Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - August 2017 | Page 31

However, private student accommodation is currently
still unregulated in South Africa. In many cases this
results in exploitation and exposure of students to various
levels of risk. Furthermore, there is the perception that
students are not heard and their needs aren’t being
attended to. This is evident in the disruptive student
protests which we’ve seen last year and early this year.”
Demand far outweighs supply and the private sector
can play a large role in alleviating the shortage. Howell
explains: “The rapid growth in student numbers and
the increase in the number of international students
attending South African universities have created
Less than 10% of first-
year university students
can be accommodated.
a unique new asset class for investors. This niche
market provides attractive returns to investors with
some protection against economic fluctuations and
diversification of their property portfolios.”
Founded in 2009, CampusKey Student Living has
a national footprint in South Africa with student
accommodation in Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria,
Port Elizabeth, Potchefstroom and Stellenbosch. As a
young dynamic company, they are constantly adding
new campuses to their portfolio with the University of
Johannesburg being completed by the end of next year.
CampusKey will be one of the first housing companies
to deploy Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
software. This will allow students to book accommodation
online and communicate any mainternance issues.
Additionally, a central, 24/7 manned central control
room will be used to make all builings more secure.
A 24‒hour number will also be available for students
to get assistance with any imaginable emergency.
Howell emphasizes the importance of focusing on and
implementing long‒term goals.
Some of these goals include further expansion.
The company is currently building a luxury facility in
Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth with 306 beds for the
2018 intake. Further construction is on schedule in
Hatfield, Pretoria where 160 beds will be completed by
the end of this year. An additional 112 beds