underlining the demand for PBSA, Cardiff has seen a 137%
increase since 2010/11 in the number of people living in private-
sector PBSA properties, while the number of students living in
old-fashioned university-provided residences has fallen.
There are three universities in the city – Cardiff Metropolitan
University, the University of South Wales, and the Russell Group
Cardiff University – with a total student number in excess of
70,000.
I N V E S T M E N T
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
R
Student propensity to live in PBSA 2010/11 to
2015/16, Cardiff*
P R O P E R T Y
Same Region
Rest of UK
2010/2011
Other EU
Non-EU
2015/16
Source: HESA 2010-2015