What students want to see in a new rented home is high-speed internet, Inclusive bills and double beds, according to the recently published ‘What Students Seek’ report by Glide Utilities.
The survey conducted this year has found that the top priority by far for the 2015 students is fast internet, with 83 per cent of those polled saying so. Next in line was inclusive bills, with almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of respondents rating it as either ‘essential’ or ‘important’ in their choice of new accommodation.
Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of those polled said they require their rooms to have double beds and 59 per cent needed their property to offer big, functional communal rooms, something that is often thought of as lacking in the stereotypically cramped student flats of old.
A top location (55 per cent) and good transportation links (31 per cent) were also named by students as key criteria in the choice of new home.
Commenting on the findings, James Villarreal, CEO at Glide Utilities, said:
“The secret to gaining student appeal in 2015 is definitely ‘more is more’. While the majority of students are satisfied with their accommodation, we can’t ignore the fact that this figure is gradually falling. This isn’t because conditions are slipping, necessarily, but that student expectations are rising.”
Heriberto Cuanalo, CEO of Collegiate AC, a provider of luxury students properties in the UK, comments:
“The demands of today’s student is very different even to, say, a student of five years ago and keeping abreast of these evolving demands is key to providing the very best student accommodation. At Collegiate AC, we provide all of the aspects highlighted in the new ‘What Students Seek’ report, with our inclusive billing covering super-fast broadband and Wi-Fi in every room, fabulously comfy double beds, and a variety of common rooms, reading rooms and work rooms to provide our residents with the spaces they need to live and study in comfort.”
These increasing expectations of the modern student reveal that university accommodation today is not just seen as a place merely to lay your head, with this also being highlighted by the newly released Savills Spotlight report on ‘UK Student Housing’ 2015. The report confirms that,
“The introduction of higher fees appears to have continued to drive a flight to quality… The attractiveness of universities in terms of the quality of the education they provide, their value for money, employment prospects and even the student lifestyle offered by the town or city will continue to play an important role in where prospective students choose to go…. We expect the ‘flight to quality’ to continue with higher ranking institutions benefiting most.”
As Savills indicates, the importance of additional aspects and facilities to enhance both study success and lifestyle experience are key.
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