The UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) will undertake a new study for the Scottish Government. The study is aimed at reviewing purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and providing policy recommendations.
The impetus for the project arises from the growth of the PBSA sector in Scotland and survey evidence raising questions about the affordability of some of the developments for students. Building on earlier work of the government review of PBSA in Scotland, survey evidence from UNIPOL and other market evidence, the study will gather evidence on the sector in Scotland and the UK and aims to identify good practice both in the UK and internationally.
The project will run until August 2022, and will involve researchers interviewing stakeholders which will present both a national picture as well as locality-based case studies. Primarily, the research will focus on interviews with students in PBSA, as well as a control group living in the mainstream private rented sector (PRS).
Student numbers are forecast to grow and there is emerging evidence that the supply of mainstream private renting is shrinking and rents are rising. Against this backdrop, the Scottish Government wishes to review student accommodation and PBSA in particular. Housing policy development also recognises the important knock on effects that the changing student accommodation sector is having on the wider rental markets of many places in different parts of Scotland.
To learn more about this project, contact Prof Ken Gibb, Director and Principal Investigator of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE).
