Pros and Cons of letting to students
There will always be demand if your house is in a university town or other popular destination for students. But not everyone prefers renting to students, so weigh the benefits and drawbacks before advertising your property. Students typically arrive in groups and have few possessions, so they choose homes or apartments with lots of furnished bedrooms and spacious common areas. A perk that could enable you to charge greater rentals is having more than one bathroom or toilet.
Pros:
- Most of the time, students are not particularly picky about their accommodations being state-of-the-art. Many people may be renting for the first time, and they would prefer to hang out with their pals. Older houses with several rooms are best.
- Rent can be calculated per room. Expect high profits because there are frequently more tenants in a student rental than there would be family members, particularly if you have turned a living space into an additional bedroom.
- Finding tenants is not too difficult, especially if you live close to a university campus!
- You are not obligated to any long-term contracts because students move on.
Cons:
- The increase of purpose-built private student housing has an impact on the demand for privately rented homes for students. Do a lot of research about the location.
- There will likely be greater than typical maintenance and repair costs, but you may compare these to the savings from not having to buy pricey furnishings and décor.
- Since students typically cannot provide credit references because they are coming from their family home, you should always have a guarantor.
- While you could have a few months over the summer break before the start of the next term when your home is empty, many student landlords successfully insist on 12-month leases.
- If your tenants enjoy throwing parties, you could have to deal with noise complaints from neighbours or the local government.
How to let to students
Consider whether you will also need to have accreditations as you examine the benefits and drawbacks of student rentals. A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is defined as a home that is rented to three or more unrelated tenants. In this instance, your local authorities will require that you obtain a licence. Your local council handles the application process for HMO licencing. The local council in charge of the region where the HMO is located can provide you with an application for a licence. You must send a collection of pertinent documents, together with a licence fee, with your application. These include, at the very least, the property’s Gas Safety Certificate, Electrical Safety Certificate, and a property plan. PAT certificates, fire alarm and maintenance records, as well as a sample tenancy agreement, may also be requested from you. Different councils have different application fees, and landlords who are requesting numerous HMO properties or a new HMO licence may be eligible for a reduction. If you are caught having no HMO license, you could receive hefty fines. The Council and tenants can also get a rent repayment order and recover up to 12 months’ worth of money.
In addition to your regular legal obligations, you must make sure:
- There are smoke detectors installed.
- Every five years, the electrics are inspected.
- Ensuring that the space is not congested
- There are sufficient cooking and cleaning amenities here.
- Cleanliness and decent maintenance are present in the common areas and utilities.
All of the HMO rules and responsibilities can be found at https://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/hmo-landlord-legal-requirements-regulations/.
A university may also accredit you as a landlord, making you a trusted and recommended first choice for students looking for new housing. It’ll be much easier and faster to fill your properties.
Good cities for letting to students
Liverpool
Liverpool, ranked as the second-best student city in the UK, may be the ideal location to invest in student housing for 2022. With five top-notch universities, a well-known nightlife, and some of the lowest property prices in the UK, Liverpool has long been the top choice for investors looking to make property investments. Liverpool offers a wonderful investment opportunity with luxury student housing frequently available for less than £100k and returns north of 8% NET. With house prices about 16% higher than in 2020, Liverpool has experienced some of the fastest capital gains over the previous year.
Birmingham
Birmingham, which has the joint-highest student population on this ranking, is a great city for students. Birmingham continues to draw tens of thousands of investors each year thanks to its exciting nightlife, vibrant cultural environment, and numerous yearly student events. The city has one of the youngest populations in the UK (about 40% of the population is under 25), so students will feel completely at home. The city’s future appears immensely promising with large businesses like PwC and HSBC, as well as massive regeneration initiatives like HS2 and the Big City Plan that are expected to generate a combined 80,000 jobs. Birmingham’s property costs are incredibly reasonable and give high rental yields, making it a successful investment.
Manchester
Unquestionably one of the greatest places to invest in student housing in the UK Manchester is home to one of the UK’s busiest student scenes in 2022. Manchester real estate is a highly profitable asset class, boasting some of the UK’s fastest growth rates and reasonably priced housing. The city is home to some of the best universities in the world, including Redbrick University of Manchester, which just reached its highest-ever ranking of number 30 in the world. In addition to having a great selection of educational institutions, such as Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, Manchester also offers a vibrant nightlife and some enticing graduate jobs at the many prestigious companies that have offices there.
Bristol
Bristol has a sizable university population, making shared student housing and student buy-to-lets attractive options. Over 56,000 students will be enrolled in Bristol’s two top universities, University of Bristol, and UWE Bristol, by 2021. Property values in Bristol are rising at a fantastic clip. One of the top 25 highest-yielding postcodes in the nation is in the city. In 2021, most houses in Bristol will sell for an average of £332,546; two-bedroom apartments and flats will sell for about £282,266. Prices of all sold houses in Bristol have increased by around 7.72% since January 2020.